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Eczema after wasp sting | From rtc35 [Log on to view profile] | on 2010-09-22 |
| 27 replies | 1127 views |
My 1 yr old chihuahua got stung on the snout about a month ago, and ever since, her ears are chronically itchy and scaly, especially on the side she got stung on. She scratches to the point of scabbing at times. She scratches most violently in the middle of the night, which wakes me up as it goes on for 10-15 minutes sometimes.
For background into her nature, she is a bit timid for a dog and whimpers if I go upstairs without her, but won't venture up without me in her sight. She cries until she sees me at the top and then runs up.
We don't have a homeopathic vet around here so I don't know what to give her. Can anyone suggest a remedy?
- Thanks |
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| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From sameervermani [Log on to view profile] | on 2010-09-22 |
Apis Mellifica 30c single dose. | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From rtc35 [Log on to view profile] | on 2011-02-17 |
It's many months later now and my Chihuahua isn't cured. To update her situation, she gets red swollen eyelids, esp. her left eye. Her right ear is still scaly and itchy at times. Most troubling is her rapid breathing in the night - a more recent development. It's so rapid and loud it wakes me each night. She holds herself rigid as if anxious or in pain.
Every aspect of her symptoms are covered by Apis, so this remedy, as suggested by sameervermani, seems right to me.
Each time her ear and eye becomes red and itchy again, I have been giving her another dose of Apis (every month or so), and it always improves her redness and itchiness, but they eventually return again. For a while, I was varying the dose, by diluting the water once a day for 3 days. Alternately, I've tried to wait a couple of weeks as her symtpoms continue to worsen in case I overdosed her, but then I decide to give her another dose as she is clearly worsening to a worrisome condition.
But now, with her breathing problems, I'm concerned that she appears better on the outside but is worse on the inside. Is it time to antidote the Apis? Have I given her too much or am I not giving her enough? This situation exceeds my understanding of Homeopathic dosage.
Thanks in advance. | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From brisbanehomoeopath [Log on to view profile] | on 2011-02-18 |
What about trying the remedy Vespa crabro (Wasp)? | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From maheeru [Log on to view profile] | on 2011-02-18 |
rtc if other things do not work, try Ars. alb. | This thread continues beneath the following ad.
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| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From rtc35 [Log on to view profile] | on 2011-05-24 |
Hello again. Thank you all for the help so far. For a while, I thought my Chihuahua was really on the mend. I tried Vespa 30C and it seemed to help, but not permanently. Her itching ear cleared up, but not her swollen eye. I followed up with Graphites, which cleared up her eye. She seemed all better for a while, but unfortunately, her eczema gradually returned. I also tried Arsenicum 30C and it also seemed to help, temporarily, but not the last time I tried it. It seems like Apis, Vespa, Sulphur, Graphites and Arsenicum have all helped, but only temporarily.
I recently gave her Vespa again and her ears are not too bad, but her left eye has swollen again, worse than ever. Her right eye is also swollen, but the left one is much worse - it's sometimes half shut. She looks like Sylvester Stallone in Rocky. She scratches it, sometimes yelping when she catches it hard and it bleeds. She also has red, balding patches under her chin and on the right side of her face.
One thing that seems to have improved is the rapid breathing. I don't notice any unusual breathing any more.
I don't know where to go from here. Please help.
[message edited by rtc35 on Tue, 24 May 2011 19:45:03 BST] | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From brisbanehomoeopath [Log on to view profile] | on 2011-05-24 |
The case needs to be taken properly - as you can see giving a remedy made from the animal or substance that caused the problem usually isn't very successful.
Can you give a complete run-down of her health since the incident - appetite, mood, sleep,fears, bowel habit, odours - anything at all that is strange, peculiar, different. On top of that, what chronic problems did she have before the event? | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From rtc35 [Log on to view profile] | on 2011-05-25 |
The dog in question is a white, short-haired, 2 year old Chihuahua named Mia.
Mind
The striking feature of Mia's personality is timidity. She won't come upstairs unaccompanied even after living in this house for two years now. She whines at the bottom, waiting for someone to appear at the top. She won't jump up or down from the sofa, but has to be lifted. In fact, she just peed on it last night because the kids forgot to lift her down before going up for bed. Our other Chihuahua began to jump up and down on his own only a month or two after we got him. She's afraid to pass through a door that is ajar by only 6 inches even though she can fit - it has to be wider. She'll whine and cry and eventually give up rather than just walk through.
She hates the cold and hides when we get the leash anywhere from October to May, but maybe that's not odd for a short-haired Chihuahua.
This describes her generally, but since the incident, perhaps she's a bit more withdrawn - less likely to make the effort to sit in my lap (or is it that she's less of a puppy now?)
