Some more homeopathy

Hi, it’s great to be part of such a committed group and thanks for inviting me. I’m particularly thrilled you are all interested in homeopathy! I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with a brilliant homeopath called Dr Padam for the last ten years. She cured a semi-paralysed kitten I had, which the vets told me to euthanize. Seeing the kitten racing around the house shortly after, of course I roped her in to help with stray dogs admitted at WSD. We also run a clinic for pets once a week. Thanks to her I’ve learnt not to give up on any animal. No, we certainly can’t cure them all, but the number of near-death cases we’ve pulled out is so astonishing, it makes you want to give them all a chance, because you can’t tell which ones will make it.

I went through your comments and lists of remedies, all of which are more or less what we use as well. Except we generally use higher potencies, 200 or 1M. Also Dr Padam is a classical homeopath so she takes a lot of time figuring out a single remedy which will work for a combination of symptoms, rather than using mixtures of medicines. In the first stage we treat only based on symptoms, but when the acute phase of the problem is over, she goes to the next stage of determining each patient’s unique constitution and finding their constitutional remedy. It’s fun watching pet-owner’s faces when she asks them to describe their dog or cat or parrot’s nature. You can tell no doctor ever asked them that before and they’re wondering whether we are a couple of lunatics. Even the kind of detailed symptoms homeopaths want to know about seem weird and outlandish to newcomers. I remember this Labrador with a skin problem. His owner listened with an increasingly uneasy expression while the doc asked him whether his dog smelt of mouldy cheese, fried eggs or a rotting corpse. Now I come to think of it, that man never came back. Pity.

Just wanted to tell you about our experiences and some remedies we use:

• Staphysagria 200/1M to heal surgical or other lacerated wounds. We give 3 doses daily.
  
• We use Phosphorus in the 200 potency for bleeding from wounds and cuts. We give it every 15 minutes to begin with, and once the bleeding reduces, we increase the time gap between doses to 30 minutes, then one hour, then 2 hours, then 4 hours and so on. We discontinue once the bleeding stops. I never saw a bleeding dog or cat who didn’t respond to this remedy. However, we don’t use it for nose-bleeds (unless the nose has a cut) or for bloody urine, as there are better remedies for those.
• Borax 1M. We use it for animals who are terrified of sudden loud noises, read Diwali crackers. In Mumbai we now have these war zone sound effects sporadically throughout the year, thanks to different religious festivals, cricket matches won or lost(!), weddings, you name it. For the really scared cases, we start giving one dose daily three or four weeks before the Biggest Noise day. Closer to Biggest Noise day, we increase to two doses daily. On Biggest Noise Day, it’s three or four doses. This won’t make a pet fearless, but it usually at least makes them functional – I mean, they will eat at least once a day and generally be a bit calmer. I’d like feedback from anyone who tries this remedy. While most animals respond, I do know a few on whom it had no effect. But it’s worth trying as at worst it won’t harm.
• At WSD we use China 30 to cure anaemia as well as dehydration. We give about 4 doses a day.
• We use Ledum in 1M for bites from an animal. We give just three doses on the day of the bite or the next day. We also take it ourselves if we get bitten. Ledum Pal Q (mother tincture) is also poured on the wound.
• We also use Ignatia 1M for grief and shock. An animal who has lost a beloved human or animal companion should be given three doses as a precaution. I’ve seen dogs develop skin disease, anaemia, hyperthyroidism and even bone marrow failure shortly after suffering such losses. In fact it’s also a great remedy for people in similar circumstances.
• Cantharis 1M for burns. We pour Cantharis Q externally on the burn.
• We use Cina in the 1M potency for deworming. One dose a day for 3 consecutive days.
• Ferrum Phos 6X is biochemic and very good for anaemia. We give 6 pills twice a day and also use the allopathic iron tonic RBTone.
  

Rescue Remedy - not homeopathic, but a Bach Flower Remedy. It’s best to get it in its pure form, which means you should order on the net or ask friends in the UK to send it to you. We give 2 drops with every dose of the prescribed homeopathic remedy, for cases who are in shock or collapse.

By the way, we use most medicines in liquid form. One dose = one or two drops in one teaspoon of water. We don’t give it in any food except milk, and we leave an hour’s gap between the dose and any meal.

