YOUR stories   Email your stories to catherine@carsegray.co.uk Stories on this page (click on the name to go to each story) Achilles Dexter Freddie Lisa Lucky Lulu (Cat) Lulu (Dog) I decided to breed my bitch Trinity in December of last year and did so with a world champion German Shepherd - great pedigree and fantastic blood lines and a great dog.  Trinity had nine puppies one of which died after five days of natural causes: fading puppy syndrome.  All the others were fine.  We took the puppies to the vets at six weeks to get them inoculated so that they could go to their new homes at seven to eight weeks old.  Everything was fine until two days after inoculation.  One 1 of the puppies stopped walking and started to develop blisters on his muzzle. Straight away I went to vets and explained that the puppy was ill and symptoms and said that I would like to get him tested to see what the problem was.  I was given steroids and told that it was probably nothing to worry about.  The steroids worked to a certain extent - they got the puppy walking again.  However, in the meantime his face had swollen four times as big as it should be.  I had to keep Achillies separate from the other puppies as I did not know at the time what the problem was and didn’t for a further month and a half. After looking at your website I decided to stop giving him the steroids as Achillies’ reaction looked similar to one of the dogs on your website.  I decided to seek other forms of help and luckily found a lady in Milton Keynes  who deals in homoepathic remedies.  I drove to Milton Keynes to see the lady who straight away said that she had seen this problem before and it was called vaccinosis, an allergic reaction to the vaccine. Achillies was at death’s door when I saw this lady and he was literally rotting away.  He smelt awful and looked awful, poor little boy was very very bad and vets were not helpful at all.  They just said that I may have to put him down.  I can honestly say that until I had spoken to the homoepathic lady I was considering it as he was in so much pain and for a puppy to be that ill at such a young age is terrible to see, let alone what Achillies went through ...thank God the homoepathic remedies have worked. He is fit and well after two months.  He is scarred and he will never be able to have an inoculation again as next time it may kill him. I thank you with all my heart for having this website as I would never have known how to help him - thank you If you would like more pictures so that we can help people in the future please let me know I will be happy to supply.  If anyone has a dog or puppy with the same or similar problem you can give them my details and I will help them through it and give advice. Matt Elliott 07795 097007 mattelliott@talktalk.net Top of page Lulu's Story If this helps one beloved pet then it will be worth the tears. On 8th July, 2006, I took my 7 year old 76-pound Golden Retriever Gabby, and my 15 month old 14-pound Ragdoll cat Lulu, to the vet for their annual vaccinations. The same vaccination that they both received the previous year at around the same time. Gabby has had skin and ear problems her whole life, however, she has never had a reaction to the annual vaccinations. (Catherine O'Driscoll says: this can be a common reaction to vaccinations). Lulu is my baby, she is a beautiful healthy cat. I have a special bond with her because she stays indoors all the time and follows me around the house. We were home less than an hour when Lulu began to vomit and have diarrhoea. I called the vet's office and arranged to meet the vet, since they had already closed. He gave her a shot and a pill and said she should feel better tomorrow. This continued on Sunday, so as soon as the office opened again on Monday, I called for another appointment. The vet examined her and said he would like to keep her overnight. By now she was dehydrated and running a fever. He told me that she must have had something else medically going on at the time of the vaccinations, to which I replied, “no she did not”. She was perfect. When I got off to work on Monday, I went to visit her and she was just lying there. The next day, I heard the same story about “some other medical condition”, which no-one had a clue what it was, but they were sure it was not the FeLV/FVRCP combo and Rabies vaccination. My reply was the same, that she was eating and playing before the vaccination and within an hour this had happened. I have always had confidence in my vet. After all he has been vet 20 plus years and owns the practice. On Wednesday, July 12 at 10:32, I received a phone call from my vet to inform me that she had gone into cardiac arrest and had not made it. I am devastated. I have been in tears since Saturday. I cannot say in words the pain that I feel. The love that I feel for my pets is not the same love that I have for my children, husband and family, however I like my pets more. They love me unconditionally. They even love me when I am sick or in a bad mood. I just wished that I had listened to my heart and had not had the vaccinations done. I had debated this issue before because I really did not see why she needed the vaccination, since she is an indoor pet. I have ordered an autopsy, which will not bring her back, and I am not sure if it will reveal negligence on the vet's part such as “did he mix up the four vaccinations and gave the wrong one to her”, or “if the vaccine was tainted from the manufacturer”? I just pray for answers. I just wish that I had done my homework before now. I did not realize the risk of vaccination before now and I have paid a high price for it. We are all heart broken. Top of page Lulu's Story Lulu was a very pretty slate and white Bearded Collie bitch, born in 1991. Home bred, she