Page 9 - Summer 15

breast. In addition, I discussed husbandry and made recommendations for feeding Jasmine (add egg, cottage cheese as protein sources), and be sure to handle the puppies. I took pictures.
Forty-eight hours after I saw the dog, I received a report that Jasmine’s breast was less swollen, and now puncture wounds were evident. It was determined that the dog caught her breast on a nail, when she was escaping from her room. The holes are leaking and “look gross”. The stool is black and the pups are now nursing on the nipple of the affected breast.
The following day, I examined Jasmine to find that she had two open, full-thickness jagged areas on her breast, which had serous drainage. The breast swelling was much less than the other day. I felt that she should heal well by second intention. I dispensed Calendula 200C, #3, to be given night-morning-night. Also I applied calendula gel to the affected areas of the dog’s breast and wrapped her with a non- stick pad and Elasticon® bandage.
Four days later I again saw the dog, and removed the bandage. Jasmine looks great and the lateral wound is nearly completely healed (eight days after the injury). The cranial/rostral wound is still open. I dispensed Calendula 200C #3 to be given night-morning-night. I took a picture.
Ten days later I saw Jasmine and she was doing fine, and her pups were doing well also.
were very healthy and vibrant.
Discussion
When I initially saw this dog, I prescribed Arnica, because of its keynotes of injury, bruising, and “don’t touch me” (she would not allow the pups to nurse this breast). Since she had six puppies to feed, it was important to preserve the integrity of her other mammary glands. The second time I saw Jasmine, she had open jagged wounds on her breast. These were old traumatic wounds, which would not be ideal for surgical repair. Subjecting Jasmine to general anesthesia, which then would affect her pups, was not a good choice in my opinion. I
bandaged the dog to protect the open wounds and tender
tissue, to keep the area somewhat clean, and as a matter of containing drainage for overall cleanliness and practicality. I chose Calendula homeopathically and topically, because it is extremely effective and powerful for wound healing. I was surprised to see that she completely healed so rapidly. According to veterinary literature, an old, open, contaminated wound can take 16 or more days to heal.
In this case, homeopathy allowed very severe damage to a lactating dog’s breast to completely heal, without compromising her ability to care for her pups. No antibiotics or surgery were required. It was impressive to see the natural healing capabilities of Jasmine, when she was supported with homeopathic medicine.
I saw two of her puppies weeks later, and they
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