I recently had a cat come into the clinic that was as sick as…well…as sick as a dog! She was running a fever of 105, wasn’t eating and just felt terrible. Other than the fever she showed no symptoms of disease…no runny nose, no abscess or bite wound, no pneumonia. Nothing. The medical term for this condition is F.U.O. or fever of unknow origin. This is a fancy way for doctors to say: “Ummm…I dunno.” Such cases can be frustrating as they are often unresponsive to regular therapy. I tried several high power antibiotics. Nothing. Before becoming an herbalist, I would throw up my hands, declare “Must be some kind of virus” and hope the kitty got better on its own because I had nothing to offer to kill the pathogen.
Enter Silver Lining Herbs #24 Immune Support and #25 INF-X. Now let me say from the outset here that cats don’t like herbs. Hmmm not quite stong enough…cats hate herbs. So, I mixed a bit of #24 Immune Support and #25 INF-X in some water (smart veterinarians use the capsules – I am not a smart veterinarian), drew it up into a syringe, had a brief moment of silence, set my worldly affairs in order and approached the cage. The first dose wasn’t too bad…I got the drop on her and down the hatch it went. I dosed her two more times that day at great personal peril (she was ready for me!). Within 12 hours of the first dose the fever was gone and she was eating.
A day later another kitty came to see me…another 105 fever. No mystery ths time though, the kitty had a bite wound at the base of his tail that was badly infected, swollen, and oozing. The infection had become systemic and this guy was in real trouble. I added the third member of the “Awesome Threesome,” #16 Power Dust. I made a poultice of the #16 Power Dust by adding a bit of water and applied it to the tail with a wrap. Then shot some #24 Immune Supprt and #25 INF-X down the kitty. This had an immediate reviving affect on the cat, who decided he might just feel better enough to eat me! The next morning I removed the poultice. It was soaked with pus and goo and the tail was beautiful. The swelling was completely resolved, the color good, and other than the baldness from my shaving and the small puncture wounds left by his amigo, was completely normal. The fever was gone and he was up and eating.
Other than a very few very expensive drugs, there are no phamaceuticals readily available to combat viral infections. The overuse of antibiotics for the last several decades have created numerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria. I am seeing more and more of these types of infections in my practice. In such cases herbs have several powerful advantages. Many of the herbs in #24 Immune Support and #25 INF-X stimulate the immune system. Others have proven anti-viral components. Still others have strong anti-bacterial properties.
A typical antibiotic has one chemical that kills bacteria…one. A single herb can contain dozens of chemical components that kill bactria (or viruses). Developing resistance to one chemical is a fairly simple affair for a bacterium. They just have to develop a shield against the sword. By contrast, a bacterium attacked with #24 Immune Support, #25 INF-X and #16 Power Dust is facing dozens of herbs, each with mutiple anti-bacterial and anti-viral components. It’s like being surrounded by dozens of warriors with not only a sword but axes, spears, crossbows, and a machine gun or two not to mention a trumpet to summon more warriors from the patients own immune system. You get the idea. Resistance becomes a much more complicated affair.
I’ve been using The Awesome Threesome for years in my practice with great success. I’m sure glad to have them on my side.
Doc Jones
He was a cute little guy, an Irish Setter, eight weeks old…eight weeks old and blind as a bat. It was a sad situation. The breeder had a whole litter of beautiful pups but something had been wrong with Charlie from the beginning. By the time he was walking she realized he was blind.