was my personal pick-of-litter and we always had a special bond. She was brainy, lively and very brave, always giving her best in any situation. As a show dog she had achieved some success including a CC, Res CC etc, and we had also learned together about sheep herding, a hobby which we both loved more than the show ring. The previous year (summer 1997) Lulu had had the full booster and subsequently suffered with itchy skin and some coat loss for several weeks. With hindsight she also became very thin, but I put that down to the fact that she was working sheep at least once a week. She wasn't ill, but wasn’t in the best condition either. I had read odd bits about vaccination in the dog papers, and had decided to ask my vet next time round whether she still needed the whole lot. As it happened my vet was of the same mind, but as I was planning to mate her, she advised she should be boosted for the lepto even if not the others. Incidentally I note from my records that she was wormed (Panacur) and flea treated (Advantage) at around the same time. How was Lulu just after the jab? I can't honestly remember. But she came into season four weeks later and I can remember taking her to be mated, and her flirting nicely with the stud dog, but having to stop to scratch herself, so I guess the itchiness was returning, because I was a little embarrassed in case the stud’s owner might think my girl had fleas…..By the time her pups were around three weeks old the itching was driving her frantic and she wasn’t eating well. The pups were fine, but I decided to wean them early to spare her, as she was beginning to look a bit frail. Her hair was falling out and one eye had developed a bluish patch. My vet saw her and thought the moulting was a bit excessive and the blue eye suggested liver trouble. At this point I started doing my own research, with help from a senior breeder who has knowledge of herbal remedies and homoeopathy. On her recommendation I immediately put Lulu on a high-quality natural diet, largely raw and organic. Her appetite improved a thousand fold!! She also received several supplements including a herbal tonic mix from Dorwest herbs, and massive doses of evening primrose oil. I was bathing her weekly in a royal jelly shampoo to soothe her skin. In the meantime her hair continued to fall out at a touch until she was about two-thirds bald, and then her skin peeled too. She developed a series of minor infections – ears, eyes, anal glands, nails – all of which we treated as they arose. One day she seemed to have a small fit and at other times she vomited, and of course she was always cold (it was winter) so we put a warm coat on her 24/7. She very gradually got better and by late spring had a whole new coat, very healthy if a little short. As she improved I resumed showing her and she was very successful in veteran classes, and leading a normal doggy life, however I didn’t take her back to the sheep as she somehow didn’t seem as robust as she once was, however she was getting older. Her eye stayed blue for ever more. One of her boy puppies later developed a health problem (auto-immune). I think he is a lot better now following treatment from a homoeopathic vet. Another of the boys is a bundle of nerves and I don’t see why, he was a normal puppy. The others are fine, and the third boy became a Champion at Crufts in 2004. She was found to have haemangiosarcoma in November 2001. She was ten and a half years old. Beardies should commonly live to 14 or 15, barring accidents. She collapsed at a show (bleeding internally), and a few days later my vet persuaded me to try an exploratory operation, as she seemed a little stronger again. She proved to be full of a soft tumour from above her ovaries right up to her aorta (heart). I saw the tumour in a bowl when it had been mainly dissected out, it looked like raw chopped liver. We couldn’t even wake her up as she would have bled to death. I wished too late, that we could have tried to treat her with homoeopathic remedies, it might have bought her more time and certainly a more dignified ending. What did the vet say? Not much – see above. I don’t think they had seen anything like that before. Did the vet think there was any link with the vaccine? I didn't ask and she didn't say. Did the vet report the reaction to the relevant bodies? I doubt it. Perhaps if I had been more of a pest about it? How did I feel at the time and afterwards? Sickened. Cheated. And full of guilt. I no longer do boosters and in fact my youngest dogs haven’t received vaccinations of any kind. I would advise other owners to learn all they can about vaccine dangers, so that they are able to make informed choices. I trust my vet still, she knows and accepts my stance on vaccination and has never put pressure on me to do any more. Other dog owners may have a different relationship with other vets, but I’m now wary of allowing choices to be made for my animals on my behalf. I do realise vets are only human and can make mistakes with their advice, so prefer to take more responsibility for my dogs’ care nowadays. Currently I have eight dogs here, one is Lulu’s daughter (aged almost eleven) and three are granddaughters. The three granddaughters have never been vaccinated at all, I simply daren’t do them, but instead pay close attention to keeping them happy and healthy via diet and lifestyle choices. The daughter hasn’t been boosted for the last nine years. My two youngest are second and third generation unvaccinated. It works very well and the younger dogs enjoy excellent health. I hope to see further improvements with each successive generation. Liz Jay Top of page A Vaccine Damaged Dog: Dexters story The above photo shows Dexter three months after his vaccination. What you cannot see are the