A word of caution: a common mistake is getting fanatical about any school of medication, whether allopathy or homeopathy. It’s crazy to stick to either just on principle but believe it or not, many people do. It’s best to figure which is best for each individual case. My dog Lalee had canine distemper in 2001, and I first had her treated with high antibiotics and then got her congested lungs treated homeopathically. My second dog Bandra was diagnosed with cancer, which had spread to the liver. He was also dangerously hypothyroid. I’ve been giving him allopathic Thyroxine daily, which put him completely back on his feet. He was given only homeopathy for the cancer, which seems to be in remission judging by his lack of symptoms, good blood count and healthy appearance.

Signing off with a picture of Bandra, giving a kind of soulful look he’s very good at. Sorry, he is NOT up for adoption.

Rescued dogs need you

These lost/abandoned dogs are currently at Cupa Shelter, Hebbal. These are initial pictures and ofcorse they will be made ready for adoption as in to say, helath check, vaccination, groomed, etc. before they come to you. They are between 2-3 years of age and a little care and lots of love will do wonders for them. Please feel free to mail, drop a comment if you wish to adopt them or know someone who would.
Also, Yasmine is fostering a beautiful calico kitten and I have a braveheart pup, which needs a forever home. Do let us know if you would like to learn more. Meanwhile, check these three babies and others in our posts below this.

Pics Courtesy: Sujaya

Cesar Millan's dog training techniques

http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/index.php

Girls,
This guy(Cesar) is awesome in training and Correcting dogs. All about the pack leader fundas.. He is AWESOME OUT OF THE WORLD.. I have seen some of his TV show episodes.

I was wondering if we can get hold of his CD's somewhere too.

Understanding aggression of stray dogs..

Thanks to Rajashree Kahlap, I posted a link that included a FAQ from Mumbai based canine behaviour specialist, Shirin Merchant.

I sent her an email asking her about the puzzling behaviour of community stray dogs that sometimes turn aggressive towards the milkman, postman etc. And I got an answer!!!

emphasis, my own.

This is what I wrote..

i came across your excellent faq about bringing home stray dogs in rajashree's indianpariahdog blog. although this question is not directly related to bringing home stray dogs, it is about stray dog behaviour itself. i was wondering if you have any thoughts on these two cases from our blog,

http://adoptstrays.blogspot.com/2007/09/jumble-in-our-midst.html
[..]
Lately there's been some trouble, though. He's begun to guard our house a bit too well -- he barks at people who come to the gate, and so the post lady and garbage collector are too afraid to do their work.

and

http://adoptstrays.blogspot.com/2007/09/these-very-naughty-dogs-need-home.html
[..]
Very proud to belong to a proper home, they welcome anyone who visits Shibani and Monita as long as they are friends. God help those who are not. Included in the hate list are the milk man, the newspaper man and any delivery man. Sometimes they even run up to strangers and bite them, just like that. The dogs do not live inside the house, but just within the gate and have the run of the road.
[..]

as you can see, its a repeating pattern. i can hazard a guess that these dogs do feel threatened or traumatised by the not so friendly people on the streets. but unfortunately, it is working against them. is there any way to calm them down or make them less aggressive? even neutered/spayed dogs can get aggressive when they are on the streets. maybe it is pack behaviour or maybe they are being defensive or territorial..whatever it is...for all those who ask us how come the street dogs are so aggressive, how should we advise them to behave in the presence of these strays?

Shirin's reply!

What a pleasure to hear from you. Regarding your questions, territorial behaviour is an innate instinct in all dogs. It’s just that in most of our pet dogs it remains dormant as they feel no need to display the behaviour.

With territorial behaviour, a dog is not guarding a place or an area, but resources within that area - for e.g. his bed, bowl, biscuit box, etc.; or things that belong to people (like the owner's bed, etc) that he considers as his.

It is perfectly normal for a dog to run to a door or gate and bark at the person when a doorbell rings, but when the owner comes over, he should stop and relinquish charge to the owner. However, if a dog thinks he is the pack leader, he will continue to bark or maybe even growl at the person. This is because it is the Pack leader's duty to check who goes in and out of the property. If this is the case, a simple programme demoting the dog in the pack soon puts right the problem.

In some stray dog cases, they have seen abuse at the hands of people such as milkman, garbage collector, etc. whilst living on the streets. Even if they haven't been abused or threatened, if they see another stray barking at such people, they will soon pick up the behaviour.

