Dry Eye, Treating with Herbs and TCM Formulas

There are many TCM formulas that help dogs with dry eye, which is also called KCS or keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Dry eye is painful because without wet tears, grit and debris isn’t flushed from the eye. Here are nine formulas that help with  dogs with dry eye or KCS. Your veterinarian will examine your pet’s tongue, pulses, blood & urine tests and medical history to choose the best formula:

1. Nourish the Liver,
2. Supple Spine,
3. Rehmannia Six,
4. Dry Derma Relief,
5. Calm Repose,
6. Free and Easy Wanderer,
7. Blood’s Palace,
8. One Linking Decoction,
9. APR Nourishing.

Nourish the Liver Decoction

Nourish the Liver or Rehmannia & Peony Combination (Bu Gan Tang is ideal for dogs with dry eye or progressive retinal degeneration who may have liver disease, separation anxiety or fear aggression and seborrhoea. Nourish the Liver Decoction is especially helpful for dogs with dry eye who also have muscle tightness, spasms, Scotty cramp,  Wobbler’s disease, or masticatory myositis. Nourish the Liver helps dogs with itching skin (pruritus), seborrhea, or alopecia. It helps dogs with dry eye who also have petit mal seizures.

 

Supple Spine

Supple Spine or Angelica & Loranthus Decoction (Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang) is beneficial for senior dogs with dry eye who are weak, cold intolerant, and may have nerve problems such as numbness and tingling.  Supple Spine also helps dogs with dry eye who have degenerative myelopathy, disc disease, osteoarthritis or stiff backs. Supple spine helps dogs with dry eye who have kidney disease with increased drinking and urination or PUPD.

 

Rehmannia Six

Rehmannia Six or Six Flavor Rehmannia ( Liu Wei Di Huang Wan) benefits  dogs with dry eye  that may also have chronic kidney disease, endocrine or immune disease: Addison’s disease, diabetes, or  Cushing’s disease.  Rehmannia Six helps dogs with dry eye who have skin problems from powdery dander to oily seborrhea. Rehmannia Six helps senior dogs who are restless or dogs with chronic immune diseases.

 

Dry Derma Relief

Dry Derma Relief or Four Materials Eliminate Wind Beverage  (Si Wu Xiao Feng Yin) benefits dogs with dry eye who also have chronic allergies, hot spots, rashes, ear infections (otitis externa), demodex. Dry Derma Relief helps dogs with dry eye that are anxious or have behaviour problems with territoriality , noise sensitivity or separation anxiety.

 

Calm Repose

Calm Repose or Gastrodia and Uncaria (Tian Ma Gou Teng Yin) helps dogs with many eye problems: dry eye, blurred vision, detached retina, glaucoma and conjunctivitis. Calm Repose is especially helpful for dogs with dry eye who have seizures or  epilepsy. Calm Repose also helps dogs with tinnitus, acute hearing loss,  muscle spasms, or tremors.

 

Rambling Ease

Rambling Ease or Free & Easy Wanderer (Xiao Yao San) helps dogs with dry eye who also have liver problems including cirrhosis and elevated liver enzymes. Rambling Ease is helpful for allergic dogs with dry eye who have itchy skin or demodex. Rambling Ease helps dogs with anorexia, inflammatory bowel disease, elevated cholesterol and hypothyroidism. Rambling Ease also helps dogs with  headaches, all too often overlooked when we assess our pets.

 

Blood's Palace

Blood’s Palace or Persica & Achyranthis (Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang) benefits dogs with dry eye who also have cancer or heart disease. These dogs may have mast cell tumors, hemangiosarcoma, lung cancer or adenocarcinoma. They may have chronic heart failure, or myocarditis. Blood’s Palace also helps dogs with dry eye who have behaviour problems including obsessive compulsive disorder, mood swings, timidity, anxiety, and noise sensitivity. These dogs may also have chronic cough or acute onset of kennel cough. Blood’s Palace helps dogs with  dry eye and skin disease including seborrhea and pyoderma. Blood’s Palace helps dogs with pain from headaches to neck pain, including cervical spondylomyelopathy (Wobbler’s disease). Blood’s Palace also helps with acute  musculoskeletal pain and trauma.

 

One Linking Decoction

One Linking Decoction or Glehnia and Rehmannia (Yi Guan Jian) helps dogs with dry eye who have behaviour problems including fear aggression and separation anxiety or timidity. One Linking Decoction helps dogs with dry eye who also  have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colic, ulcers, gastritis, pancreatitis, halitosis, nausea & vomiting, burping and the tendency to eat grass. Dogs with dry eye who have allergic dermatitis with itching or have hind end weakness also benefit from One Linking Decoction.

 

APR Nourishing

APR Nourishing or Eight Flavor Tea Pills (Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan) is especially beneficial for senior dogs with dry eye. APR Nourishing helps geriatric dogs with dry eye who have insomnia, restlessness, or fatigue. APR Nourishing helps dogs with backache, numbness and tingling in the limbs and diabetic neuropathy.

 Because herbal formulas are powerful medications that have been balanced to help prevent possibility of side effects, but they are not without potential dangers. That’s why it’s essential to work with your holistic veterinarian to select the best TCM formula for your pet. We want your dog’s eyes to be as moist and healthy as his whole body is when swimming in our heated salt water pool.