Anissa Goemann

I can't believe how much we have progessed with Manu over the past 4 years, Aidan. Starting out with him going mental seeing another dog at the other end of the cricket field to now being able to play with other dogs (after careful intorduction & reinforcing every little step he takes) and walking him past nearly every other dog on a loose leash as close as 2m. With your help we went much farther I ever hoped to get with him!

Very sorry to hear about the diagnosis. I think I would try to see a specialist/oncologist to get more information about this tumor. They will also be able to give you more information about what and if chemotherapy is the way to go. It is important to get data on the median survival rate (how many month/years have other dogs survived after surgery & chemo with this particular tumor). Have you got blodd tests done, too? What did those reults show? Chemo is not always the best choice as it severely compromises the immune system which is needed to fight the tumor. But best to talk to a specialist about it. My (now) 15 year old collie girl was diagnosed with a tumor over 3 years ago. Even though no-one really understood how I could possibly go down that path, I decided not to do surgery or chemo. She has a myxofibrosarcoma in her face (behind/underneath her right eye and by now in her upper jaw, too). I decided to do what I can to help her immune system fight the cancer (diet, supplements and most of all homoeopathic treatment). The tumor has been stable until about 1.5 month ago and is now growing slowly. Evetually it'll reach a size that will cause too much discomfort for her and we will have to give her wings but until now she has been stable, happy and as healthy as she can be. For me it was quality of life over (maybe) quantity. Chemo as severe side effects and I chose not to go down that path but have to admit you'll have to be convinced of what you do as you won't find much support for a decision like that. Hope all goes well for you and your doggie, Anissa

A remedy is homoeopathic it was prescribed in a homoeopathic way (so to say). As I have already tried to explain before: homoeopathy means "similar disease" so when a remedy given is able to produce the same symptoms a patient has THAN (and only than) you can call it homoeopathic. Otherwise it's a diluted remedy but that has nothing to do with homoeopathy. This is independent of the concentration or dilution a remedy has. The word 'homoeopathic' is used a bit too frequent for diluted herbal medicines (or even worse: mixtures of different ones)... Therefore, Arnika IS a hom. remedy if prescribed that way but otherwise it's a herbal medicine.

Proof? Look here for example: Homeopathic Symphytum officinale increases removal torque and radiographic bone density around titanium implants in rats

Hi everyone, homoeopathy (what translates to "similar desease") does work if done correctly. Very briefly: You treat the symptoms a dog has with a single remedy that is capable of producing the same symptoms in a healthy person/dog. You don't treat "deseases" as such you treat symptoms which is highly individual. Therefore, you can have 5 dogs that have the same diagnosis but all of them get different remedies for it. It does, however, not work preventative. I personally would not call it homoeopathy if you recommend a remedy for a particular desease. :p And using a "blend" of 15 or 20 different remedies at once is certainly not homoepathy at all. For example: the recommended website sells something called "constipatiuon relief" containing containing 16 (!!!) different remedies some of which don't go very well together or are even antidots. Looking into my repertory the mere symptom "constipation" contains over 100 remedies. I wonder why these particular ones were picked and how that is still individual??? It's like using a shot gun to shoot a fly on the wall hoping that one would hit. AND: normally a remedy should be given ONCE and then you see how the patient reacts to it. These type of remedies are to be taken daily. Another excurse: To get all the symptoms a remedy "produces" one has to do a so called "proving" which means that someone healthy takes that remedy in the same dosage every day for a period of time and writes down all the symptoms he produces. This gets done by a number of people and all symptoms everyone gets are rated high", symptoms only some get are rated "medium" and so forth. Now I do not understand the logic in taking a (combination of) remedy (ies) in the same dosage every day to "treat" a condition... This has absolutely nothing to do with homoeopathy. Sorry for the rant but I take homoeopathy very seriously and know what amazing results you can get. But it has to be done the correct way as Hahnemann tought it! If any of you is actually interested in homoeopathy I can highly recommend reading the books from George Vithoulkas (A new model for health and disease or The science of Homoeopathy). Cheers, Anissa

Do they find keys or what? I could do with one of those.

I really miss having my dogs ( I got a second one later) with me. It was always great having them under my desk all the time... But I don't work in walking distance anymore and by now just leave them outside during the day (if the weather is nice) rather than walking them then. So we are down to 3 walks now. :p Back then Peaches was the mascot of the physics institute and she was wll known all over the town as she came with me giving lectures. (I studied at a rather small university in Germany, it was right in the middle of the Harz mountains: Clausthal Zellerfeld) It was always hilarious to see her look of disapproval if students were laughing too loudly or started talking. She would always lie in front of the table keeping an eye on them. hehe That was very cute. Cheers, Anissa