bald patches on his back & between his hind legs, thinning hair across his body, multiple cysts, hot spots, pimples, scars from biopsies & skin scrapings, swollen nose, peeling skin, etc. He had also suffered internal bleeding from the steroids he was prescribed, which nearly killed him, and had become an over-anxious nervous wreck. It is hard to believe, but this photo was taken when Dexter’s health had actually begun to improve, three weeks after starting his homeopathic remedies. He had looked even worse at one stage. The Above photo shows Dexter as he looks today, handsome & content. I cannot believe we got over the ordeal, and thank Richard Allport from the bottom of my heart for giving me my lovely dog back. Top of page Obituary for Lisa Morris 24/03/1994-21/03/2003 Owned and much loved by Pam Morris On this earth for such a short time but she gave me so much love and guidance. I love you Lisa and miss you so much. You will be in my heart forever. When a Loved One’s Gone Those we love remain with us For love itself lives on. And cherished memories never fade Because a loved one’s gone. Those we love can never be More than a thought apart For as long as there is memory They’ll live on in the heart. Lisa was a golden retriever, typical of her breed, loving and lovely but, sadly, she was vaccine damaged and was stolen away long before her time. Lisa became hemiplegic in the September of 2001 following her annual vaccination and was immediately written off as a totally hopeless case by the conventional vet who had administered the vaccine to her. After battling against the odds for two months, I found a wonderful homeopathic vet who got her mobile again using a combination of homeopathic remedies and acupuncture. Through a “chance” meeting in this vet’s waiting room, I met a very kind lady who also had a severely vaccine damaged dog, so she was well placed to understand my anguish. She introduced me to many other complimentary therapies and recommended an excellent hydrotherapy pool where the lady swam with and manipulated Lisa in the water to help her to rebuild her muscles. Both my dogs also started to go to an animal healing group in Yeovil where the gentle, peaceful atmosphere helped us all. Looking back, it was after her very first vaccination that Lisa developed severe eczema and had appetite loss. She suffered an upset stomach and was really “off colour” even appearing somewhat brain-damaged but on expressing my worries to my vet, he just put it all down to coincidence. The second booster lead to the same result but the vet, yet again, said it was pure coincidence. I shudder as I look back and realise that, with each successive vaccination, Lisa’a reactions became stronger and stronger. When Lisa was 4 years old, I read an article by Catherine O’Driscoll (of Canine Health Concern) which really did worry me, as everything she said simply underlined what Lisa had gone through. On the strength of this, I really badgered my vet (which was unusual for me, as I’m not normally a pushy person at all) but, once again I was assured that vaccination was quite safe and, to be fair, my older dog always seemed fine, so I kept on putting Lisa through it, even though I remained really concerned. I feel consumed with guilt for allowing myself to be so browbeaten when, in my heart, I knew something was going wrong and getting worse each time. Then came the jab which paralysed my beautiful Lisa and the awful realisation of what we had done to her. Later on the same day that she had received the vaccination, Lisa was wobbly and the next day she was even more wobbly, until on the 3rd day she became paralysed. Now the vet had to finally acknowledge the problem was a direct result of the vaccination but he admitted also that he could do nothing to help her, so euthanasia was the only answer. It was a desperate, desperate time made worse by my terrible feelings of guilt. Needless to say, Lisa would never have another vaccination and neither would her best friend, Emma who now has the homeopathic nosodes instead. Lisa had 15 good months but, sadly, relapsed at Christmas. Despite losing her mobility in her last 3 months, being a typical golden retriever, Lisa still remained loving and happy until the end, when, to preserve her dignity, the final, awful decision had to be made. If Lisa’s life is not to be in vain, I would urge owners and vets alike to please take note of what happened to her and to question anything which worries you, rather than just blindly believing. Top of page This is the story of Lucky, since he was the dog that first got Christine Windham-Thomas interested in homeopathy. We got Lucky when he was 2 years old from a sanctuary. He had two homes before us and each had taken him back within a month of having him, saying they couldn't cope with him. We needed another dog because Patch had gone to Rainbow Bridge and I was worried about leaving Pippin on her own when I was at work. So we took her to the Sanctuary to match her with another dog. The dog we had chosen showed no interest in her at all and neither did she with him. But in the field next door was Lucky and he was going absolutely balistic trying to get to Pippin. So we suggested seeing if they got on well together. Well, Lucky wouldn't leave Pippin alone; he was smitten with her and so we decided we would take him. We didn't know then there were any problems with Lucky except we were told by the Sanctuary that when they found him he was in such a bad state they didn't think he would live, and that a carer used to stay at the Sanctuary during the night just to comfort him because he was so distressed. Poor Lucky was such a traumatised dog that it took two years of him being with us before I actually started seeing a difference in him and