Preventing Lyme Disease

Enjoy the woods - even during tick season!

Happy Spring! Call me crazy, but I already miss the snow. There is nothing like hiking through the woods under a blanket of white, with the air clear and crisp and the silence deafening. Yeah, sure, I’m looking forward to warmer weather and the green emergence of the plants (yea!) after a long winter hibernation, but I am very definitely not looking forward to the emergence of ticks – nor the spirochetes that many of them carry.

The first consideration when looking at Lyme Disease is prevention. Not all dogs bitten by a tick transmitting Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes will contract Lyme Disease (many don’t), and the determining factor is immune function. The safest and most effective way to prevent any health condition is to support the body in healing itself. The dog’s body knows how to do this (in fact, it does it every day), but there are ways we can help aid our dog’s immune function in conquering invaders.

Of course, the basis of health is nutrition. All systems of the body rely on vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, etc. which are provided by food. I won’t go into food here (see “The Importance of Food” for that), but will mention that dry kibble alone will not provide your dog with optimal immune support. It will sustain your dog; it will not foster a healthy response to pathogens. If you buy your dog food at a grocery store or big-box pet store, your dog’s immune support is most likely sadly deficient. The same is true of “prescription” or “science” formulas found in many vets’ offices. These foods are loaded with cheap fillers and even known carcinogens banned for use in human food, with one or two key ingredients to mask or suppress symptoms your dog is manifesting.

Even if you are feeding a quality food, a good multi-vitamin and -mineral supplement should be added, as well as digestive enzymes. The processing of dry food includes a heat process, which destroys the viabilty of enzymes and minimizes the integrity of essential vitamins and minerals. (If feeding raw and rotating meats, these supplements aren’t necessary.)

Another huge factor affecting immune support is vaccination. By giving all of the vaccines that Big Pharma dictates, we are lowering the immune function of our dogs. I’m not anti-vaccination; I’m anti-overvaccination. Bombarding the immune system with repeated combo vaccines throws it into disarray, compromising its ability to function appropriately (see http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/petvacc.htm). I often wonder how many of the autoimmune issues and cancers we see in dogs are a direct result of this unnatural bombardment. Talk with your vet about a limited vaccine schedule using single vaccines.

Please do not allow your vet to vaccinate for Lyme. The Lyme vaccine was developed for use in humans, but was recalled after too many people suffered the symptoms of Lyme. So, as is the case when pharmaceutical companies spend oodles of money on things that are not approved by the FDA or later recalled, the vaccine was peddled to the veterinary community. Now, vets are seeing more Lyme in dogs who were vaccinated for it than in those who weren’t. There are a couple of reasons for this (see http://www.thedogplace.org/VACCINES/Lyme-Disease1-10062-Jordan.asp), but the bottom line is that the vaccine isn’t doing your dog any favors – just compromising the immune response. A far safer option is the Borrelia nosode.  Unlike the the Lyme vaccine, there have been no reported adverse reactions.  Connecticut vet Dr. Steve Tobin recommends a dosage of 60C once daily for one week, then once a week for a month, then once every 6 months. If your vet insists on the Lyme vaccine (as many still do), find another vet. Really.

With immune function as the basis, we can build on that during tick season by giving herbs which specifically combat Lyme and other spirochetal diseases. The easiest way is to make a strong tea and pour it over your dog’s dinner every night. Astragalus is an excellent choice during tick season, aiding the immune system. Cat’s Claw is another immunosupportive herb, especially useful in spirochetal disease and prevention, as it raises certain lymphocyte counts specific to Lyme. Japanese Knotweed is an important antispirochetal herb for use during tick season, shutting down the pathways in the body that spirochetes like to take. We’ll talk about these herbs in more depth in Part II; but here, we’re using the root, which is best decocted (or, simmered) to extract the full benefits. Some people like to make up a jar to store in the refrigerator for a few days, but if you don’t see yourself doing that, a strong tea is better than nothing.

In addition, add fresh, raw garlic to your dog’s dinner every night. Garlic contains hundreds of sulfur compounds, which parasites will not tolerate. Garlic supports almost every system in the body – especially the immune system – and acts as a natural antibiotic.