Hi everyone, I can only tell from my experience but I have (after finishing studies) always worked full time (8-10hours/day) but took my dog to work with me (I worked in research at the university, physics institute). She was in my office sleeping under my desk all day (I wouldn't take her in the lab which was just opposite side of the corridor as the pumps on my instrument where pretty noisy) and I took her for a walk at lunchtime. A lot of my friends with dogs do the same (take them to work) or go home over lunch to walk their dogs then. If that is not possible you just get someone to walk your dog for you (friend, relative,dogsitter). My normal doggie walking time used to be 8-9 am (on the way to work), 12.30 - 1pm, 5-6pm (walk home from work) and a very short walk before bedtime every day. But I always walked to work with her so it was easy to incorporate into my schedule. As I said before: I had my dog with me everywhere. =) It is even common when you visit friends to take your dog with you. This of course requires a dog that is very well mannered or you'll be in trouble. :p I also took her with me to the gym, she was just waiting in the corner until I was finished. If I really didn't want to take her she was just at home happily sleeping in her bed. Cheers, Anissa

Hi everyone, as a German I can confirm that you can take your dog everywhere in Germany (except supermarkets & food stores). During studying I had my collie girl Peaches with me every day, she always slept under my chair. =) We also don't have to keep our dogs on leashes all the time (she didn't wear a collar pretty much the first 4 years in her life). But keeping a dog in Germany is expensive (registration 170 Euro/year, compulsory liability insurance 200 Euros/year and if you have a second dog it's MORE expensive for the second one). Hardly any dog is desexed. Most dogs are pretty social but you do get issues with entire males. Pretty much all dogs are kept inside and walked 3-4 times a day (or you will very quickly have an animal welfare organisation knocking on your door). They are seen as family members. You can rent everywhere with your dog, that's not an issue at all (probably due to the fact that all dogs are insured and in case they destroy something insurance will always cover it). But then rental laws are VERY different, too, and we don't have inspections and stuff like that. As a tenant you pretty much can do with the rental place whatever you want (apart from tearing down walls) as long as you put it back in the state it was in before you moved in. But that's just on the side. =) It was quite a shock to my system that I can't take my dogs anywhere and have to keep them on leash all the time. =O I think in Germany it's much more a privilege to have a dog than a right... Cheers, Anissa

Hey, so sorry to hear that. My collie girls has a tumor, too. She's got a myxofibrosarcoma in her face/throat. She ist doing pretty well so far. I've put her on a cancer diet and she gets treated with homoeopathy. That has stopped the growth so far and she's put on some weight again. Since she is nearly 15 I doubt it will fully go away but hope for a bit of a decrease in size. It's a horrible diagnosis and I really feel for you. When I first got the diagnosis (by which time she's already had it 2 years) I was just devesated and couldn't think! I was so scared. It took me some time to get everything into the right perspective but feel better now. For me it's mostly about having her comfortable & pain free. Melanomas are pretty aggressive. So if you consider surgery: do it quick! I would also recommend going to an oncologist to get it checked! Cheers, Anissa

You wrote that earlier that she had it for quite some time now. I just thought that maybe the latest reaction was linked to a vaccination. We call it "ear career" in Germany. Quite an upsetting thing for dog and owner. It's like a cicle: bad ear - ear drops - better - stop ear drop - bad ear and back to start! Hope it'll be solved soon for your doggie! Cheers, Anissa

Hi Nicole, I personally would not give the advocate on a monthly basis as this is weakening the immune system every time. When was her last vaccination. It's ver common to get these type of problems after a vaccination, that's why I ask. I would also stay clear of carbohydrates as much as possible. A meal of protein & fat and just a bit of veggies is much better for dogs that seem to have trouble with Mallassezia. And just a thought on the side: since this seems to be such an ongoing problem with those yeast infections, has your vet ever checked the thyroid? This kind of trouble sometimes come from a malfunction of the thyroid. The cortisone is will reduce any swelling but I would have guessed that an antibiotic would be needed, too. But maybe also get a second opinion. I find the idea of having the whole ear canal removed quite scary. Cheers, Anissa

I have to check again at home but I think I remember that according to my handbook it's not considered "mild" anymore. They get used more often because these type of painkillers don't have such adverse effects on the stomach (like (Rimadyl). But I would see it certainly as a lot "stronger". Particularly with anything "collie like" I would stay clear of it unless I know for sure it doesn't have the MDR1 defect. It certainly does change your point of view quite a bit when you look at it from a homoeopathic view. I at least find it quite fascinating.

Hi Nicole, oh what a nightmare! What are you feeding your pup and when did she get her last vaccination/worm treatment/spot on? These kind of ear infections come from a low immune system and by removing the polyps this won't change and she most likely will get yeast infections again. The best preventative thing would be to feed a raw, natural diet and don't vaccinate. Why did your vet give cortisone (anti inflammatory) if she has an infection? At least she should get antibiotics with it. If your dog is fit I wouldn't be too worried about surgery. My Westhighland Terrier girl needed emergency surgery when she was 14,5 yo and did just fine. If she get's painkillers try to stay away from opiates (Tramal) if you can. My advice would be a classical homoeopathic treatment but dunno if you have any practitioners in your area... Good luck, Anissa