knew that at last he was beginning to settle. He used to fear anything that moved, even a leaf; even little puppies that were no bigger than the palm of my hand that just wanted to play with him he wouldn't walk past them, I had to carry him, and if one did start coming towards him he'd run in the opposite direction with tail between legs and ears right back. Everytime I came home from work he would look at me as if I was a total stranger. If I talked to him to try and reassure him, it would make him worse. In the end I found the best course of treatment was to ignore him totally and not even speak to him, but just go about my business as if he wasn't there. If I did that, he would be the first to come round me and lick me and rub into me to gain my attention. He was fine then but I had to let him come to me; not me go to him. We had him vaccinated when we had him, because we didn't know about the vaccination issue, and within three months of doing that I suddenly found he had no fur on his leg. It was then that I took him to a homeopathic vet and within two weeks of just giving him three little tablets and monitoring progress, his fur had started to grow back. And it was around about that time that that World in Action programme was shown. Lucky's the only dog I've ever known turn his nose up at a raw meaty bone. It's not that he can't eat them, because unbeknown to me he had managed to grab a cooked lamb bone from a dustbin I'd thrown out one Sunday lunch time, a big one at that, and my god he wouldn't let anyone go near him. He will eat raw tripe, but try putting down any other raw meat - forget it; he'd rather starve than eat it and I am not exaggerating. Well, he's now 8 and is becoming more and more confident within himself every day. Since his leg problem we haven't had to take him to the vet for anything. He's not so fearful either. But we have to give him his cooked dinners and he's happy with that. Top of page Freddie’s Story Freddie started life as a normal, healthy, handsome little puppy. He was given his puppy vaccinations and was fed on kibble (Pedigree ). He became very itchy and started nibbling at his flanks. The vet thought it might be fleas but could find none. He suggested changing foods (to another kibble) which worked for a couple of weeks and then back to square one. We did this a few times. He gave Freddie antibiotics, which did nothing except depress him. The vet suggested him wearing an Elizabethan collar to stop him nibbling, to give his flanks a chance to heal but Freddie could still reach and could still mutilate himself. He hated the collar. In desperation, we followed the advice of the vet and put on a basket muzzle to stop the chewing. This must have driven him mad with frustration which resulted in him getting demodectic mange. His spark of life was all but extinguished and we were losing him. Then, thankfully, we found John Hoare, a homeopathic vet and one of the kindess men I have ever met. I slunk into his surgery with Freddie, half expecting him to call the RSPCA because of my neglect. Instead, he reassured me that Freddie would be OK but it would take time.He suggested a change to raw feeding and gave us the first of a succession of homeopathic remedies that Freddie would need as we “peeled the onion” of healing. This was Freddie 2 weeks after the start of his homeopathic remedies & natural feeding. He actually looked worse than this when he saw JH the first time. I found it very hard to take these photos but something made me and I am so glad I did did as I had them as a constant reminder of how far we had come every time I felt low & frustrated at the slow progress. What was most important was I knew the spark was coming back as he wanted to play again, for the first time for months. I didn’t help Freddie’s healing at all. I cried and fussed over him too much and he, being a sensitive soul, picked up on my distress which didn’t help him at all. I put creams on him to try and help him but I was just suppressing what needed to come out. Maybe, JH should have told me off a bit more but I think he knew I had to learn for myself just how homeopathy really works. Things had to get worse before they got better. He knew there was a lot of healing that had to be done. Everything had to come out before real healing could begin. This included a malignant tumor, which had to be removed from Freddie’s mouth. By this time JH had retired from full time practice but had recommended Trevor Adams who continued to treat Freddie in the same gentle manner and still gives Freddie acupuncture treatments. I have learnt so much because of my lovely Freddie. Apart from finding out about the benefits of a natural diet and the dangers of vaccination and conventional drugs, I have found out about the dangers of toxins in our own foods and homes. Much of this started to become clear after reading Catherine’s book and joining CHC. My mission these days is to inform anyone else who will listen. Without Freddie, I would have never done a basic course in Homeopathy or found out about Flower & Gem Essences, Crystal Healing, Tellington Touch, EFT, Kinesiology or Colour Therapy. Because of him, I have done first and second degree Reiki and a basic workshop in Animal Communication. I have also found many lovely, like minded friends, most also members of CHC. Freddie is much better these days but he still has some healing to do. We think that we are having to go back and try to heal generations of inherited problems, as well as the damage done by the vaccinations and processed food, as Freddie’s half brother, Flyer, shares many of the same problems. They both have the same German import father. This is Freddie with his friends in 2003, and looking a proud, handsome boy, also in 2003    Top of page