The Warning Signs

12/6/13 - After learning more about SARDS, the endocrine system, and animal nutrition I've come to the conclusion that we as a society are too willing to accept the first answer we get from a doctor. What people need to realize is that not every doctor specializes in a certain area, not every doctor has the same understanding as every other doctor and not all doctors treat their patients the same way. I feel this way about human medicinal practice as well as the field of veterinarians. We need to realize that there are still new discoveries being made and it takes a long time for word to get out to other doctors and to share these new discoveries. Also, there is a part of mainstream medicine that will not listen or accept any theories that are not based on double blind studies. This is a huge problem and plays a huge part in why we still see people and animals dying of diseases that have been around forever. We as a society are to ready to go with the norm and follow mainstream society's way of thinking. I think that it is our own responsibility to educate ourselves and not put our entire faith in the hands of someone else. If that were the case many more dogs would be sent home to die with SARDS that progressed into something worse like cancer. If you or your child suddenly went blind and your doctor told you it was just something that happened and you would adapt, what would you do? To me, this is an outrageous answer. I wanted to tell the general vet, the ophthalmalogist and the internist that they'd better go back to school and figure it out. Because neither people nor dogs go blind for no reason. So, let's start with the warning signs. The warning signs were that Shasta started to become heat intolerant. It was hard to tell because she is a snow dog living in Sacramento in the summer. She began drinking a lot of water and she had an insatiable appetite. She also started to potty in the house which is not normal behavior for her as she was only 5 yrs old. Other signs that I thought were normal issues with dogs was her sensitive stomach, scratching even though she had no fleas or rash, and shedding. Many people think that is normal for dogs as well, but I no longer think that. High estrogen causes a histamine effect in some dogs which causes them to scratch a lot. A sensitive stomach is common in dogs these days, but shouldn't be left untreated as it is a sign that something else is going on.