Many choose to apply topical flea & tick preventives like Frontline. While I understand the need to protect your dog against these parasites, chemical topicals are actually neurotoxins which are absorbed by the skin (“wear gloves when applying”). As such, they actually suppress the immune system because it’s so busy fighting against these invaders.  Kind of negates the action for which it was intended, and the reason so many dogs smeared with these toxins get ticks, anyway. Parasites love a weakened host because they’re an easier target. I prefer applying a natural spray before going into areas where ticks are likely to be present. Honestly, I don’t recommend most herbal bug sprays, because they usually just don’t work – especially for ticks. The only herbal ingredients I have found to be effective against ticks are Tea Tree oil and Neem. Tea Tree oil is very potent and must be used in small quantities (only a few drops per spray bottle). Tea Tree and Neem are pretty stinky, so I will add some Lavender and Rose Geranium to make the spray tolerable – as well as help deter other bugs. Generally, I’m not a huge fan of using essential oils at all with dogs – but tick season calls for special measures, and it sure beats chemical neurotoxins.

If your dog is bitten by a tick and you would like to take extra precaution, you can give the homeopathic Ledum at a dose of 1M, three times a day for three days. Dogs respond very well to Ledum, and there are no adverse effects, even  if there were no spirochetes transmitted by the tick.

Don’t let ticks keep you out of the woods!  Enjoy long and happy hikes with your dog.

Park Serve Day at the Middlesex Fells

Where: 300 Elm St, Medford, MA 02155
Date: April 16, 2011
Time: 9:00am–1:00pm

Park Clean Up at Middlesex Fells.  Meet at Flynn Rink, 300 Elm Street, Medford.

Co-sponsored by Fells Dog Owner Group, Friends of the Middlesex Fells, New England Mountain Bike Association – Greater Boston Chapter, and the Massachusetts Sierra Club.

This is a Park Serve Day event.  The DCR will provide tools, including pick-up sticks, trash bags and work gloves. Volunteers are encouraged to wear sturdy shoes and protective clothing and to consider  using sunscreen and insect repellent.

FellsDOG encourages volunteers to make other arrangements for their pets, though leashed dogs are allowed a the Middlesex Fells Reservation.

“Herbalism is based on relationship – relationship between plant and human, plant and planet, human and planet. Using herbs in the healing process means taking part in an ecological cycle. This offers us the opportunity consciously to be present in the living, vital world of which we are part; to invite wholeness and our world into our lives through awareness of the remedies being used. The herbs can link us into the broader context of planetary wholeness, so that whilst they are doing their physiological/medical job, we can do ours and build an awareness of the links and mutual relationships.”
-Wendell Berry

Trivial factoid: Aspirin got its name from the “a” in acetylsalicylic acid and “spir” in the botanical name for Meadowsweet, Spirea. (Acetylsalicylic acid is converted from one of the medicinal constituents in Meadowsweet.). Interestingly, the plant wasn’t used in the formulation of aspirin, as French chemists synthesized salicin in the early 19th century and Felix Hoffman of Bayer rediscovered and marketed it. While aspirin may have the side effect of gastric upset, Meadowsweet in its whole form has a beneficial effect on the digestive process. Silly scientists!

Here’s to an Active 2011!

Today was a beautiful day for hiking, with the sun shining, the temperature mild, and the ground covered with snow.  Being the holiday week between Christmas and the New Year, more people were out in the woods with their dogs – and that is another reason why it was a beautiful day for hiking. Cruising along a trail, we’d suddenly be approached by a lab tearing toward us, mouth open in that goofy lab smile and tail spinning around like a propeller at the rear, or a group of dogs happy to find another friend to add to the pack, racing up and down the trail in an invitation to join them. Big dogs, little dogs, fluffy dogs, skinny dogs, young dogs, older dogs… but not fat dogs. Happy dogs, all.

As a canine herbalist, my specialty is in treating dogs using the medicinal actions of plants. Oddly enough, though, this is the third tier of canine health and a dog with a truly healthy lifestyle would need herbs only minimally.  I love formulating and mixing herbs like a mad scientist in the laboratory but, honestly, I’m happy when herbs aren’t even needed.

There are plenty of reasons why we’re seeing so many chronic health issues in dogs these days.  We over-breed, we feed dry, processed kibble, and we give combo vaccines until their immune systems don’t know which end is up. But they sit around, too. A lot.  We adopt a dog and expect him or her to sleep all day while we’re at work. But it’s not just health issues that we’re seeing. Vets are prescribing Prozac for dogs. Really. And one of the most frequently sought natural remedies for dogs is one to address separation anxiety.  Dogs are going stir-crazy.

We see dogs out on their daily or nightly walks, lumbering along next to their humans on our city streets, relegated to the 4 or 6 feet of their lead. Plodding along, stopping here and there to sniff at a urine mark left by another dog plodding along at his or her human’s side.

So, yeah, it was a beautiful day to be out on the trails, seeing all the happy dogs romping freely in the woods. Tonight, as they sleep, I hope their legs are twitching and paddling as they dream of their day running under the pines.

On this New Year’s Eve, I wish for all the dogs of Somerville to be tired and happy in 2011.

