Reprints Online

This question is from Skye:

"I have an American pit bull, female, who is about 13 yrs old. She has recently been diagnosed with an immune disease, along with Lupus and Lyme disease. She is up to date with all shots, on heartworm meds and has been healthy all her life, or since we got her 12 yrs ago. She is very good natured, non-violent, and very lovable, but recently I have noticed that she isn't moving the way she used to and has a difficult time climbing stairs and even walking. She does walk, but it is slow and you can tell she hurts. She also has severe allergies to common foods, such as corn, flax, chicken, turkey etc, etc, and I use a special dog food Solid gold Holistic for her, as well as Green cow tripe wet dog food at times. I also give her roast beef ends from luncheon meat or the deli cut up. It seems to be working, but she is breaking out around her mouth area, it gets cracked and bloody and it itches her as she rubs it on the rug. Her paws also get red and cracked and bloody, as well as she gets open sores above her eyes. The Dr prescribes her prednisone, but it only works if she continuously takes it, and it has to be a lot of them. I know prednisone is bad for humans, never mind animals, so I was looking for a way to help her naturally as well as make her comfortable. She is not sick enough to be put down, nor is she in serious pain. Help!!!!"

This case is a bit of a puzzle. First of all, let's have a look the most common symptoms of Lupus and Lyme disease. Lupus is an autoimmune disease of unknown causation, while Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread by a tick most commonly carried by deer and small rodents.

Lupus: · Red rash, most often on face · Painful and swollen joints · Chest pain when taking a deep breath · Fatigue · Sensitivity to the sun · Hair loss · Allergies · Unexplained fevers · Pale or purple fingers and toes · Swollen glands · Swelling in legs and around eyes

Lyme disease · Red rash, tingling of nose, tongue, cheeks · Painful and swollen joints · Shortness of breath · Fatigue · Sensitivity to light · Hair loss · Allergies · Unexplained fevers · Tingling or numbness in extremities · Swollen glands · Swollen knees and facial paralysis

You can see above that all of your dog's symptoms can be explained by either Lupus or Lyme disease. Now the question is: does she really need two diagnoses to describe the same set of symptoms? Treatment for the two conditions is quite different: Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics, whereas Lupus is a more serious condition (and the reason for your dog being on prednisone).

Now, let's take a look at the side-effects of prednisone. Among others, these can include: · headache · thin, fragile skin · slowed healing of cuts and bruises · extreme tiredness · weak muscles · sore throat, fever, chills, cough, or other signs of infection · numbness, burning, or tingling in the face, arms, legs, feet, or hands · shortness of breath, especially during the night · difficulty breathing or swallowing · rash · hives · itching

Sound familiar? So should the real question be: are the dog's symptoms a result of the medication? When did she get the diagnoses? When did each of the symptoms start? Was it prior to or after taking the medication? If the dog has this set of symptoms due to Lyme disease, and is given medication that causes the same set of symptoms, the result will be... exacerbated symptoms! Am I saying forget the vet and take the dog off the drug? Not necessarily. It can be dangerous to just stop any medication without professional guidance and supervision. I think you need to go back to the vet and get him to try to determine which of the two diseases are causing the problems.

To differentiate between the Lupus and Lyme disease, all your vet needs to do is a blood test for antibodies against the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is the cause of Lyme disease (recall that we don't know what causes Lupus). Once you have test results that show either presence or absence of B. burgdorferi, you will know whether to treat the dog for Lyme disease or for Lupus.

Finally, now that we understand the conundrum, let's see what natural remedies can be used to help relieve and hopefully eliminate some (hopefully all) of these symptoms? First, we need to address the diet. While Solid Gold is certainly a much better product than most on the market, if at all possible, feeding fresh foods is always better, so if you can start cooking for your dog the diet described on my website (see "About the Author" section), you'll be giving her a head start toward recovery. Do not feed cooked meats! Especially processed meats like sausages or salamis. Give her raw meat only.

Make sure you are adding Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil and/or flaxseed oil) to every meal to help with inflammation. Find a good colloidal mineral supplement and add that also. Aged garlic extract is a fantastic remedy that will help immensely with almost everything. Colloidal silver has antibacterial, antifungal and antiarthritic properties, so I would definitely be adding it to the water bowl and spraying directly onto the affected skin of the mouth and paws where it is cracking.

Try this for a few months and see how she goes. A proper diagnosis would help with more directed treatment, so try to get a blood test done for her as well. And if at all possible, get her off prednisone! You are right about it not being very good for you, but you need to make sure you withdraw it safely.

About the Author

Anna Fox is a natural therapist who uses nutrition, herbs, homeopathy, bioresonance, and a number of other natural therapies to help pets (and their human companions!) get over their illness and stay healthy for life. More information is available on the website at www.9livespetclinic.com or by emailing anna@9livespetclinic.com.