Natural remedies for cat's upper respiratory infection

Lots of Reiki and a bit of rescue remedy seems to work with mine ...

Fx

Tricky territory legally advising on treatments for animals that will bypass the vet.

Having said that, vets pay their mortgages by selling lots of antibiotics, vaccinations, steroids, wormers, flea preparations, technical diets and insurance. I do not question the good intent, I am simply a lifelong sceptic of the pharmaceutical approach. How much does this achieve on balance for our animals' overall lifelong health? More and more HP is filling with stories of antibiotics that don't work, if this is a trend then it should be ringing alarm bells somewhere.

You could seek out an alternative or holistic vet, there are many to choose from, including chiropractors, osteopaths, homoeopaths, acupuncturists, dieticians. But you need a referral from a regular vet in order to remain legal.

Instead of asking your vet who to go to, I would do the homework first, identify who you'd like to see and discuss the problem with them, and then your vet may be more likely to agree.

It is up to the owner whom she or him may go to regarding the treatment of their animal. There are now vets who also work in holistic therapies, so do both in unison.

If an owner chooses to go the complementary root with regards to their animal, they are well within their rights to do so.

Unless something's changed I think you'll find that treatment of animals is more tightly controlled than humans. Anyone can set up a new therapy for people and take clients without medical oversight. As animals cannot give informed consent the law 'protects' them against this. Anyone here familiar with the precise legal position?

The owner is legally responsible for the health of their animal and as such can choose who they visit.

The only legal requirement an owner has is to get treatment for their animal if it requires it, what form that treatment takes is up to the owner.

You may wish if you so desire to let your vet know that your animal is receiving reiki etc but it is NOT a legal requirement.

Take spiritual healing for example; the owner can request a healing treatment and does not need to let their vet know. They are well within the law to take their animal to see a healer. If they so wish, they can notify their vet but they are not required to do so by law.

Also, from the healers perspective, the only thing we need to check is that the animal has been seen by a vet, if they haven't we advise the owner to do so, but are free to offer the healing without the vets approval.

Hi

Found this on :

Before treating animals it is advisable to seek assurance
from the owner that a vet has examined the animal. The
Veterinary Surgery Act of 1966 prohibits anyone other
than a qualified veterinary surgeon from treating animals,
including diagnosis of ailments and giving of advice on
such diagnosis. However the healing of animals by
contact healing, by the laying on of hands or distant
healing is legal. However the Protection of Animals Act
1911 requires that if an animal clearly needs treatment
from a veterinary surgeon the owner must obtain this. To
give emergency First Aid to animals for the purpose of
saving life or relieving pain is permissible under the

Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 Schedule 3.

Best Wishes

RP

The RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct 2008 contains advice on the treatment of animals by non-veterinary surgeons. This information is in part 2F; which states;

‘1. The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 (Section 19) provides, subject to a number of exceptions, that only registered members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons may practise veterinary surgery. 'Veterinary surgery' is defined within the Act as encompassing the 'art and science of veterinary surgery and medicine' which includes the diagnosis of diseases and injuries in animals, tests performed on animals for diagnostic purposes, advice based upon a diagnosis and surgical operations which may not necessarily form part of a treatment. These restrictions are in the interests of ensuring that animals are treated only by people qualified to do so.’

This part of the guidance goes on to say that;

‘Physiotherapists, osteopaths and chiropractors

15. The Veterinary Surgery (Exemptions) Order 1962 allows for the treatment of animals by physiotherapy, provided that the animal has first been seen by a veterinary surgeon who has diagnosed the condition and decided that it should be treated by physiotherapy under his/her direction.

16. 'Physiotherapy' is interpreted as including all kinds of manipulative therapy. It therefore includes osteopathy and chiropractic but would not, for example, include acupuncture or aromatherapy (see Part 1I, paragraph 2, Your responsibilities in relation to the treatment of animals by non-veterinary surgeons).

Other complementary therapists

17. All other forms of complementary therapy in the treatment of animals, including homoeopathy, must be administered by veterinary surgeons. It is illegal, in terms of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, for lay practitioners however qualified in the human field, to treat animals. At the same time it is incumbent on veterinary surgeons offering any complementary therapy to ensure that they are adequately trained in its application.

Faith healing

18. Faith healers are required in terms of the Code of Practice of the Confederation of Healing Organisations, to ensure that animals have been seen by a veterinary surgeon who is content for healing to be given by the laying on of hands.’

If any manipulative therapy is included in the treatment you provide, the Veterinary Surgeon (Exemtions) Order 1962 would apply. The 1962 Order allows for the treatment of animals by phsiotherayt, provided that the animal has first been seen by a veterinary surgeon who has diagnosed the condition and decided that it should be treated by physiotherapy under his/her direction. Physiotherapy is defined as including all kinds of manipulative therapy.

Therefore faith healing, spiritual healing (including Reiki) are procedures that would not normally be regarded as the practise of veterinary surgery under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966; though it would be prudent for animal to have been seen by a veterinary surgeon when this is being performed for reasons other than well-being.

If you require further information please contact the RCVS direct: Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, Belgravia House, 63-64 Horseferry Road , London SW1P 2AF .

This information is given Without Prejudice.

For clarification should anyone be concerned that I may be bypassing the vet, I am looking for a complementary treatment, not an alternative treatment. I can't find any holistic vets in our area so that isn't an option. I don't just follow my GP's recommendations for my own treatment, I also look at other options, and if I had been given antibiotics 3 times for myself and still not have resolved the complaint, I'd sure be looking at other options by now! Actually, I'd only have visited the GP in the first place when I had exhausted all avenues of self-treatment!

