Toxicity and Drug Side Effects 
Toxicity and Drug Side Effects (For acute cases of poisoning, see a veterinarian immediately. Refer to section on first aid. For problems related to antibiotic use, see “Diarrhea and Vomiting” in section on digestive disorders.)
As horrible as it sounds, many of us are toxic waste dumps, our inner machinery clogged with environmental chemicals, pharmaceutical drugs, and contaminants from the environment. Unfortunately, most people are unaware that accumulated toxicity in the body is a common underlying cause for many conditions and symptoms of fatigue, pain, and general unwellness. Unless we rid the body of these poisons, they continue to build up and erode health and vitality. Marshall Mandell, M.D., an expert in environmental medicine, puts it this way: “Everything that we eat, drink, or inhale is now polluted with chemical agents that are foreign to our bodily chemistry, and we are suffering the consequences of possessing a body that is incapable of handling the by-products of our own amazing chemical technology.”
The same holds true for our companion animals.
“I see this in my practice all the time,” says Mark Haverkos, DVM. “The sick animals I see are very toxic, a result of the toxic food and medicine they take and the less than pure air and water.”
Holistic veterinarians consider the problem of toxicity in their treatment strategies. Here are some suggestions they offer for measures you can take on your own to reduce the toxic level in your animals.
Increasingly I have to detoxify animals as a first step in the healing process. A big tip for keeping animals healthy or when starting them on the road to recovery is to do a periodic detoxification. That’s a great place to start any kind of an alternative program. All you need is a bottle of the homeopathic remedy Nux vomica, available at any health food store.
In more than half the cases I see, a round of Nux vomica lessens the severity of the symptoms, whatever they are. Animals have more energy, interest in their surroundings, and just plain more wellness when they are cleaned out. Nux is good for most cases except when an animal is very weak or near death.
Unless an animal has been totally organic, never been vaccinated, fed only clean food since early in life, and provided a lot of fresh air and exercise, I almost automatically reach for the Nux vomica whenever the animal comes in the door.
Nux vomica (6C to 30C potencies): Once a day until you start to see changes and then stop the remedy.
For a general detoxification of the system, I use Detoxifier for Dogs, a liquid formula combining herbs and flower essences made by Tasha’s Herbs (800-315-0142). It helps clear up animals who have been on long-term medication or who are exposed to constant low-grade toxicity in the environment, such as lawn chemicals. The formula includes cornsilk, burdock root, Siberian ginseng, licorice root, milk thistle seed, yellow dock, and dandelion root.
Follow label instructions.
BETTER NUTRITION EQUALS FEWER SIDE EFFECTS—ROGER DEHAAN, DVM
All pharmaceutical drugs are toxic to the body. All create side effects, major or minor. Some animals do fine on prescription drugs. Others do not. Over the years I have learned that animals with good nutritional status have a better ability to handle drug toxicity. If they are poorly nourished, they generally have a poorer ability to detoxify drugs. Good nutrition is vital, whether your animal is on drugs or on herbs. The more malnourished they are, the more likely the chance of reactions.
The herb milk thistle (Silymarin) is a magnificent protector and detoxifier of the liver. It is used to treat acute liver toxicity in people. I recommend the Twin Labs silymarin extract, available in health food stores, for these kinds of situations:
Any animal who has been on medication.
Any animal who is being maintained on long-term medication.
Any animal who has undergone surgical or dental procedures involving the use of anesthesia.
I consider milk thistle a must for any epileptic animal maintained on anticonvulsive drugs. The animal should stay on the milk thistle for as long as it is on the drug. There is no known contraindication or interference with medications.
I recall the case of a Greyhound diagnosed with epilepsy who was taking four different kinds of medication—phenobarbital, potassium bromide, Prednisone, and an immune-suppressant drug called Imuran. As a result, the dog had become a dull, bloated, drugged creature who stayed in the corner. True, he had fewer seizures, but he still had them nevertheless.
The dog’s owner came to see me because the animal had basically gone from one problem to a new drug-induced set of problems. I suggested weekly acupuncture treatments at the start, along with daily milk thistle. Within three months the dog was off Prednisone and the immune-suppressant medication. A year later the dog had dropped twenty pounds and his active personality had returned. He is now being maintained on 50 percent of his previous anticonvulsant prescriptions, along with the milk thistle. Here is a good example of the marriage between “conventional” and alternative medicine. Often you need to use the best of both.
Milk thistle specifically helps heal liver cells damaged from medication or anesthesia. In the case of short-term medication, milk thistle may not be necessary, but it can’t hurt.
Small dogs, 1 capsule daily; medium dogs, 2; large dogs, 3 or 4; giant breeds, follow the suggestions for human dosage on the label. You can empty the contents of the capsule in drinking water or the animal’s regular food.
Vomiting