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It’s been a rough week for Rocket. If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile you’ll no doubt recall that over the months we’ve been trying to get to the bottom of and treat the cause of Rocket’s chronic nasal congestion. Our most recent efforts included working with a veterinary homeopath out of Denver. We seemed to be having some success…and then we digressed. Per her recommendation I made Rocket an appointment with a specialist at Gulf Coast Veterinary Services here in Houston to determine if had a nasal polyp. I could already feel the hemorrhage of cash, and we hadn’t even gone in yet!
After running a battery of tests including blood work, x-rays, a CT scan, and rhinoscopy, it was discovered that there indeed was a polyp about the size of a raisin in the far recess of his nasal passage. Wouldn’t you know it would be just out of reach to remove it with a scope, and it would therefore require surgery to do so. 😖
The day before the surgery we met with the surgeon, who has amazing bedside manner by the way, and she really put me at ease. Rocket sat in his open carrier on the floor listening and watching us talk about his case. The polyp would be sent off to a lab to determine if it’s indeed benign or not.
Bach’s Flower Rescue Remedy
Dr. Fascinelli in Denver gave instructions to give Rocket a dose of calc carb, the best homeopathic remedy for polyps, the morning of the surgery. I also used a few drops of Bach’s Flower Rescue Remedy on him–and a few more on me–that morning before we headed out to drop him off. He made it through the surgery without a hitch and spent the night in the hospital. I was able to pick him up the following afternoon, and while we were going over discharge information I was informed that he was the fan favorite among all the staff! He apparently enjoyed lots of cuddles, hugs, and was passed around to be held by all the staff. I’m sure he expects fan mail, personal tweets and perhaps his own Instagram account now, too. 😂 In fact, they hated to see him go, and several staff members come say goodbye! I guess we’ll have to schedule some face to face time with his groupies on our follow up visit in another week.
Rather than use the pain meds with side effects we were sent home with I opted instead for Arnica, a homeopathic remedy also recommended by Dr. Fascinelli. By muscle testing him I could determine when he needed another dose. I dissolved three pellets in about 1/4 cup of water and give him 1/2 ml with a syringe. I also gave him several doses of a homeopathic blend from Energetix called Relief Tone to help flush out all the anesthesia and drugs from his body. He is now enjoying his convalescence with Aylen and Gunner by his side as well as the occasional bath from Aylen to wash off that hospital smell. 😸
Despite this conventional medical intervention, I was reminded by Dr. Fascinelli that we still need to treat Rocket for the condition that allowed the polyp to grow in the first place. Surgically removing it is like just treating symptoms–in this case symptoms that developed a polyp. I’ll be reconnecting with her this week to start working on this phase of his healing. Because polyps are generally caused by inflammation we need to determine what caused it. It’s very possible that due to spending hours outside in our interior courtyard in the heat of the summer he may have developed some irritation from something that was airborne, similar to the way people develop seasonal allergies to trees, grasses, pollen, pollution, etc. He will be very sad when he figures out he will not be spending so much time sun worshiping this summer!
Traditional veterinary medicine is not the normal path I follow anymore, and this past week’s journey put me out of my comfort zone. I couldn’t help but notice all the animals and pet parents sitting in the waiting rooms and coming in for appointments. I wondered what they must be going through…the agony of a sick pet, the huge expense, and incessant worry that they no doubt carry. Just like in my own health care and that of my cats’, I believe in the value of emergency medicine. But I no longer trust or believe in the traditional medical/veterinary model when pharmaceutical and commercial pet food companies are the ones teaching and funding courses in the vet schools. They have created a system that promotes drugs and surgeries that try to force our pets’ bodies into submission rather than using natural foods, plants, and things in nature that work naturally with the body.
Dr. Randy Wysong, DVM, said it brilliantly in a recent newsletter regarding nutritional education taught in vet school by his professors:
Their wisdom came from what they learned from brochures provided to veterinary schools by the pet food companies. The pet nutrition taught in veterinary schools, and nutrition schools as well, is not a product of critical thought, but rather results from manufacturers (with the deepest pockets) providing free products for the veterinary schools, along with marketing materials. Pet food companies are no dummies. Brainwashing infants (in this case, veterinary neophytes) is highly effective and will more than pay for itself when graduates move to practice and recommend all they have come to know. Medical schools treat nutrition like a soft science, a branch of homemaking so to speak. Students and professors are much more enthralled by dissections, microscopes, surgery, syringes, and x-ray machines.
