December 2003
Lake Tahoe December 2003
This is the picture that I am looking at as I begin the last Pet Whisperer newsletter for the year 2003. As I look upon this beautiful lake, it reminds me of how important living each day in the NOW is the lesson we all need to heed each and every day.
Each day we hear from more and more of our friends who are asking, "How can we help you?". The answer is knowing that all of you have us in your prayers, is all we need. This gives us such a wonderful feeling and helps Charene and I in our healing process since the fire. We both want to thank you all for the help you have given us and that knowing you have us in your prayers makes our journey that much easier. All these years I have asked all of you to pay me back by paying it forward and sharing my words with at least three more people. Little did I know, that one day I would be on the receiving end of Paying it Forward. :O)
I have added some changes to my web sitewww.thepetwhisperer.com at the bottom of the home page, under tips of the month and also on how to order essential oils. I will tell you that it is about the most important decision you will every have to make with your animal friend.
This is the first time I have had time since the fire to prepare a story about one of my miracle animal buddies. The story is about a bobcat, who saved three of my animal buddies and my two friends their caregivers.
A Bobcat vs. a Firestorm
It was about 3 am the morning of October 26th when a family of three Newfoundland's and two caregivers were awoken by the smell of smoke. When they looked out the back window of their newly built dream home, all they saw was a wall of flames baring down on them.
They had been told two hours earlier by the fire department that there was nothing to worry about, so do not evacuate. With this information they felt they had no reason to worry and had gone back to sleep. At this point they had no time to gather their belonging, only time to run for their lives.
The smoke was so thick they could hardly see by this time but by some miracle they all were able to get into one of the automobiles and start the engine. As they looked back, they saw their beautiful home and all their belongs erupt in flames. The heat was so intense they were sure they would all be burned to death.
The rural road that lead from their home was engulfed in smoke and visibility was so poor, they did not know which way to go. The flames were right behind them and they knew the end was near.
At the point when they thought all was lost, a bobcat leaped on to the hood of their car and briefly glanced back at them. He then jumped to road in front of them and lead them out of the fire by staying on the road just far enough ahead to make sure they could see where to go.
They had only seen this little guy one time before since they had moved in. As you all know bobcats stay clear of humans and are basically invisible unless they wish to be seen.
This is but one of 100s of miracles that happened during the firestorm, here in San Diego. As I always say, animals are here to help and care for us, no matter how dangerous the situation may be.
Before I share my ten tips for the coming year with you all, I want to give you some information I have come across that I want to share with you. As always, all I ask in return is to share it with at least three more people.
Hypothyroidism then and now ?
Thirty years ago, when I first began practice, the incidence of cancer, autoimmune disease and dysfunction's of the thyroid were rare. If I saw more than one case of autoimmune disease in a year's time, it was considered unusual. Cancer was a rare diagnosis and a few cases of hypothyroidism was the norm.
You will hear the arguments that we have better means of diagnosing and animals live longer as the reason for more of these conditions. Both of these are not the case.
Diagnosing cancer is not a rocket scientist procedure to begin with and the tools we had were excellent as they are now. The incidence of Autoimmune disease and cancer have now become so common, they are our primary differentials when faced with a chronic disease situation. The argument that animals living longer is the reason for these conditions being more prevalent is irrelevant when we are seeing autoimmune disease and cancer in young animals more than ever or in the same age range as we did before.
Hypothyroidism falls under the same category as Cancer and Autoimmune disease. It has become so common that certain breeds of dogs are consider perfectly healthy for breeding, even though their parents are hyperthyroid. This is an example of making abnormal, normal so that we do not have to deal with why the animals are sick in the first place.
The following link is to a human information site on Hypothyroidism and how to evaluate it. You can learn more about what tests are going to provide you with the most information about your pet's thyroid health and be able to help your veterinarian better diagnose and treat this very common problem. Hypothyroidism Treatment: diagnosis, synthroid alternatives, armour thyroid.