Appetite
-small appetite
-not hungry in the morning - ignores food and water
-tires of foods quickly after repetition
-dislikes dog food, will sooner eat the cat's food, but prefers raw or cooked beef, liver, tuna
-likes wheat-based foods like bread or perogies and also milk products, but I've been limiting them because I thought they were aggrevating her symptoms - not really sure of that anymore, but possible
-cat/dog food may also aggrevate - I'm considering the idea that she had a relapse because we ran out of beef and she had to eat dry dog food for a while
Sleep
She sleeps a lot - like a cat, all night and most of the day (explains low appetite) or is that just how all dogs are?
Bowel
tends to go in afternoon - normal in consistency, colour: brown - sometimes yellowish
Mia had no health issues prior to being stung. She was stung by a wasp last August (right side of her snout/cheek) and her face swelled for a day or two, then improved. Within another day or so, the eczema in her right ear began. It led to dry flaky skin and scabs. She always had a buttery smell to her - not unpleasant, but it has become stronger since the indicent - sometimes more like an old cheddar smell. Sometimes the inside of her ears take on a granular, bumpy texture and her ear canal seems to swell right up and I wonder if she can hear properly. I also noticed a thin, yellow fluid in her ear canals which seems to be the source of the cheesy smell.
Over time, the eczema began to spread to other parts of her face and her other ear, followed by the swollen eyes, which peaked toward the end of October. She also developed swollen, red areas around the mouth. I should point out that in November, we aquired another Chihuahua, who soon developed an eye infection, presumably from contact with Mia. He also developed the swelling around his mouth, but his symptoms were easily cleared up with one dose of Nat Mur.
Back then I was giving Mia Apis, which helped for a while. Her symptoms came and went through the winter, but in January or February, she also developed rapid, anxious breathing in the middle of the night - usually 5 or 6 AM. She was calmed if I pet her for 15 minutes or so, but it took time. I tried Vespa, and it helped for a couple of weeks before the symptoms returned. I then tried Arsenicum and it also seemed to help for a while. Her rapid breathing has ceased [EDIT: last night at 4 AM I woke to find her panting again, maybe just from the heat of the bed], but her eyes are the biggest problem now. They are swollen, her eyelids are spotted bright red from scratching, in late morning they get gluey with thick, creamy-coloured discharge (by the way, even the other Chihuahua is starting to get slightly swollen eyes again). She commonly begins scratching at 7 AM, though lately, that hasn't been too bad. As I had mentioned, she also has balding patches under her chin and on the right side of her face where she was originally stung. She scabs most severely on the back of her earlobes, at the bottom.
Generally, she looks best in the morning and most red and swollen from 8 or 9 PM onward. She can look strikingly red - red ears, eyelids, mouth, and even as if it's beaming right through the fur on her forehead.
That's all I can think of. Thanks so much for your help.
[message edited by rtc35 on Thu, 26 May 2011 13:04:39 BST] | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From brisbanehomoeopath [Log on to view profile] | on 2011-05-26 |
Ok I want you to get hold of Hepar-sulph 30c. Let me know when you have it and I will tell you how to dose her. | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From rtc35 [Log on to view profile] | on 2011-05-27 |
Ok,I've obtained Hepar Sulph 30C. What's your recommended dose?
Thanks. | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From brisbanehomoeopath [Log on to view profile] | on 2011-05-27 |
Do you have it as liquid or pillules? | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From rtc35 [Log on to view profile] | on 2011-05-28 |
Pillules. | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From rtc35 [Log on to view profile] | on 2011-06-07 |
I'm wondering if I didn't give her enough or if it's not the right remedy. I gave 3 doses of Hepar Sulph 30C, 1 a day for 3 days about a week ago. It doesn't seem to have helped. | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From brisbanehomoeopath [Log on to view profile] | on 2011-06-07 |
Ah I didn't finish giving instructions on how to give her the remedy. Pillules cannot be given straight, it needs to be given as a liquid dose.
You need a clean bottle and dropper. Fill the bottle with a mixture of water and alcohol (5 parts to 1 part), and dissolve 2 pillules into this.
Then, hit the bottle firmly against the palm of the hand twice (good hard hits) and place as close to one drop in her mouth. Do this three times a day for up to three days in a row.
Make sure you hit the bottle. This is very important for repeat doses. | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From rtc35 [Log on to view profile] | on 2011-06-09 |
Ah, thanks. I was dissolving the pillules in distilled drinking water each time. This sounds easier, but can I use something like vodka for the alcohol?
Thanks again. I really appreciate your help. | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From brisbanehomoeopath [Log on to view profile] | on 2011-06-09 |
Yes vodka is quite suitable. | This thread continues beneath the following ad.
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| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From rtc35 [Log on to view profile] | on 2011-07-12 |
Hi again.