My cat has reiki whenever she comes up on my lap, I certainly don't tell the vet that, it doesn't compromise their treatment of her so I don't see why it needs mentioning.

If it were a human I'd be suggesting pineapple juice to clear the mucus, but I don't think my cat will drink that somehow and I'm not sure if it would be good for her!

Echinacea tincture has been suggested in pm (thank you for that), does anyone have any idea how I would give this to her and in what quantity?

Any other thoughts please? I really do want her to get well and don't really want her to have yet another course of antibiotics.

Thanks,

With love,
Amber

Amber Lady, have you thought about probiotics? After so many antibiotics for a person, one would automatically recommend probiotics of some kind - live, organic yoghurt is a favourite. I do understand that milk isn't really good for cats, but fermented milk (ie live yoghurt) is different to ordinary milk and is something you might like to try a small test amount of and see how you go.

A quick google of "probiotics and cats" brought up a great many links to products you can buy for them, if you would prefer to go that route.

Yeah, I take my cats to the vet too - I really need CarolineN to keep reminding me to state clearly what I think of as obvious! Lol!

Fx

A few homoeopaths in West Sussex here:

[DLMURL] http://www.bahvs.com/findavet.htm [/DLMURL]

Thanks kvdp, I did look at both of those but the nearest one is a 45 minute drive away - West Sussex is a big county! I rang my vet this afternoon and asked about vets in the area that use complementary therapies and was dismissed with a "we only do conventional because that's what works, homeopathy doesn't, and we wouldn't recommend anyone who did such things." I didn't even mention homeopathy, I only asked about complementary therapies! So I guess I won't be telling them about giving her Reiki any time soon...

Coerdelion, I hadn't thought of that but I will, she loves yoghurt anyway, it's all I can do to finish my pot without her getting her nose into it!

And further research suggests that echinacea tincture is acceptable for cats, to be given in the same dosage as for children so I'm going to give that a try. Not sure yet whether to put it on her wet food or into her water, the water might dilute it too much so maybe the food is the better option.

Thanks for all your help so far, any other thoughts more than welcome! 😀

Well, I'm sure they have a duty to be respectful to other professionals, not sure they have a right to be so dismissive and deny your cat the chance to be well. Politics - pah!

They probably wouldn't think 'placebos' could harm either, so I guess that's a back-handed green light? But they might take a dim view if you just withdrew their services with a sick cat. But you could always find another vet.

When our cat was sick, we visited a homoeopathic vet a similar distance away, he examined and treated her, and then the beauty of homeopathic treatment is it is often possible to do follow-ups by phone without the travel. If it gets the result you desire it'll be more convenient in the long run - how much faith do you have in homoeopathy?

Amber Lady? The though occurs that when cats make that very alarming coughing noise followed by a kind of chewing thing and a swallow, it's often a furball. You could try getting hold of some hairball specific food - Hills do it - and see if that helps.

Fx

kvdp, it's not my faith in homeopathy or complementary therapy that would stop me going 45 miles, it's more that she's an old girl who really doesn't travel very well and gets very stressed out in the car. At her age I really don't want to put her through more than I have to, if she were younger I wouldn't give it a second thought.

Coerdelion, I don't think it's a furball, she does have mucus discharge and sneezes a little - not as much as she did though.

I'll get some echinacea tomorrow and let you all know how we get on.

Thanks for all your help from me and Frankie :cat:

Hi AL

Check out interesting article about cat probotics:

Best Wishes

RP

Hello Amberlady,

How is your cat now? Is she feeling any better?

I agree with you re the antibiotic situation. We've had one of our cats on antibiotics for a respiratory problem too - the sneezing, runny nose, elevated temperature etc. And as you say after a few days its back again. I'm not keen either for him to have another course of them but he looks so pathetic poor soul.

I was interested to read some of the suggestions ...... worth a try!

Hope Frankie is feeling better :cat:

Hi Holistica1,

Well it's taken a couple of days to find a way to get her to take the echinacea, she really wasn't keen on it at all. However once she'd turned her nose up at it and walked away, our younger cat Sophie lapped it all up, so her immune system is well boosted! Finally I've found the best way is to get Frankie to take it is to mix it in with her wet food, she gets a little wet food for breakfast in the morning and a little at night and she seems quite happy to take the echinacea in that.

Has it made a difference? Well her breathing seems a lot easier but she's still sneezing occasionally and has a bit of a runny nose, but she's not sneezing out huge globs of mucus as she was (sorry to be so graphic!). I think she's been on the echinacea fully for three days now, I'll keep you updated.

We're going back to the vets next Friday, so fingers crossed for significant improvement by then!

With love,
Amber

Many years ago my old cat Polly (she was 14/15) had a respiratory problem, the vet couldn't sort out what was wrong with her, a mix of anti-biotics and steriods helped but didn't cure. I used eucalyputus oil defusing in my bedroom where the cat stayed. It seemed to help get all that liquid from her lungs. Unfortunately it sent my dog into epileptic fits. 🙁

I hope your kitty is well soon. xxx

Hi everyone,

Just thought I'd give a quick update!

The echinacea seems to have done the trick - although we still have the occasional sneeze, Frankie doesn't have a runny nose any more and her breathing is a lot easier. We had an appointment at the vets tonight and he was a lot happier with her condition and she finally got her vaccination.

Another few days and she'll have been on the echinacea for 2 weeks, then I'll stop it for two weeks. I'm thinking of keeping her on it on an ongoing basis now, so will get her into synch with me, that way I won't lose track of when to give it to her!

Thanks for all your comments and help, both here and in pm.

With love,
Amber

Good to hear, Amber Lady ... and good to know, too!

Fx

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