He also said this about pet nutrition:
The goal should be to mimic, as closely as possible, the archetypal (the original, primitive) diet and use ingredients that are nutrient-dense and unaltered “from the vine.” It is, of course, not possible to achieve this goal perfectly other than by releasing the pet into the wild. Short of this, however, there is much that a pet owner can do in their own kitchen, as well as in the intelligent selection of packaged pet foods.
Is the answer, therefore, to put our trust in modern medicine when our pets get sick? Wysong again disagrees:
Modern medicine is not going to save you or your pet from all the crippling killers like cancer, heart disease, obesity, organ failure, diabetes and the like. Yes, doctors can sew a limb back on, but their approach to health is as flawed as nutritionists’. Both assume the body is a mere machine and that any problem can be fixed by adding or removing pieces. Modern medicine is about naming diseases, managing lab numbers, and treating symptoms. It is disease care. It has no idea (or ignores) what creates health. It is too little too late.
Essentially, modern medicine has evolved into a profit generating machine, and our pets have become the pawns in a very high priced game of chess.
Ready to go home!
I cannot urge you enough to look at your pet’s food through a new set of lenses. Does what you feed your pet even look like real food “off the vine?” Do you even know what all those ingredients are on the label? While our pets’ bodies–and our own for that matter–are very resilient, over time toxins, unnatural ingredients and heating processes will take their toll, and you’ll find yourself at a crossroads. Do you continue on this damaging path or is it time to forge a new trail?
Rocket’s diet has been 90% raw and absolutely no kibble for several years, so I’m guessing his condition was caused by something airborne he was exposed to, not his diet. In the meantime, we will continue to work towards healing him in the most natural, “from the vine” way as possible. He is my teacher, and we are learning together as we forge ahead following a different path.
Chances are good that you’re reading this blog because something inside you resonates with finding natural alternatives to health. If you have questions, if I can be of help to you or your kitty, or if you have a story to share please submit a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!
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what raw diet do you use?
I currently feed Lotus raw and Small Batch. Primal, Fetching Foods, Darwin’s, Steve’s Real Food, Stella & Chewys and Tiki Cat raw are also good choices. Dr. Lisa Pierson has a great homemade raw diet that several of my clients make; her website is http://www.catinfo.org and you can find her recipe there.
I came across this blog while searching for alternative treatments for my cat Garfield. He had an ear polyp removed at the end of December and unfortunately it’s grown back. The options our Vet gave us was to either remove it again, in which case there would be a good chance it will just grow back or we were told we could give him meds to keep his as comfortable as possible until we feel it’s time to have him ‘put down’. I had read about another surgery that was more complicated, our vet knew about it, but told us they don’t do that type of surgery there, we’d have to go to a board certified surgeon in the next state over and the surgery could cost anywhere between $2-4 thousand or even more and he said there was a chance the other place might not do anything more for him than they could. Also, since our finances have been pretty tight, when we had the 1st removed we couldn’t afford the additional cost for testing to see if it was benign or not. So, he said even if we could get the other surgery, it’s possible it wouldn’t go far in helping him if it turned out to be cancerous. I honestly don’t feel it is, I think it’s just inflammatory polyps. He doesn’t appear to feel sick or weak, his appetite has been normal, and other than having ear drainage and I’m sure an the uncomfortable feeling from the polyp, he acts normal. He’s 13 yrs old and is no young kitten, but I think he could have some good years left in him and he’s such a sweet boy, so I decided to search for alternatives I could try that may possibly help him. If you have any suggestions and directions on how to give anything I would sincerely appreciate it.
Bless his heart! Inflammatory conditions like this are so frustrating and the polyps can and do grow back if the immune system cannot decrease the inflammatory response. My first advice would be to try to determine the underlying cause of the overactive immune response. Is it over-vaccination? Virus? Food or environmental sensitivities? Detoxing the liver and gut, avoiding inflammatory foods like kibble, avoiding hot proteins like chicken, lamb, venison (and in some cases turkey), adding antioxidants like omega 3s and vitamin C along with some kind of immune boosting supplement like medicinal mushrooms, Quercetin (if environmental) and probiotics can be explored.
