Page 15 - Summer 17

Continued from p2 – Don Hamilton
kept trying to have a bowel movement over and over but nothing came out. No eating or drinking water.
Thursday August 1st: I took Simba to the [local] animal hospital. They X-rayed Simba and the Doctor saw a little stool and a good amount of gas. He was examined and the doctor gave me a homeopathic Nux vomica/traumeel/ spacupreel/mucosa comp-1/4 dropper every 8 hours. It didn't seem to help that much. Then my friend Heather, who later referred me to you, suggested I give him phosphorus 30. That worked to a greater degree. He began eating alot. He was really hungry. He ate twice that day but passed very small amounts of stool.
The Vet did blood test including testing for pancreas.
Friday August 2nd: I got a call from the Vet. The blood tests were negative. They found nothing wrong. The vet suggested doing a Sonic exam to find out more info. I decided to call you at this point. Simba starting eating again but small amounts. Stool still very small. He tried a number of times to pass the stool. Urinating is normal. His behavior was more normal and we were back to going to the dog park.
Sat/Sun August 3/4 – He seemed like he was eating better but much less then usual and stool's are still small. His behavior was more normal, rolling in grass, playing ball.
Monday 7:00pm August 5 – Simba had another attack. Similar to the last but with less intensity. No diarrhea and throw up. It lasted two hours and when it was over he drank water. He growled during it and at one point bit me. Tuesday /Wed August 6/7 – Seems almost back to normal but kind of tired and not eating much. Ate a little meat in the morning. Went to dog park at 3:00 pm. He did chew on a bone for twenty minutes after the park.
Simba’s diet: While with Carla he ate an all raw meat diet. Chicken/Beef/Turkey With me he eats 1/3 raw meat-1/3rd rice-1/3rd steak or chicken (cooked) I vary the raw meat.
That’s basically the case. His guardian (Thomas) gave a good picture. I discussed Simba with Thomas, but did not get much more, other than that Simba also struggles when left alone, and Thomas worries about leaving him on an upcoming vacation. I started with Ignatia 30C, along with slippery elm bark for the intestinal tract.
Here is an excerpt from Thomas’s next email, from August 10th:
Dear Dr. Hamilton,
You are a miracle worker! An hour after giving Simba the homeopathic and the slippery elm he started showing signs of increased vitality. Starting chewing his bones and playing. The next day he started eating again. For two days now he has been progressively having better bowel movements and he is eating meals again. His behavior is going back to his normal healthy self.
Quick Note: You asked me on the phone if I see any signs of his mourning the loss of his mother. I forgot to tell you that since his mother died he moans when anyone pets him. He moans quite a bit. Sometimes his moans turn to growls. I told the dog-sitter's that if he moans stop petting him because every once in a while it will turn to growls and he will get snappy. Hope that helps fill in the overall picture.
So we have a dog who deteriorated rather strongly after his female guardian died. Thomas, the current guardian, is a lovely man and cares for Simba a lot; he is quite worried about Simba. However, in my mind I don’t feel he has the deep connection to Simba like Carla did. We also have the “obsessive-compulsive” element of the foot chewing, the recurrent gastrointestinal disease, and the odd reaction to petting. Possibly consolation aggravates? I tried a few remedies with limited success (Nat mur, Lycopodium, Pulsatilla, and Apis). Simba was rather stable as to the GI tract, but the foot chewing and the emotional state only improved perhaps 25-30%. The Apis I tried after Thomas had a saliva test for food sensitivity and became concerned that this was the real problem with his feet. Certainly this could be at least a part, but as it started following Carla’s death, there must be a large emotional component. Thomas also eliminated chicken, which he said helped some, but the foot chewing basically remained unchecked. I re-evaluated the case.
Thomas also reported the following during my re-evaluation intake:
The worst times are at night when I bring him upstairs and put him on the bed. He is addicted to chewing on his left foot (mostly). Like someone addicted to smoking. I can stop him but he starts again. Some nights, it’s only ten minutes or so, chew, pant. Other times twenty- five minutes. The panting makes me think he is kind of anxious. But if I am downstairs watching TV I don’t see much; he just sleeps. During the day he chews and I stop him, but it is more minimal during the day. And I only see the panting at night in bed. Like he is anxious.
Thomas also says “he is old (10 years) and sleeps 20 out of 24 hours.” This is too much.
Here is a repertorization from MacRepertory and the Complete Repertory: [not shown]
Now that’s interesting. Look what’s in third place. Placenta. Surely a deep “mother connection.” I don’t like referring to guardians as “mother” and “father,” but in some cases these are the best rubrics we have. And in Simba’s case, there is rather that element, with the isolation wherein Simba and Carla lived rather alone, with only each other for company. And the small rubric, ailments from death of mother has Placenta as a grade 3. Additionally, his problems all started after Carla died. Placenta is also in compulsive disorders, consolation aggravates, anxiety from noise (the fireworks and gunshots in his case).
Here is what I found on Placenta, in Murphy (excerpts):
From the Mind section: “Apathetic and emotionless. No emotions, very little reaction to things going on. Calmness, almost to the point of no reaction. Completely passive. Confused, dazed and distant. Confusion of identity. Feel isolated, lonely, vulnerable and weepy. Weak memory, forgetful. Concentration difficult with an inability for mental work. Sadness, depressed and despondent. Nostalgia with flashbacks to past events. Feeling unappreciated, cross and sorry for self. Irritability and anxiety. Anxiety about family, finances, work, the future. Anxiety about health and heart disease. Ailments from bad news.”
From the Abdomen section: “Bloated and uncomfortable after eating. Bloated and tender. Lower abdomen sore and bloated, better from sitting with legs wide apart. Abdominal pain associated with distension. Rumbling. Painful flatulence, with abdominal tension. Flatulence with short, cramping, twisting pains making one double up.”
From the Hands section: “Itchy, flaky, dry, cracking and sore. Heels of palms of both hands hot, itchy, burning. Fingers as if numb with cold. Pins and needles sensations.”
From the Rectum section: “Sharp shooting pains, worse sitting, as if sword up inside. Sudden urging for stool. Constipated, better from standing to pass stool. Constipation alternating with diarrhea. Soft and watery stools, alternating with hard and dry stools. Diarrhea is gushing, watery, urgent, loud and explosive with abdominal pain. Bowel movements increased to three a day. Burning and sensation of heat during and after stools.”
All I could say at this point was, it works for me. Placenta nicely covers the mental state and all the physical issues. I could not ask for better. And there was something to this, the deep dependency, and his near death once Carla
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