Once the dog forms such an opinion - especially if it is an adult dog -it is difficult to remove the prejudice he may have against such people. In such cases, a little bit of training will get an owner to have some authority over the dog - and then the owner should exercise that authority to tell the dog he doesn't appreciate such behaviour. The problem however is that people enjoy a dog behaving like this. So they encourage the behaviour. It is a dangerous behaviour to encourage, because at some point the dog will decide for himself who he considers a threat and who he considers a friend -then he may growl equally at the mailman or even a relative. It is better to encourage a dog to be confident and friendly around all people - such dogs make the best watchdogs and are a pleasure to have around. A growling dog soon becomes a liability to own.

Regarding how people should behave with strays, the answer goes into a lot of detail. I have attached a small article which I had put together for my magazine, which should give you a few answers.

I hope I have managed to answer your questions. There is a lot more I could say and each case is individual, but I have tried to generalise it so you could understand the behaviour better.

Goodluck with your work!

Shirin

So true!! I have the article as an attachment, but because it is for her magazine, I am not sure if we should publish it here in the blog. I will get the name of the magazine or it's online url.

If people who feed and take care of stray dogs pay heed to Shirin's words, I think the streets will be much safer for all..milkman and dog.

3 pups for adoption!!!

Please check Pranjal's blog for all the details!

Bringing home a dog from the streets - some tips.

Bringing home a Pariah dog: Tips from Shirin Merchant, canine behaviour consultant

15 questions!

Q1. Are there any basic temperamental differences between pariah dogs and mongrels and purebreeds?

Q2. What must I expect if I adopt an adult stray dog who has lived a while on the street?

Q3. Can such a dog be taught to be obedient? Will he accept human direction after being used to an independent life?

Q4. Up to what age could a dog be trainable? If I adopt an older dog, what are the chances of his grasping house-training for instance?

Q5. Street dogs are used to passing urine and stools whenever they need to, in a place of their choice. How will they adjust to being taken out only at fixed times? What would be the most humane, healthy way to tackle this problem?

Q6. Many street dogs seem to dislike chains and leashes. How should we introduce them to being walked on a leash?

Q7. A dog who is used to life on the street experiences a lot of freedom and variety. Won't he get bored living in a flat? How can we prevent that?

Q8. We already have a dog and we want to adopt a second dog from a shelter. Do you think they may fight?

Q9. Adult street dogs don't play with toys or have possessions. What toys would be best for them?

Q10. Will they be more territorial or aggressive than purebreds? Are they likely to attack guests for instance?

Q11. Children are often cruel to strays. Are rescued/adopted dogs likely to be scared of children? Will they be aggressive with them?

Q12. What are the advantages and disadvantages of adopting an adult dog, as opposed to a puppy?

Q13. Do street dogs have a greater hunting instinct? Can they be trusted around smaller animals or birds?

Q14. What about rehoming an abandoned purebred? Will the dog have behaviour problems?

Q15. Does inbreeding make some purebreds unpredictable and nervous? Would street dogs be more or less free from this problem?

I dont want to cut and paste directly from their blog...please visit the link above!

For those who want to ask specific http://indianpariahdog.blogspot.com/2007/09/bringing-home-pariah-dog.htmlquestions..

You can ask Shirin Merchant questions on dog behaviour on this blog (mail the questions to rajashree.khalap@gmail.com). If you wish to consult her directly, write to Canines Can Care on k9cancare@hotmail.com

More stories here.
This space belongs to the Indian Pariah Dog Club, a Mumbai-based canine club whose membership is restricted to pariah dogs and mix-breeds only. We have two aims: to create awareness about the primitive natural breed cynologists call the Indian Pariah Dog, and to encourage a sense of pride and community in Pariah dog owners. The Club is the first and probably the only one of its kind in India.


Link courtesy: Vishaka. Thank you!!

Jumble In Our Midst

There is a Jumble of Dogs..all in one little package...that needs a home!!!

Begin email:

Your Adopt-a-Stray blog is really a brilliant idea :). We've been working a bit with stray dogs in Banashankari, getting them vaccinated and sterilised, spreading information, and getting people to take care of them.

Some months back, a male stray, Jumble kind of adopted our house -- he'd whine and scratch on the gate until we let him in, follow us EVERYwhere (you cannot imagine the distances he manages to follow, either barking at or slyly avoiding other dogs, staying out of trouble!). He sits outside the gate all the time now, we let him into the driveway when it rains or in the night sometimes, and he's always waiting to be with one of us!