I tried Hepar Sulph 30C as instructed above (dissolved in water/alcohol, hitting the bottle, etc). I gave the remedy 3 times a day for 3 days, back in early June. It didn't seem to do much. The changes I would note are that her swollen eyes improved quite a bit, head smells more metallic - maybe a bit coppery - than it used to (but her ears still smell cheesy) and her balding patches have grown in size.
I've given it some time to test for food allergies since giving the remedy - that's why it's been a while since I last posted. I've also been treating her with a natural cream containing tea tree oil and lavender, but not until about 3 weeks after I gave hepar sulph. It reduces the itching, but it's no cure, obviously.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Robin
[message edited by rtc35 on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:36:12 BST] | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From rtc35 [Log on to view profile] | on 2011-08-18 |
My dog's condition continues to get worse. She's lost most of the hair on her entire head now. I really thought Hepar was right, esp. because of the cheese smell, but it failed. Now I'm thinking of trying Sulphur again, because I read that it's commonly used when a 'well chosen remedy fails to act'. It's also covers all the symptoms other than the cheese smell.
Would 200C be okay? Does this sound like a good idea? I would appreciate anybody's help on this. Thanks. | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From brisbanehomoeopath [Log on to view profile] | on 2011-08-19 |
I would say use 200c of Hepar-sulph. It sounds like 30c was not strong enough, since there were obvious improvements. Whenever a remedy only does part of the work, you need to consider the potency first, before changing the remedy.
The idea that Sulphur should be used when an indicated remedy fails to act is a superstition with no basis in our philosophy. Sulphur should only be used when it is indicated, not when something else is indicated.
There are plenty of those weird 'rules' floating around. | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From rtc35 [Log on to view profile] | on 2012-01-18 |
It's been quite a while, but since last August I tried Hepar Sulph 200c. I wouldn't say it was noticeably helpful, so I tried Sulphur 200c afterwards. That seemed to help a bit, but not for long. I then tried both Hepar Sulph 1M and Sulphur 1M. Each time I try Hepar, it doesn't seem to do much so I try Sulphur and she improves, but only for a short time.
Finally I tried Sulphur 10M. I only gave her one dose, which didn't do anything.
Now, after all this time, she is generally a bit worse, always scratching, with extensive hair loss. Her head smells offensive, similar to copper but more harsh, which usually overpowers the cheese smell from her ears.
The possibilities I'm debating:
1. repeat the Sulphur 10M dose again
2. try Hepar Sulph 10M
3. try Hepar Sulph 200c or 1M again
4. try Sulph 200c or 1M again
5. look for an entirely different remedy
6. begin as restrictive diet to rule out food allergies (it's already fairly limited)
I really am at a loss for what to do at this point. Please help.
Thanks. | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From brisbanehomoeopath [Log on to view profile] | on 2012-01-19 |
None of those remedies are correct. The results are not what you get from the correct medicine, not even close.
Let me look at the case again. Clearly this is a chronic one, not an acute. The sting may have stimulated the chronic disease into life, but did not create it. | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From rtc35 [Log on to view profile] | on 2012-01-20 |
I would appreciate it so much if you would review the case again.
Below is the case as I've taken it as best as I can. It was originally done last April when it was mostly on her ears, but now the hair loss, redness and itching is all over her head, neck, feet and legs (perhaps that's all she can effectively scratch and chew).
Previously, I said she scratched most at 7am, but she doesn't sleep in our bed any more, so I don't know if that's still true.
Things I couldn't find for the grid:
-metallic or coppery smell to the eruptions
-most red in the evening, from about 8 pm to 10 pm or so
-an excess of skin where she's scratched -she has loose folds as if she's stretched her skin too much
Thanks so much. | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From brisbanehomoeopath [Log on to view profile] | on 2012-01-22 |
I appreciate that you are trying to help, but the last thing you should be doing is giving me rubrics from a limited and narrow computer program like the one on this website.
Choosing the symptoms, translating them into the correct rubric, this is what the homoeopath's skill is for. Showing me the rubrics will just lead me to the same answers you have found.
The most important thing is to understand how she is being affected, how she is reacting, what changes have occured in her character since becoming sick. These are the things that lead us to the remedy, and those symptoms you mention can be then used to differentiate between them.
Animals are just like people. When they get sick, especially chronically sick, it changes who they are. It distorts them in some way, and they must adapt to survive the illness, often in peculiar ways.
I find that pet owners (when they love their little ones) are actually quite intuitive when it comes to giving this information, just like a mother is with their child.
[message edited by brisbanehomoeopath on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:25:56 GMT] | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From rtc35 [Log on to view profile] | on 2012-02-03 |
Hello - I was sure I checked 'email me when anyone replies', but I didn't get one, so I just realized you responded some time ago - thank you.
