Since my "conventional" vet only recommended Rimadyl and Chondroitin/Glucosomine for Nikki's limp, I decided to try a holistic vet. As Black Labbies recommended, I specifically wanted to get a recommended dosage for MSM, since I don't believe my conventional vet knows much about it. Also, Nikki was on Glucosomine/Condrotin and Ester C for months and then Cosequin DS for 4 weeks and both did squat.

Well, at this new vet, we got an hour infomercial on diet which basically can be summed up as, in his view, ALL kibble is bad. He went on to say, if you're going to feed it, you might as well just pick a "pretty package." I told him that I noticed a big difference in Nikki's weight, coat, etc when I switched from Diamond to Chicken Soup and he just scoffed. He recommended a diet of farm-raised rabbit (the whole thing) that he just happened to sell frozen. He went on to say the raw diets based on foods sold for humans (chicken and such) are not feed proper nutrician so they're no good either.

He was critical of the x-rays I provided him from my other vet, but I'll save that part about the hip dysplacia for the General Health forum.

It was very upsetting and he painted a much direr picture than my other vet had told us. He also said she looked "much older" than her age and that her PH balance was off. He recommended getting some alkalizer kit from a health food store and giving her recommended minerals to get her PH in balance.

Afterwards, I thought of all the stuff I shoulda said, and woulda walked out, but was just too blown away and was hoping by the end of all of this, that he would have something that could help her leg. He did take blood to test for Lymes, somethiing my vet didn't do because she thought it highly unlikely Nikki had Lymes.

In closing, please don't reply if your going to be insulting to me and/or say stuff like, "I wouldn't have put up with that", etc. I don't do well with superior, tough-talk replies. I am just trying to help my dog, do not have much experience with dogs and am looking for alternatives to Rimadyl.

That's too bad that your experience was negative. Thankfully all Holistic vets aren't the same, neither are our dogs. And not all holistic vets are anit-kibble either.
He recommended getting some alkalizer kit from a health food store and giving her recommended minerals to get her PH in balance.
Did he recommend which minerals Nikki should be taking?
How did he determine that her pH was off?

When do you get the results back on the blood tests?

Lymes' test: I expect to hear back on the blood work by mid-week.

Ph Balance: He used some of her salivia on a strip and checked the color with the chart that supposedly shows if your too alkaline or too acid. I think he said she was too acid.

He also said she had a very low tolerance of pain, 'cause she growled when he was poking around on her bad leg. Well, I wouldv'e too. She never whines, winces or growls at home and like, I said before, once she's up and about she seems fine. Loves swimming, energectic, etc.

My limited experience with a holistic vet has been much different. She was familiar with everything my tratitional vet had recommended and supportive of everything the traditional vet had suggested. The holistic vet simply offered alternative views and solutions that she felt were better.

I think it's very important for all holistic vets to have a strong foundation based on traditional medicine. After builing that foundation, they can seek to broaden their knowledge and find 'better' solutions and methods to add value to the traditional methods. I'm sure sometimes traditional is better and want someone who will know what type of treatments are best.

I had a 13 year chow with pretty severe hip pain....at the end stages he was really having trouble getting up and his hind legs would be stiff.

I have absolutely no experience with holistic ANYTHING. The best thing we did was put him on Chondroitin/Glucosomine and eventually Rimadyl. After some time he didn't tollerate Rimadyl and we switched to Aleve for a few months.

There is a lot of good info on the web on various alternatives, but in the end you really don't have many choices....good luck.