Herbs and Conventional Therapies can work together.

We have recently been involved in three cases which highlight ways in which herbs can be used as adjuvant therapy with conventional drugs. These cases highlight some areas where the animal may be intolerant to drugs or where drugs are not available.

Case 1.

The patient in this case is an 8 year old gelding. He poked his eye on something sharp, probably a tree branch. This resulted in a severe infection and acute inflammation within the eye. If left untreated the sight in the eye would probably be lost. The vet prescribed antibiotics and bute. After two days it became obvious that there was a quite an intolerance to the bute. This was exhibited by severe scouring. After discussion with the vet and ourselves the owner stopped the bute and replaced it with Devil’s Claw. Almost immediately the scouring stopped. It required several weeks of treatment but now the eye is almost completely healed and the sight has been saved.

Case 2.

This case involves a foal. His birth was uneventful and he was growing well. At about 4 weeks old he became listless and stopped feeding. Blood tests indicated a severe systemic infection. Antibiotics were prescribed. For the first two days of the treatment there was a noticeable improvement. On day three however this improvement reversed. It was decided to include an antiviral formula in the treatment. This reversed the deterioration. The antibiotic course was for 5 days but the herbal treatment was continued for 3 days beyond that. When the herbal formula was stopped the foal seemed fine but deteriorated again after about 4 days. The herbal treatment was started again and is continuing at the time of writing. Latest blood tests results are all now within normal ranges.

Case 3.

This case also involves a foal. Her arrival however was not smooth. In a normal birth the placenta detaches from the wall of the uterus after the foal has been born. This ensures that the new born animal does not suffer from any significant interruption to its supply of oxygen. In this case however the placenta has detached too early and emerged with the front feet of the foal. This condition is called placenta previa and often results in an oxygen deprived foal which eventually dies. The lack of oxygen causes the brain to swell. This usually occurs after about three days. The foal in this case could not stand so was hand fed with a mixture of mare’s and goat’s milk. This made the administration of a herbal formula very easy. The formula included anti-inflammatory herbs and circulatory stimulants. In this sort of case it is impossible to know whether the animal would have survived without the herbal treatment. Be that as it may. She is now healthy, running around with her mother and doing very well.

These cases all serve in one way or another to show how herbal medicine can be used alongside conventional drug therapy.

The use of Devil’s Claw in the first case is a good example of herbs being substituted for drugs with a similar effect. Non steroidal anti-inflammatories (such as bute) can cause gut and kidney problems if used in high doses or over a long period of time. There are a number of herbs that can be used in their place. These include Devil’s Claw, Celery seed, Licorice and Meadowsweet. The choice of herb will depend on particular nature of the problem.

The second case is more unusual but shows how pharmaceuticals can be used in an acute condition and be supported over a longer period by herbal medicine. This longer term use clearly helped the return to full health from a very serious illness