Our four year old Rottweiler has SLE (sytemic lupus) and the prednisone is no longer helping. All lymph nodes are enlarged, the ones in her neck almost big enough to hold in your hand. High does of pred isn't taking them down and swelling seems to be moving into her mouth area and she is drooling from time to time. Although her appetite is good and she is going to the bathroom normally, she has horrible gas and while I can't say for sure, that must cause her some pain. I will not put her through cancer drug treatment.

I am searching for something, anything that might help along the lines of a herbal or natural remedy...even just enough to keep her comfortable for awhile longer.

(Vet says she doesn't know enough about herbs to recommend anything herself but says anything is worth a try at this point. She is trying to get in touch with a specialist to discuss our case.)

Have you considered switching from kibble to raw?
Are you feeding probiotics?
Are you supplementing with Salmon Oil and E? Kelp?

What I'm getting at is, has everything been done to support the dog's immune system and ensure the dog has every opportunity to heal itself?

You are keeping her out of the sun, yes?

No, have not switched her from kibble to raw. Seriously considered it, have wanted to for years, but she has always had a very sensitive stomach (as in: a cracker given as a treat will upset her tummy) so while she's been sick I didn't want to stress her out with a diet change. If we get her to the point of 'somewhat healthy' and able to handle the change I do plan on feeding raw.

I tried a probiotic yogurt and a product you sprinkle over their food...neither helped. I still give her a few tablespoons of yogurt because, well, she likes it.

Kelp upset her stomach. Badly. I do give the dogs a cod liver oil capsule every day. Is that adequate? Or not good? Or what? Please help.

Yes, she is kept out of the sun...what sun there is. This is Northern Alberta and we've had snow three nights in a row now. Enough to push a person right off the deep end.

I can't say if we're doing all we can because I don't know what that is. But we are trying and we are doing all the vets have told us to do. Not that THAT means much most of the time but our new vet seems open to 'alternative' alternatives whereas the last vet was not so maybe this is the corner we need to turn.

I should clarify that the vet is trying to contact a traditional veterinary medicine specialist, NOT a natural health specialist. She said she would help me sort through whatever I find--information from a herbalist, natural vet--but she would seek advice from a specialist in her field.

Cod liver oil is not the ideal fish oil to give.
Ideally a fish BODY oil is preferred. Salmon oil is the best, provided the dog doesn't have a fish allergy (since cod liver oil has been consumed without incident, I would wager not.)

My concern about the kibble is that it may well be causing, or exacerbating the health issues you are seeing- ESPECIALLY the digestive upset. A dog whose system is overwhelmed by kibble may well be incapable of handling a treat.

Looking at the ingredients of Acana Light & Fit (is that still what you are feeding?), the food contains Kelp.

If the dog has a Kelp intolerance (as evidenced by the stomach upset from straight kelp you described) the food may be causing her issues.

In fact, looking at the overall ingredients, while this appears to be a very high quality food (I'd probably recommend it, in fact), it may not be the right food for THIS dog, due to a very high ratio of "green" substance.

 Quote: Alyssa Myracle

Cod liver oil is not the ideal fish oil to give.
Ideally a fish BODY oil is preferred. Salmon oil is the best, provided the dog doesn't have a fish allergy (since cod liver oil has been consumed without incident, I would wager not.) ...

Yes, you want to get body (not liver) oil, and then give the correct amount. How much does the dog weigh?

Also, you want to give E with fish oil.

When I say "green" susbstance, I mean this:

 Quote: Acana Light&Fit ingredients

turnip greens, cranberries, Saskatoon berries, organic sea vegetables (kelp, bladderwrack,
dulse), burdock root, marshmallow root, juniper berries, fenugreek, sweet fennel, angelica root, sea buckthorn, chicory root, stinging nettle, red raspberry leaf, milk thistle, peppermint leaf, marigold flowers, chamomile flowers

Point taken about the kibble. I fear upsetting her system even more than it already is. The second her diet changes she gets diarrhea, then dehydrated. In her condition I honestly think she might not recover from it. If I do find a local herbalist or a natural vet willing to take us on I will discuss the risks with him...at this point I would feel better leaving her on the kibble. I don't want to...but I also don't want to overwhelm her.

I will get some salmon oil on our next trip to town. Is the cod liver oil a big no-no and I should stop it immediately?

Speak of the devil--she's lying at my feet and her tummy is making some unhappy noises. She's been relatively 'fine' on the Pred up until now...apart from the gas anyhow, she hasn't had any runny stools (apart from when we first started them last fall) but the high dose she's on now is taking it's toll.

I'm curious, have you considered that the diarrhea, flatulance, stomach discomfort, etc could be symptoms of the cod liver oil?
Do the symptoms stop if you remove the cod liver oil from the diet?

We switched her from the Acana in early winter (I believe) because we thought a 'formula change' might be causing the gas. I called the company and they had upped the protein levels. The only thing available (we were visiting a small town for a few weeks and literally the ONLY food apart from Mainstay and Pedigree) was Iams Healthy...something, I'll have to check the bag...for Large Breed Dogs. The gas was so bad we had to try something (imagine a toddler, not even old enough to talk, scrunching up her face and crawling as fast as she could to the other room, ha ha...the adults scattered a second later and the room took an hour to air out). The gas did not improve even after her system had settled down from the food change. At all. Since we'd already made the switch I figured we'd might as well keep her on it since her stools are firm, coat remarkably healthy for such a sick dog but I would like to get her back on the Acana if we have to keep her on kibble since we now know it didn't cause the gas. (Also tried Succralfate and Gastri-Calm...no change to speak off.)

We swore by the Acana up until she got sick and we thought it was causing the gas. She was on it since puppyhood (puppy, then large breed adult, then adult, then light and fit). She was the picture of health. Her coat basically reflected the sun, ha ha, her muscles were strong, she was lean, she had plenty of energy, her stools were firm. She has had the sensitve tummy from puppyhood but little to no gas, ever. So, do you think despite the fact the kelp didn't bother her before her illness, but did after we started the Pred, if we shouldn't try this food again?

She weighs 108 pounds according to the vet scale last Wednesday. Down from 118 pounds a month previous. And no, we don't overfeed, ha ha. She gets LESS than the daily recommended amount. The Pred is causing her to gain like a body builder. Vet wants us to switch her to a light food so she can eat more, not gain but feel full. She'll eat ANYTHING, she's always hungry, poor thing. I give her boiled rice by the cupful in between her three meals to help fend off hunger.

What amounts of supplements do you recommend then, according to her weight?