Animal Anecdote 34

Animal Anecdote 34.

The 10 week old Old English Sheepdog was presented for a second opinion. It had what was called chewing gum spasms of recent onset. His veterinarian in neighboring Milford had recommended euthanasia. I had seen hundreds of similar cases in which the disease, Canine Distemper ended with the dog dyeing in a grand mal convulsion. The chewing gum spasms invariably led to death.
Historically that was the tail end of the cases of a dread disease for which science had only recently developed a successful vaccine . Over the years I had tried everything without success as treatments for that plague. However during those years of trying to help owners of liters that I knew were doomed an owner would mention that a puppy out of the sick litter had been given or sold and it was OK.
I swallowed my pride and getting the names and address of three over a month’s time I phoned each owner to, first find if their puppy was still alive and if so about its health. Then I asked what they did as a treatment if anything. Each time the voice seemed almost apologetic in telling me that it was an old family remedy to give raw eggs and whisky. I thanked them and thought of black magic and mysticism. After that third time and I had read in an old veterinary book that that was one suggested treatment for Distemper I began to wonder if there could be any scientific reason for there to be anything therapeutic in raw eggs.
Since the chicken egg is one cell it’s the cytoplasm that all cells in man and beast have in common. That substance has to be of great importance but how? As far as my client with his Old English Sheep Dog was concerned I was reluctant to even mention raw eggs and whisky as a treatment. Who wants to be thought of as a, “quack?” I looked at that wonderful puppy and asked if he, the client would consider something that I could not see how it could possibly be of help and he said emphatically he would try anything for his puppy.
That owner became a fantastic booster for the life of that Sheep Dog even offering the dog as a blood downer. After that case I suggested it to three others with equal success about which time limits more discussion. Deep in my heart I have to wonder if raw egg white may have other therapeutic use in our dogs and for that matter for humans, too.
Coming soon: A frustrated good deed. 437 words