A couple months ago Susheela reached out to us for help with healing Ruby. Ruby an Indie rescue approximately a year old was rescued from the streets of Chennai. She came to us with almost no desire to eat or drink, was struggling to breathe because her lungs were filled with fluid, feces stuck in her colon (Megacolon), severe anaemia and no desire to move. She had to be carried everywhere.
She was put on laxatives prior to starting her ayurvedic treatment by the veterinarian but it did not help. The next step per veterinary recommendation was to put her through surgery to remove the stuck feces. However since she was very anaemic surgery was not an option. That is when Susheela turned to Curry n Pepper.
Given her overall condition it was necessary to first clear the obstruction in her colon and then treat her overall condition.
So what is MegaColon?
The colon is part of the larger digestive tract. he main purpose of the colon is to serve as a temporary storage conduit while it performs the function of extracting useful water and salt from the waste. Megacolon is a condition in which waste is remaining in the colon, causing the diameter of the colon to become abnormally enlarged. It is typically associated with chronic constipation, or obstipation – severe, obstinate constipation that blocks the passage of gas as well as feces. Medically, the colon is described as exhibiting minimal colonic activity – that is, the colon is not releasing its contents.
Megacolon can be a congenital or acquired condition. Dogs with congenital megacolon are born with an abnormal lack of normal smooth muscle function of the colon. Megacolon can also be acquired, such as when feces is chronically retained, fecal water is completely absorbed, and the water and matter bond, causing the feces to become solidified within the colon. If concreted feces remains lodged in the colon for a prolonged period of time, distention of the colon will occur, resulting in irreversible colonic inertia (inactivity). Colonic inertia is characterized by the smooth muscle of the colon no longer contracting or expanding to void feces.
Ruby’s Ayurvedic Diagnosis
Ruby exhibited signs of Pitta & Kapha imbalances. Lack of Kapha in her intestines and colon prevented the feces from moving out. The excess Pitta caused all the moisture to be absorbed from the feces resulting in a solidified mass within the colon. If the colon is not cleared it results in toxin build-up lading to fluid retention and bacterial infection. The gases produced as a result could lead to abdominal distention. This toxin build-up would then cause sub-mucosal damage. It can also prevent nutrient absorption in the intestines. Further it leads to low haemoglobin and anaemia. Which occurred in Ruby’s case.
Ruby’s Treatment Protocol
We immediately switched Ruby to a plant based diet and eliminated salt and high fat food from Ruby’s diet. And added 1/4 tsp of Kapha Balancer to her meals daily. She had to be hand fed initially. Made sure she got some exposure to morning sunlight. Ruby was still on lasiks to treat her edema. But this integrated approached helped her relieve the obstruction naturally without the use of laxatives, enema or surgery. The obstruction was totally cleared within three weeks. Ruby’s temperament improved and we later put her on a balanced vegan diet to help her with Anaemia. We also recommended topical application of an Ayurvedic oil to treat her from mange.
Ruby is now eating well, begun to move around (she has a broken leg, an injury cause prior to her rescue) and her fur is growing back!
We are delighted that Ruby is now healing well! If you would like to learn more about how an Ayurvedic lifestyle can benefit your pet set-up a free 20 minute consultation with us. To learn more about your pet’s dosha, take our Dosha Quiz. Adding Dosha Balancer to your pet’s diet can help prevent disease and allow them to age gracefully.
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