Ursidiol for everyone?
Is your dog on ursodiol? Did you know that studies have found that upwards of 2/3 of all dogs have gallbladder sludge on ultrasound? One study found it in 53% of healthy dogs.
Is that normal? Probably not. Do they need to be on a drug for it? 🤷🏻♂️
I feel pretty good treating the majority of these cases with herbs and acupuncture. Especially because it allows me to address the underlying causes and deal with the rest of the animal’s health at the same time.
It’s likely one of many signs that things are headed in the wrong direction. Chinese Medicine recognizes most liver issues as a sign of excess. My new herbal-character approach focuses on constraint and congestion in these types of disease states.
Instead of merely addressing the gallbladder, we would address a chronic congestive/inflammatory pattern that may be present through multiple organs. And even earlier, metabolic issues can predispose an animal to these problems.
This is an example of an issue that can be recognized and addressed at an early stage while bringing attention to a greater imbalance. Alone, it doesn’t necessarily require major intervention. But it can be an important opportunity to look at the whole animal and ask what else may be contributing to it.
Diet is also very important in these types of cases. Everyone whose animals are receiving these treatments will be given access to a class that addresses food and other topics, offered monthly.
In the future, I hope to manage these types of cases with regular brief community acupuncture visits, where I can also get them on appropriate herbs.
Great suggestions