The main fact I would like you all to be informed about, is that a T4 is not adequate to diagnose hypothyroidism. The Thyroid produces T1,T2 T3 and T4 but these are not generally addressed. The number in the name actually refers to the number of iodine molecules present in the hormone.T4 is what the synthetic hormones like Synthroid have. It is a pre-hormone and the body actually converts it to the active hormone T3 which performs most of the activity of the thyroid function.
When you are only treating with T4, you are assuming the thyroid gland is healthy enough to convert the T4 to T3. If this is not the case, the animal will not respond, even though the follow up blood work shows a T4 in the normal excepted range.
I recommend doing a Free T3 and Free T4 level to determine what is actually available in the dog's blood when it is tested. If I find these are low I will try the following protocols and then reevaluate their progress depending on their clinical and follow up thyroid values. When you test an animal who is on replacement therapy, you should have your veterinarian draw the blood 4 to 6 hours post meds to get a better idea of the therapeutic levels of your treatment regiment.
If the patient has a Free T3 and Free T4 in the low end of normal but has mild clinical signs of hypothyroidism, I put them on the following course of therapy for 4 to 6 weeks and then reevaluate them. I always try to find a homeopathic simillimum to go with the following general therapy approach;
Thyrotrophin or Canine Thyroid support by Standard process. 1 to 4 tablets twice per day or 1/4th to 1/2 tsp twice per day respectively.
Bloodtwig DogBerry Gemmotherapy from Dolisos, 5 to 10 drops twice per day for thyroid support and detoxification.
No vaccines, heartworm, flea or tick meds.
If I have a patient with a very low Free T3 and Free T4 and a severe clinical picture of hypothyroidism, I will add to the above protocol Desiccated Thyroid from Western Research labs Pharmacy in Arizona. I dose them at 1 grain per 10 pounds of body weight twice per day. The secret to T3 supplementation is giving it twice per day because its half life is so short, it needs to be repeat twice per day to maintain adequate blood levels of the T3 needed by that animal through out the day.
After they have been on this regiment for 4 to 6 weeks, I have them revaluate their blood work and re-examine their clinical symptoms.
There are times when you will have to use Synthetic T4 supplements when you are unable to balance the thyroid with natural means. These are the exceptions rather than the rule.
Tips for the coming Year.
First all remember to slow your thoughts and physical movement by 10% or more going through your day. You will find that this will allow you to stay in the NOW better than you ever thought possible. You will see, smell, feel things you have been missing by going toooooooo fast.
Secondly , make sure the first thing you think of when you awake in the morning, " Who can I help today?"
Thirdly , make sure you take time in the morning to give thanks for every biological function in your body that works because there is an old saying, " Snooze and you loose."
Fourthly , I would recommend every one look into Young living new Toothpaste to start your day with a clean healthy mouth, with a product that is eatable, all natural, cleans and whitens you teeth, all at the same time. Dentarome Ultra toothpaste. You can order this on my site www.thepetwhisperer.com under essential oils section.
Fifthly, make sure your shampoo that does not contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate -
, Dyes of any kind or artificial odors. The shampoo I use and my family, is Lavender shampoo from young living essential oils. All natural with no chemicals in it and safe to use on all animals.
Sixthly, consider some form of detoxification program you use year round to help keep your body detoxified so it does not accumulate toxins from day to day. I would recommend you check out my site on Gemmotherapy and if your health care professional doesn't use these wonderful products, have them go to my site and it will tell them how to get them incorporated into their practices.
Seventhly , make sure you avoid coming in contact with pesticides or herbicides as best as you can. This includes Front-line and Advantage.
Eighthly, make sure you try not to dwell on all the negative information the media puts out 24/7. Look for more positive sources of information and please do not let your cat or dog listen to the news :O( or read the headlines in the newspapers.
Ninthly , put Rescue remedy in yours and your pets drinking water each and every day. Four drops per container should do it. Try to get as many other people to do the same, and you will create a happier, healthier world.
Tenth and last tip is, BREATH.. .............if you are like me, you read this entire paper without taking a breath. Make sure you focus on your breath through out the day, no matter how busy you think your schedule is.
A Big thank you to all for paying it forward and for sharing your time with me and the animals. Make today a great day.
OAO, Dr Stephen Blake
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