Hi dr. Pam, as Miranda stated, I believe my kitty has a polyp as well. Took her to the vet yesterday and I told them about her noisy breathing and all they said is it’s because she’s overweight. However I feel like it is more than that. What can I give my kitty to start off with for her breathing? I’m in desperate help. Since covid happened I only have a few hundred dollars. Please please help. I love my kitty to death. Also one last thing, the vet gave her flea medication because she overgrooms herself and has scabs. Is there anything I can give her for that? Please reply back. Thank you.
Irma, see my reply on the other article, too, concerning the nasal polyp. There are a couple of homeopathic remedies that can be used to address nasal polyps, Silciea and Nat Mur; however, you must treat the underlying cause of the issue. The over-grooming issue could be due to food sensitivities, an overactive immune system or even mites. Make sure she’s eating a species appropriate diet to begin with. No dry food. If she doesn’t have fleas it could be dust mites. Using diatomaceous earth powder on her fur can help kill the mites. There’s also a wonderful, non-toxic product called Flea eX by The Two Crazy Cat Ladies that will kill them. Finally, check her vaccine records. If she has received multiple vaccinations over the years she could be suffering from vaccine injury. This happens when the immune system is overstimulated, and this has an inflammatory effect in the body. Often times this shows up as skin irritations, over-grooming, chronic allergies or respiratory conditions, chronic itching, etc. It’s vital to restore normal immune system function through detox protocols and nutraceuticals to rebuild her immune system.
Hi Pam, My senior kitty has a nasal polyp and I’m not keen on putting him through surgery at 20 years of age. Can you please tell me how much cal carb to give a ten pound cat? And how often, duration? Thanks kindly for any insight!
Miranda,
My heart goes out to you and your kitty! It’s hard to know without muscle testing first to determine IF calc carb is the right remedy. There may be a better remedy, and there’s also the possibility that no remedy will break it loose. That’s what ultimately happened in Rocket’s case. The remedies weren’t working because the polyp was already too big and had to be removed surgically. Do you know how big the polyp is? Is it impairing your cat’s breathing? If surgery is not an option what I would recommend is determining the cause of his inflammatory response and addressing it. In Rocket’s case it was chronic allergies. Using muscle testing we were able to determine everything he was allergic to and clear those through energy work. Then we used Nat Mur 200C as the homeopathic remedy to finally cure all the sinus/nasal congestion. (after his surgery) In general for dosing homeopathy in any case with pets, dissolve 3 pellets in 1/2 cup of purified water. Using a syringe withdraw 1/2 ml and shake strongly 8 times. Give 1 dose in the am, pm, and am and watch to see if you notice any improvement at all. If not, it’s probably not the right remedy. In Rocket’s case I had to adjust the amount of pellets to 1, and he was dosed once several days apart. Every cat is different! That’s why muscle testing is the BEST way to determine the right protocol. You may want to consider doing an optimal cat health analysis with me. It’s one of the service I offer. Then I could help you determine the answers you’re seeking.
Thank you so much for the info! It is affecting his breathing but I am not sure on the size. He’s currently on a low dose prednisolone (08 1xday – not keen on this either as he has kidney disease) and CBD oil. CBD helps but it’s masking the issue. He also does distant reiki healing. I will look into your services, thank you so much! Happy to have found you!
Hi. I came across your post on the way home from visiting a vet specialist for a recurring nasal polyp in our sweet 9 mth old boy kitty named Scout. The vet put him back on antibiotics and a steroid till next Friday when they can remove it. It is so overwhelming mentally and financially. I have read a lot about nasal polyps in cats and there is just not much they can do. I was wondering what the holistic vet recommended you do and if the polyp came back. I am more than willing to try alternative medicines because I have seen them work in our other cats. I hope you had a success story with your sweet kitty.
Liz,
I know how you feel! Dealing with Rocket’s nasal polyp was a first for me, but he came through it beautifully. I’m so sorry Scout is having recurring polyps! As you probably know, this condition is an inflammatory response. I had to identify all the triggers (allergies and sensitivities) that were causing the inflammation in Rocket’s sinus cavity. Using energy medicine I was able to get his body to release these, and I used homeopathy to cure him! I’m happy to report it’s been almost a year, and he has no sinus congestion or inflammation anymore, and most importantly, no more polyps!! Once your kitty gets the polyp removed you may want to consider allowing me to do a cat health analysis on Scout. I can identify the causes of his inflammation, address them, and determine the best course of action to prevent further polyps from developing. Homeopathy may be the ideal way to do that. Please keep me posted on his condition. Poor baby!