Lately there's been some trouble, though. He's begun to guard our house a bit too well -- he barks at people who come to the gate, and so the post lady and garbage collector are too afraid to do their work. My parents have had to let him into the drive when they come, and then let him out, because my grandmother is scared of him too. They feel it's time to find a home for him -- we already have one dog inside the house, and another stray in the driveway.

Jumble would fit perfectly into a family -- he's immeasurably affectionate, very intelligent, wonderful at guarding the house, and really quite a funny character :). He rolls over in front of ANYthing, to be petted -- if you're walking, ahead of your feet; if you're cycling, ahead of the cycle wheel; he even rolled over in front of our car to be petted, once! What he needs, really, is a full-time family.

He really does look like quite a jumble of dogs -- his face is one pattern, body another, and he has one big spot in the middle of his back :). I've attached photos.

I hope someone will want him. They could contact me (shalini_sekhar@yahoo.com) at this email address or at 267*****(Note: Please contact adoptstrays@gmail.com if you cannot get through to Shalini's email address) for more information.

Warm regards,

Shalini Sekhar

GOSH!!! JUST LOOK AT THAT FACE!!!

Teething Woes - This Too Shall Pass!

You bring home an angelic pup and it turns out to be a gnawing monster that wants to bite everything. And by everything, I mean leather shoes, the bottom most wooden shelves of your favourite bookshelf, books, stinky socks and dangerously electrical wiring and phone cords. He will chew through your house and wont even spit it out.

You look at the creature with a mission and wonder where that adorable bundle of joy disappeared! Well, dont worry...he/she will come back. When you get a puppy, the teething woes are a package deal. It can start as early as 4 months old and go on up until a year. The pup will want to chew his way out of your house, but you really dont have a choice but to wait it out!

Remember how it felt when you were teething as a babe. In all likelihood, you wont because milk teeth comes out when we are really young. Usually it also involves side shows such as projectile vomit and high fever. It is quite a bargain when you have a pup instead of a teething toddler because all you need to do is follow a few rules:

1. Keep teething toys ready at hand. There are any number of chewtoys, gnawables available at your friendly neighbourhood petstore(yes, I meant Glenands) for your puppy's joy. This is important because you are essentially saving your furniture and wiring by spending a few bucks on his toys. Also, it can be dangerous to have exposed live wires.

2. Short of baby proofing or pet proofing your house, you cannot really protect every inch of the house. So, try to confine your puppy to a certain area in the house. Of course, this doesnt mean that you have to tie him up. Let him be free, but make sure that he knows that certain areas are out of limits...which brings us to obeidence training. Your pet should always..ALWAYS....know that you are the master and he/she is the pet. Do not confuse the pet with different tones. Give precise and firm orders(dont scold..be matter-of-fact so he knows that you are the dominant one in the relationship) such as NO! or STAY! or DOWN! so he/she knows when to back off. Even my cats understand the tone of my voice. And dogs certainly can!

3. When the tooth cuts his gums, it will probably hurt the pup a bit..so rubber teething rings that can be frozen ought to ease the pain a bit. There are also hollow teething bones that can be filled with cheese or peanut butter so that he gets a little treat that oozes out everytime he bites. So he knows that there is a reward at the end of biting a teething bone. It helps him to know that there is no reward whatsoever at the end of chewing your favourite pair of shoes.

Remember, when it comes to a teething pup and your wallet(or purse or shoes or cell phone or..), the pup ALWAYS wins.

4. It is also important to train your pup about bite inhibition. When a pup is with his mother, she will teach him proper biting etiquette. Ever seen littermates playfight with each other. They are very gentle. They learn the right amount of pressure while sinking their teeth into their siblings' soft fur. If there is no Mama Dog around, it is upto you to play the part!

If leather shoes and wooden shelves are no big deal, how do you think your skin will fare. It will also look deliciously familiar. Unfortunately, they dont know and they wont unless you teach them. So, when they put their mouth on you or when they attempt to bite you, you have to be VERY FIRM and convey that it is inappropriate behaviour. If you dont do this at an early age, the pup will grow up to be an adult dog who doesnt think its a big deal to sink his fangs into human flesh. You will be the most unloved person in your whole block and you can forget about those potluck dinners, mail, milkman, visiting relatives(waitaminute..hmmm) etc.

