Page 12 - Spring 15

Sophie the Schnauzer by Marcie Fallek, USA
Sophia, a four-year old, 10-pound (4.5kg, Ed.), female spayed miniature schnauzer presented to me with a diagnosis of cystitis on February 7, 2015. She had a five-month history of straining and urgency, with small amounts of urine evacuated along with some red blood. A urinalysis was taken (see attached), as well as X-rays to rule out bladder stones. The X-ray was negative for calculi. The dog was initially put on Royal Canine and antibiotics and improved.
Sergio, who actually is well versed in homeopathy, showed me on his Iphone a picture he had taken of many little crystals that were stuck to the dog’s vulva. The owner described the urine to me as seeming very ‘thick.’
Sophia is a very needy dog, who follows the
owner all around the apartment. She also sleeps by his head and has to have physical contact with him during the night. The dog, had an initial bout of cystitis when, for the first time in her life, Sergio went on holiday. The dog was left in the apartment for a few days, with a dog walker, who came and walked the dog three times daily. She was treated ‘successfully’ with antibiotics. This second bout of cystitis followed another trip, where the owner left for a trip, this time his brother staying with Sophia in the apartment. The cystitis recurred but not as severe.
The dog was described to me as being very jealous, stubborn, with a great fear of thunderstorms and noises in general. She is thirstless and craves bread, more than meat
(actually, tortillas, as Sergio, is from Mexico, and that is what he eats). Physically, she is stunning to look at: shiny coat, well groomed, and the most beautiful schnauzer I have ever seen (and I am not a fan of schnauzers, but she took my breath away!).
It was obvious to me, the etiology was grief from being left alone, and I was thinking along the line of Pulsatilla or Phosphorus. However, as I went to examine her paw, which the owner told me she had been licking, the dog became astonishingly aggressive towards me and bit me, although she did not sink her teeth very deeply into my hand.
This act changed my thinking and along with the other symptoms, confirmed to me the choice of Lycopodium. One dose of 30 C was administered. The next day I get a frantic phone call and email from Sergio saying that the dog was straining constantly and urinating ‘tons’ of blood and ‘tons’ of urine. I felt/hoped this was an aggravation and told the owner to wait and call me in a week. At the follow-up-call 8 days later, the owner told me the bleeding had stopped and she was normal for two days after which the straining and the bleeding recurred and she passed a large jagged stone the size of a chickpea. She was then fine for another two days, and then passed another 6 smaller jagged stones along with the recurrence of the straining and the blood. The following day she passed another 4 stones. Sophia was in obvious pain, and eating only about 75% of what she normally ate. This was totally understandable looking at those sharp pointy stones! I told him to get calendula 30 C, which I thought we could use in a pinch for the painful mucosa of the bladder. I was concerned, it might interfere with the action of Lycopodium, but the owner was so concerned about her pain, that I thought it warranted. I sent him a bottle of Lycopodium LM1 that I thought could be used along with the calendula just in case the Lycopodium was antidoted. As it happened, he could not find it, and so the calendula was never administered. By the time the Lycopodium arrived in the mail a few days later, Sophia was herself, no straining, no more stones and eating normally.
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