Pam… Oh that is such good news about Rocket! I am happy to hear this for Rocket’s sake and it gives me hope for Scout. He is the sweetest little guy (we found him in a pit at Girl Scout name which helped my 3 daughters pick his name). I am definitely interested in having a health analysis on him after the surgery. I am going to approach my husband about it tonight to warm him up to the idea. I know for him it will sound a little strange but I have heard of some of this before. Scout has had a rocky start to life so I have been researching alternative medicines to help his known conditions. Our vets have not really offered much hope beyond gabapentin for the things other than the polyp. I could fill you in on this stuff for the health analysis. I looked it up on your site and I was so happy when I saw the price was so reasonable and affordable! Thank you for your quick response!!
You are most welcome! It would be a privilege to help you both.
Hey Liz,
Scout has been on my mind and I was wondering how he’s doing post-op? Let me know if you are still interested in having me evaluate him and identify and address the root cause of his issue. I would hate for him to develop another polyp again. Poor guy!
Hi Pam,
I was thinking I should come back and give you an update and here you wrote to me just yesterday. Unfortunately we got some devastating news after Scout’s surgery. She took several x-rays and he has brittle bone syndrome (or whatever the cat version is called). She said it is very bad an he has very little actual hard bone. Apparently it is usually a lack of nutrition but his appears to be genetic. We knew his bones were thin and his joints were not right (he has had many joint/bone injuries often in his short life) but we did not realize it was this severe. Also, he has scoliosis. She said he could live with this several years but she could not get all of his polyp. So it will grow back and very sadly then we will have to have to put him down. :'( His polyp is abnormal, which we knew from the last surgery. Unlike most polyps that looks sort of like a bean, his looks like a chicken liver (this is my own comparison because I saw pictures). It is filled with blood and stuff. The first time it was about the size of the vets pinky that she removed. She knows she could not get it all this time because she did a scope. We did not have a CT scan done so we are not sure how much there was or what is left. He appears healthy for the moment but she figured the timeline till it returned would be about a month, which we are quickly approaching. He is on prednilinisone, an antibiotic (because he gets a secondary infection as the polyp grows that becomes awful), a Chinese herb called Yunnun Baiyao, and gabapentin to manage the daily pain from his birth defects. He has injured his leg twice since being home because he feels good and wants to be a kitten and play quite wildly. But he has never been able to jump and climbs stuff. We limit where he can go and if we put him on a bed we try to watch him the whole time. He is in a large dog cage when we are away. It is heartbreaking to know we will lose him soon but we feel hopeless as the vet has given us no hope. We did talk about having you do an evaluation but we figure there isn’t a lot that can be done since she could not get the whole polyp. We love on him a ton and shower him with attention. He doesn’t have to be caged much because I homeschool my kids, my husband is a night owl (second shifter) and my teenager is an early riser. Plus we are homebodies. We have shed many tears because one week after receiving this news, we had to put our 18 year old girl kitty to sleep. Lots of heartbreak and tears here over these kitties! (Sorry that was realllllly long!)
Oh Liz! My heart hurts for you and your family and especially for Scout! I am of the belief that there is always something more you can do. It sounds like you’re doing some great things to boost his immune system! Would you mind if I just asked his body some questions to determine if there’s anything you should consider or try that you’re not doing? I’m also curious to know if I can identify and remove the root cause of his polyps and identify anything metaphysically or energetically that would heal his genetic condition. I know, it sounds like science fiction, but energy medicine, intention and metaphysical healing is very powerful! I’m happy to take a look free of charge. If you are ok with this please email me his photo at pam@purrrfectlyholistic.com
Pt. 2 of the update… Sorry about the typos in the first reply! I should have spelled check. I wanted to add that I also have him on Olive Leaf with echinacea. A family friend who runs a shelter had recommended this before surgery and I decided to try it after since I had purchased it. Not sure if I should be giving that to him. I also give him gelatin meant for dogs and cats. I have also made him bone broth on and off but I should freeze it and be more consistent with that. It is a hard situation and we don’t that anything will really help.
Good morning, Pam. So happy to hear that Rocket is doing well. Question: Any recommendations for kitty elbow arthritis? Have a great day!
Hi Denise!
Thanks for your question! Has the kitty been diagnosed with arthritis and is it only in one elbow? I have a couple of ideas…let me do some quick research, and if you could get back to me regarding my questions it will help guide me. Thanks!