Yes, I realize this program is a very blunt instrument - generally frustrating, but one thing it provides is a clean summary of symptoms. That's all I was thinking about when I included it for you.
With respect to how this affliction has changed her, the main feature is reclusiveness. She tends to sleep a lot more, away from others. She eats less, too. She is generally less engaged. She was always timid though. One other symptom I'm coming to suspect is that her symptoms may be worse in sunlight, not simply heat. Sometimes that's hard to separate, but it's not that hot right now, but she's scratching like crazy in the sun (Nat Mur?).
Your comments were excellent, by the way. They helped me define her symptoms more clearly, as illustrated above.
Yesterday and the day before, I gave her Graphites 200c. My thinking was that since Graphites helped her before, maybe I just didn't go high enough with the potency. Sorry if I've complicating things, but I mistakenly thought you were unavailable and I was anxious about her condition. Last night, I thought it was helping with her odour. She smelled a bit like corn chips, or a bit buttery, just like she used to before she got sick - not so metallic. However, as I said, she's still scratching and her metallic smell is returning as I write this.
What do you think? Thanks again. | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From brisbanehomoeopath [Log on to view profile] | on 2012-02-03 |
Can you describe more on the reclusiveness, how it is different from how she was before, how she is different to other dogs?
What happens when she is with people, dogs, other animals?
Is there any situation where she seems more social?
Sunlight aggravates, or heat of the sun aggravates, is actually a fairly big symptom with a lot of remedies in it. Nat-mur is an interesting idea, but you still want to see the full character of that remedy.
Are there any other features that you can think of, even minor ones. The smallest detail can help direct me to a remedy. | | |
| Re: Eczema after wasp sting | From rtc35 [Log on to view profile] | on 2012-02-06 |
She's different from other dogs in that she resists going for walks. In cold weather, it's out of the question, but in warm weather, once we pass certain areas that spook her, she's okay, she'll walk. To the east, she stops at a babbling brook, to the west, a thicket of tall grasses, but I suspect it could also be a distance threshold that makes her stop: 'once we get this far, we really are leaving home'. Once the weather turns even a bit cold, she has to be dragged out reluctantly, but then she seems to remember that she likes it outside. With every new day, she forgets again, and it's a struggle. Sometimes, if the kids try to walk her, she adamantly refuses to walk and I have to come out and train her all over again. She's more willing with me, but still stubborn.
Before her ailments, she was also quirky about walks in cold weather, but since, she became much worse and the resistance - even in nice weather - began.
She used to like to cuddle and didn't mind being carried. Now, carrying her is out of the question. She's highly agitated and struggles to get down. It seems ironic that she's too timid to jump off the sofa, but will dangerously struggle over a tiled kitchen floor more that 4 feet off the ground. It seems as if she has no trust any more.
Giving her bath is a nightmare, as is trimming her claws. She was always this way, but it's worse now.
When she was at her worst, she would hardly come near anybody and stay alone on a blanket where she sleeps, but lately she's a bit better. She wants up on the sofa if somebody is there, but unlike before her eczema began, she moves to the far end. She avoids closeness, whereas before she'd curl right up on our laps or climb in under our shirts to warm up.
She's nervous and touchy, startling easily. Occasionally, but not often, she even yelps at the sight of a foot stepping near her, even though she didn't actually get stepped on.
Here is one of most peculiar and frustrating facets of her personality: when she wants up on the sofa, she rises up to rest her front paws on the sofa, indicating she want to be lifted up - she won't jump on her own, even though she's physically able. When we reach for her, she backs away. Once we back away, she returns and even whimpers and looks at us expectantly waiting for assistance. As soon as we reach for her, she backs away again. This can go on a dozen times before she finally summons up the courage to hold her ground. She was always this way, but I think she's worse with her illness.
She has lost almost all of her playfulness, but will occasionally come upstairs as the kids are going to bed and romp with the other Chihuahua, who is much more playful than her. At her worst, she wouldn't play at all and showed no interest, but lately, she's a bit better and has resumed this interest, in a limited way. Their bedtime is at 9:30 pm and it's the only time of day she ventures upstairs.
Sometimes, when I'm putting out food, she seems surprisingly unresponsive, to the point where I thought she was actually near deaf. I would call her, more and more loudly until I was yelling, and she wouldn't react at all. I would still suspect her to have hearing issues, but we conducted a little test, and her hearing seems to be fine. She just seems really slow to realize there's a good reason to get up off her cushion when I call her. It's almost as if it takes hearing name being called about 4 times before it registers.
The itchiness has moved all the way down to her paws now, and she chews at them until they're raw. It has spread from her ears and radiated steadily outward. The only place she has fur is on her torso now. She looks best in the morning - hardly red, and as I've said before, most red 8-10 pm or in the sun.
That's all we can think of. Sorry it's so verbose. |
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