I surly am not a big fan of using opiates in dogs as ther (like kids as well) seem to have such adverse reactions very often. They work pretty well for humans which is probably why. But dogs seem to have a lot of trouble/stress with the way opiates mess up their brain. Spaceman ist a very good word for it. =) It really does send them off to space and they struggle so badly with that. My dog was wimpering a LOT and seem to drift in and out all the time. He would react to me but soon after drifted off again. HORRIBLE! What I find most astonishing from a homoeopathic point of view (I don't know if you guys know anything about it*): through provings of opium as a hom. remedy there was never any sign for pain being induced by it which in consequence would mean that it is not actually able to "cure" it either. So what I often wonder is if it actually does reduce pain or only makes the dogs unable to really move/react or care... *the way you get all the symptom associated with any given remedy is by proving it. Means you take it daily in a certain dosis (usually C30) and note very accurately all symptoms you develop. This is done by many people and all the symptoms then are collected. All symptoms that appeared for nearly everyone is a Grade 1 and it goes down to grade 4 if it only appeard for very few people. Then you can use this particular remedy for all the symptoms it is able to induce in a healthy person. Sorry if I bore you with that but it's something I have been pondering for quite some time. =) Cheers, Anissa

Tramal and Methadone both are opiate based "painkillers" that sedate slighly as well (like morphium). A lot of dogs seem to have trouble with those and feel quite drowsy for a while afterwards. It also takes 36 hours and more to wear off. Diarrhea aftyer antibiotics is completely normal, too, as they basically destroy the fauna (all the good bacteria) in the intestines. I found it helpful to feed some yoghurt for a while after having my pups on antibiotics. I am glad that Cleo is back to health! It's so much worse when the dogs get sick rather than oneself. I always get so very upset! Cheers, Anissa

Do you happen to use a metal brush (I think they are called "slicker brush")? Hotspots are caused by a bacterial infection and in the somewhat moist climate on the skin/below the fur and the bacterial multiply massively. When they then get the tiniest little injury at another spot (by a metal brush, insect bite or similar) this bacterial infection will cause another hotspot. Just a thought.

Uh, ok. Not my experience but whatever!

Well, if it's fleas you would find flea poo in the dog's coat (little black crumbs) especialle close to the tail. It could also be Cheyletiella in which case you should fine a lot of dandruff. And of course as Helen wrote it could be Demodex as well or anothe form of mites. To be really sure you should probably check with a vet.

How long did you "try homoeopathy"? And was it classical homoeopathy? What was exactly done?

It makes a lot of sense to me. =) I have a dog that I got from a pound as well. He is 7 now and so far only got 2 vaccinations in his life (and is not going to get any more than that). He is just so healthy!!! Vet's in Germany don't recommend kennel cough vaccinations at all because they seem to make things worse more often than not. And my personal experience is the same with the dogs I have treated so far (not that many though so it's certainly not a representative number).

Hi, kennel cough is just a term for various similar conditions that a dog can have comparable to a human "cold". It usually starts with an infection of the Lanynx. Mostly it is indeed over with in 1 or two days. It's a pretty comon desease in young dogs and trains their immune system. Generally, it's not a big deal. BUT: It is well known that vaccinated dogs can get more severe symptoms when they get sick (Feline and Canina Infectious Diseases by Rosalind M. Gaskell / Malcolm Bennett "Sometimes dogs suffering from kennel cough get bronchiopneumonia. But only for vaccinated dogs severe symptoms are observed."). This means for me that their immune system is weakend by the vaccination and can't respond as well as an unvaccinated dog would. I would therefore do everything to keep my dogs' immune system healthy (good food, no stress and as less medical intervention as possible). I agree with your vet's assumtion that the dogs leaving your house get sick due to the stress. Viruses are everywhere and you can't clean up enough to get rid of all of them. Therefore, your dogs' immune system needs to be fit to do the job. Regards, Anissa

Hi, What are you feeding to your dog? Dogs with allergies usually don't respond well to "starchy" foods like grains and corn or sometimes even rice and potatoes. That would be the first thing I'd change (in case you haven't yet). Erny's suggestions with Calendula is very good, too, in my experience. I prefer to use extracts (essences) though, because a lot of the very good ingredients of Calendula don't dissolve in (hot) water (hdyrophobic, lipophil) but in ethanol. This helps a lot with the itchyness and heals the skin. (For that I dilute the essence in warm water or isotonic saline solution.) My personal recommendation would also be a homoeopathic treatment but there are not many classical homoeopaths for animals around in Australia. I had very good results using classical homooeopathy treating both allergies and/or hotspots but it takes some time to get better. Regards, Anissa

Nope, it's a friends dog because I have a rough coated colie, too, and you wouldn't be able to see the harness under all that fur. Since I agree that the fitting is essential I buy the custom made ones in Germany. They fit 100% perfect and with the neoprene the coat doesn't tangle and form knots. But as I said: Peaches (my collie girl) doesn't like her Camiro too much and prefers the K9 one.

I can tell you, Anissa has the best dressed dogs in Hobart Thanks Aidan! =)