Redirect the pup to a teething toy when he exhibits mouthing behaviour or lack of bite inhibition. It is upto you to teach him that toy is OK and hand is NOT OK. Sometimes, it helps to take the pup to a puppy play group or a dog park to play with other dogs/pups so he learns proper socialisation. It is just like raising a child. The pup will learn how to behave with another dog and with more exposure to different kinds of people, he will know how to interact with other human beings. This is also a valuable opportunity to train him to obey your verbal commands. Socialisation is also very important if your pup, on the other end of the spectrum, is scared of everything/everybody. If this is the case, he will learn how to approach different people/animals.

I think I have run out of things to say!! If anyone has Puppy-Teething stories, let us hear about it. I am sure it will be educational and all tips/tricks about socialisation/obedience training/potty training/bite inhibition etc will be welcome to the new pet guardians visiting our blog.

Prince Nemo finds his Kingdom.

Remember this post? At the very end of the post, we had this little chap..



Special Needs
Sujaya says: " The last picture of the Pug comes under the "Special Needs Category". His hind is paralised. CUPA is trying to fix up wheels for him so he can walk in the future. "

A week or so ago, I heard from vmurthy
who left a comment in my (now invisible)blog asking about the pug's whereabouts. After checking with Sushruta, I let him know that he is still in CUPA, learning to use the cart like contraption with wheels instead of his hind legs and the many mysteries of the art of spreading fertiliser.

Now, the pug, christened Nemo, is now part of the Murthy household. Photos below!! An invite has been issued and we can hear regular updates!

Also, it seems that the hing leg wheels were not fixed by CUPA which means that the pug is not yet trained to walk by itself. (edited to add that CUPA did try to fit Nemo with wheels, but we are trying to find something else for him that is lightweight and spiffy-custom-made for him...these things are literally tailor made and the better they fit, it's more natural for the animal...now..where is that magic engineer we are looking for...) Sushruta, do you have any idea where to find the cart wheels for the hind legs? Werent you going to find one for Yasmine's Kajal(R.I.P)..maybe the same people can fit Nemo?

Last, but not least..I dont have Sujaya's email address. Can someone please forward this to her? I am sure she'll be thrilled to bits!

ok..BEGIN VMURTHY'S MAIL

Here you go. The latest addition is Nemo, a 9 month old Pug with plenty of life with a possibly paralyzed hind

Rani is our old Alsatian, recently operated upon for cancer. She's doing well. She thinks she's Nemo's mom.

And Jumble is, of course, the 5 year old well behaved Black Lab.

Will some engineer please help me to design some back wheel contraption for Nemo so that he can propel himself forward?














Congratulations, Murthy and Family!

These very naughty dogs need a home

My friends Shibani and Monita live in Koramangala. Soon after moving in there, three dogs who up till then were being looked after by a homeless lady, decided to move in with them. Very proud to belong to a proper home, they welcome anyone who visits Shibani and Monita as long as they are friends. God help those who are not. Included in the hate list are the milk man, the newspaper man and any delivery man. Sometimes they even run up to strangers and bite them, just like that. The dogs do not live inside the house, but just within the gate and have the run of the road.

If you meet them, you will wonder why I am telling such lies about them because they will wag their tails and make you feel like you are THE one in the world for them.

Shibani and Monita's neighbours hate these dogs and they threaten my friends on a daily basis. People have banged on their door and have almost beaten up my friends with sticks. One neighbour in particular is determined to kill the dogs and tries to pick up a fight with my friends almost every day.

Yesterday (Sunday 2nd Sept), another neighbour bought poison and gave it to the homeless lady and told her to mix it in their food and that if she did not do it soon , they would do it themselves.

Also, since yesterday, the garbage van has refused to enter their road (it is a cul de sac) because of being chased by the dogs and this has been the final straw. Now it is war and my friends wonder if the dogs will get killed any day (both of them teach and are not at home from 7am till 6pm).

So finding homes for them is very important. Please look out for good homes for Whiney-black male, age 2.Boxer-brown male, age 1 and Lady-brown female age 2.

They can go to separate homes because finding a home that will take in all three is impossible. Whiney in particular is very naughty and will trot up to an unsuspecting person and give a nip! and he is otherwise whining all the time and cuddling up with all of us. He must be rehomed first.

I will get picutues soon and put them up.