Wednesday, September 26, 2007

A Simple Yet Highly-Effective Homeopathic Remedy For Canine Discoid Lupus

This past summer 2007, I noticed a change in the coloration of my dog’s nose. I did not think much about as it did not seem that unusual. The black skin of his nose had begun to lighten just slightly to a more pinkish tone. It was the early part of summer and the sun had just begun to come out with some veracity. I had suspected that it was simply due to sun exposure. What I would come to learn over the next few months is that my dog had a rare form of lupus known as Canine Discoid Lupus, and that there was a little known, and very simple remedy for it.

As the days of summer wore on, the discoloration continued to develop. At first it was just a few lighter spots on his nose, but as they became larger, the skin texture of his nose now also began to change. His nose began to seem dry, and the light spots became a bit crusty (for lack of a better term). At this point, my wife and I become concerned and took him to our veterinarian.

I think the response we got from our vet was pretty common. He stated that there were several possible diagnosis for what Kain (our dog) was experiencing. The diagnosis ran the full gambit from simple sun exposure, all the way to a form of cancer that would give him approximately 10 months to live. This was all quite concerning, and my wife and I were not content with letting it go any further. However, in order to give us a definite answer, our vet wanted to do a biopsy of Kain’s nose. This was not just a scrape of a few cells we are talking about; he wanted to dig out a rather large chunk of our dog’s nose flesh for some tests. We were just not willing to do that at this point.

We decided to try and eliminate a couple of simple possibilities as the cause. We began regular applications of sun screen, as well as a common over-the-counter anti-fungal cream to make sure it was not just a sun burn or fungus. We were determined to find another way to determine what was going on with our dog’s nose rather than a biopsy.

I spent great deal of time over the next couple weeks doing research on google, and found a huge assortment of information, but nothing definitive. What I was able to find of absolute value was that there were quite a few other dog owners going through the same experience out of concern for their loved pets. I was determined to find a solution that did not involve a biopsy.

After much extensive research, I turned to the same alternative medicine that my family often relies on for our own health, homeopathy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy). We have found that alternative medicine has worked very well for our dog in the past, and I found quite a bit of information on google to support the use of homeopathy with canines.

By now, the skin on our dog’s nose had changed more dramatically, and was actually somewhat scabbed over, with small cracks forming along the nasal openings. I could tell that his nose was bothering him. The applications of sun screen and anti fungal had seemed to have no affect whatsoever thus far, and we were very frustrated.

After a few more days of digging, and the symptoms we continued to see with Kain, I was convinced he had what is known as Canine Discoid Lupus. At this point, we decided to begin administering some homeopathic solutions.

Here is the homeopathic remedy we finally came up with that has worked wonders:

Calendula Cream
Helps to heal the cracked, irritated skin.
Apply to affected area twice daily. Try to rub it in as much as possible since you cannot stop them from licking it off.

Sulfur 30X
2 tablets twice a day for the 1st week.

Arum-MET 30X
2 tablets 4 times a day for the 2nd week, then cut dosage in half for 3rd week, then in half again for the 4th and 5th week.

If it is not better at the end of 5-6 weeks, your dog may not have lupus. Be sure to consult with your veterinarian before trying any remedies.


Within about 2 weeks, Kain’s nose was beginning to look better with the cracks healing and some of the scabbing softening. At week 4, his nose was much better, all cracks healed, and some of the dark pigment returning to his nose. After 8 weeks, his nose was completely healed, with no sign of any problems. All these positive results were achieved with no painful biopsy and no unnecessary side effects. One of the greatest things is that there is absolutely no harm in trying a homeopathic remedy.

I hope that this information will help other dogs and dog owners who may not have the means of finding the information that I did. All the homeopathy products outlined above can be found at most health food stores, or upper-end grocery stores.

You can find more information on Canine Discoid Lupus at http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/delupusdisc.html. Be aware that the mainstream treatment for this disease is the application of steroids, which can have some very severe side-effect for your dog. Again, be sure to consult your veterinarian before administering any remedies.