And no Prozac.

Kennel Cough

If you’ve ever had or heard a dog with kennel cough, you know the sound of the hacking cough that is its signature. While rarely life-threatening, the virus is airborne and spreads quickly in a closed environment of barking dogs (hence its name).  It is a viral infection caused by parainfluenza or canine adenovirus and is characterized by a dry, hacking cough. In fact, no other symptoms accompany the cough, such as phlegm or fever – just that raspy cough. If not treated properly, a secondary invasion may develop in the form of a bacterial infection (Bordatella bronchiseptica).  Bordatella then presents a more hoarse, moist, croupish cough.

Unless the infection has advanced to Bordatella, antibiotics are usually of little use here, and more an example of the overuse of antibiotics as dictated by the pharmaceutical companies. While indicated for Bordatella, please question your vet if (s)he prescribes antibiotics for kennel cough.

First- please give garlic!  Garlic fights infection better than any other single herb, and is specific to the respiratory tract, as the essential antibacterial and antiviral constituents found in garlic are excreted through the lungs. Give 1/4 bulb nightly for small dogs, 1/2 bulb for medium-sized dogs, and an entire bulb for large breeds.  Contrary to what you may have heard, garlic is not dangerous to dogs (unless fed in excessive quantities for extended periods); in fact, all dogs should get fresh, raw garlic every day to assist the immune system and help fight disease.

Any dog fighting an infection should be fasted and given vitamin supplements. The process of digestion takes a lot of energy, so when your dog is fighting off pathogens, allowing the body to use all of its resources for healing rather than digesting for a day is a good move.  Vitamins A, C, and E are most important in supporting the immune response, but you can also aid the immune system and healing process by giving a good whole-food multivitamin. Whole-food vitamins are better recognized and assimilated by the digestive system than synthetics (which are mostly just peed out), so spend your money wisely!

While I’m not usually one to suggest Echinacea, as it seems so overused now, this is one of the few conditions in dogs where it’s clearly indicated. Echinacea is effective in both viral and bacterial infections, and its action is specific to the upper respiratory tract. Though most effective when given at the first hint of symptoms (like the tickling in your throat before a cold comes on), dogs are more sensitive to the effects of herbs, and may respond well to its use.

More specific to bronchitis, Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) is primarily an expectorant and may relieve the rawness associated with an unproductive, spasmodic cough.  A nice companion to Coltsfoot may be Licorice Root (Glycyrrhica glabra), with its antiviral and antibacterial properties – along with its demulcent action to help soothe the trachea.  Other herbs to consider are Mullein (Verbascum thapsus), Goldenseal (Hydrastis spp – which is endangered, so Oregon Grape Root [Mahoma aquifolium] is a good substitute), and Lobelia (Lobelia inflata).

Dogs with any form of respiratory infection should spend as much time as possible outside. Breathing fresh air is key in clearing respiration, and our dogs spend so much time indoors, now.

Of course, feeding a quality diet, adding garlic and whole-food vitamins, and ensuring lots of outdoor activity will help to prevent a health condition, to begin with!

Happy and healthy dogs to all.

White Pine

 

 

 

botanical name:
Pinus strobus

parts used:
inner bark, needles

As Autumn sends much of the plant world into repose for the winter, the winter herbs become that much more visible. These are the hardy ones; and, as Nature intended, those most capable of helping us with winter ailments.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), winter correlates with the urinary system, and as the energy of the body is in the kidneys and bladder, these issues surface more during this season. But wait – we’re not in winter yet. It’s still fall, which is Lung season… and probably why my trusted accomplice has been munching on fresh pine needles on our hikes, lately.

Another example of how we learn from the wisdom of animals: as we transition from autumn into winter, I see how appealing White Pine is!

White Pine bridges autumn and winter. Though primarily an antiseptic, its medicinal actions support both lung and urinary. The essential oil of pine is antiseptic and very cleansing to the lungs, and has traditionally been used as a tea for winter colds. In fact, the inner bark was formerly used in cough syrups. This is a great choice for a dog with kennel cough (to be covered in the next post).

Although White Pine is primarily an expectorant, it also has demulcent and diuretic properties, offering a beneficial effect on the kidneys and bladder. Native Americans used pine twigs for lung and kidney ailments.

Dr. Edward Bach used the flower essence of Pine for feeling unworthy and for guilt – those who blame themselves for others’ mistakes – but also fear and rejection. Pine flower essence is indicated for the dog who cringes in fear.

… and this actually ties back in to the lungs and kidneys, as TCM attributes the kidneys with the emotion of fear, and the lungs with grief.  The wonder of a holistic model!