Question or advice about homeopathic options

[sharpeidad]

I have a 6 year old female shar-pei named Velvet. She has been taking prednisone for over a year and my vet told me she is showing the beginnings of Cushing's. She has hair falling off both sides of her haunches, panting, beginning of a saggy belly, hair falling off both sides of her neck, and is always hungry.

I would like any advice about what homeopathic options seem to work best. Also, would it be better if she stayed on the prednisone since it does help her nose fungus or would it contradict the homeopathy by staying on the prednisone?

Any comments that are helpful would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[labblab]

Hello and welcome!

If your girl's Cushing's symptoms are being caused by the long-term use of prednisone, then unfortunately the only thing that will improve the symptoms is the decrease or elimination of the prednisone. However, the good news is that eliminating the pred would be the only treatment that is necessary to eliminate the symptoms. The goal of drug treatment for naturally-occuring Cushing's is to lower cortisol levels by interrupting the body's physiological mechanisms by which excess cortisol is being produced. If you are giving prednisone to your dog, there is no way to over-ride the excess steroid other than to lower the dose or discontinue it altogether.

Can you tell us more about the nature of the fungal issue? How much does your girl weigh, and how much prednisone is she taking? Does your vet have suggestions for any treatment for the fungus other than prednisone?

One warning: if you do decide to discontinue the prednisone, this cannot be done cold turkey. The prednisone dose must be tapered down over time in order to make sure that your dog's body is capable of producing sufficient cortisol on its own. The adrenal glands tend to shut down natural production when steroids are given as treatment.

If your vet has no alternatives to offer for treating the fungus, it may be very much worth your while to consult with a veterinary dermatologist if there is one anywhere near you. A specialist in the field of skin issues may know of alternative treatments that your general vet may be unaware of. Plus, a dermatologist will likely be quite familiar with the side effects of prednisone as well as the safest way to taper off the use of the drug.

Marianne

[molly muffin]

I just want to say hello and welcome.
There isn't anything I could add to what Marianne already has mentioned. Getting off the steroids is the only way to reduce medicated induced cushings, so the best thing is to try and find an alternative to the prednisone for the fungal infections.

Welcome again.

[sharpeidad]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write back. Velvet is 50 pounds and she takes a pretty low dose of prednisone (2.5mg/day). I live in Montana and had to take my dogs with me down to Florida when my mom was dying. While living there for 6 months, that is when she developed the fungus on her nose. I didn't get it looked at until I came back to Montana. The vet said he could run several tests that would end up being expensive to find out exactly what it was, but I am poor so I said no. The treatment options he did give me cost something like 350/week plus 200 dollar blood tests every other month to treat the cushing's. My town is not big enough for a vet dermatologist. Could I give her a homeopathic medicine along with her low does of prednisone or does the prednisone need to be stopped altogether?

[Renee]

Please do not treat your dog for traditional cushings!! The fact that you are giving your pup prednisone is the cause of the cushings symptoms. If you can taper off and discontinue the pred completely, then the cushings symptoms should go away. It scares me that your vet would even suggest traditional cushings treatment.

I am surprised your vet is using a steroid to treat a fungus? It seems more likely that you should try an anti-fungal, such as a topical, and possibly a medication, and try adding a probiotic to your dogs food.

[StarDeb55]

Here's a late welcome from me! Did your vet tell you that the problem on your pup's nose may be Pemphigus foliaceous? If that name sounds familiar, it's an autoimmune disorder of the skin which will probably require lifelong treatment with prednisone to keep it under control. If this is, indeed, what you are dealing with I don't think your girl will ever be able to get off the prednisone. The following is a brief description of PF that I located. There are much more detailed descriptions, but a lot of them are very technical in nature.

Pemphigus foliaceous is an autoimmune disease of the skin that produces pustules and crusty skin lesions. According to the Animal Dermatology Clinic of Vancouver, BC, the condition usually appears on the bridge of the nose first, where skin lesions lead to crusting and scaling.

This disease is diagnosed by taking a skin biopsy. It is treated with a combination of immunosuppressive drugs and special shampoo to help remove the crusting. An affected dog will need to be monitored and receive treatment for the rest of his life, but the medication usually brings the problem under some control.

You mentioned that you don't have ready access to a derm vet. I don't know how far this would be but the Dermatology for Animals has clinics in Utah & Washington state. I can highly recommend them as I have had 2 pups taken care of by Dr. Lewis at the derm clinic.

Debbie

[sharpeidad]

Hi Debbie,
I truly appreciate you writing back with your expertise on the skin fungus. That is exactly what I think Velvet has. When you say immunosuppresive drugs, is that referring to the prednisone or something different? Do you think there is anything I can do dealing with the fact that she will always be on prednisone? A certain diet? Cushing's drops that they sell online? It would be to far for me to drive to Utah or Washington unfortunately. Any other advice is welcomed please.

[labblab]

Yes, prednisone would fall within the category of immunosuppressive drug that Debbie is talking about. But can you do us a huge favor and confirm with your vet the exact name of the diagnosis you have been given for your dog's nose condition? Once you tell us that, it will really help us figure out the best path forward. Right now, we are all just speculating about everything because we do not know what is actually wrong with your dog's nose.

Marianne

[StarDeb55]

Pred is an immunosuppressive drug. I agree with Marianne that it would be extremely helpful if we could get the exact diagnosis before I offer any suggestions for an alternative to pred.

Debbie