Alternative Veterinarian & Medicine

[black_paws]

Recently a local vet has opened her own “alternative”practice nearby.
She practices Acupuncture, Chiropractic, Herbal Therapies, etc.
I have always been intrigued by this form of health care,for dogs and humans.
I debated for weeks as to inquire or not at this stage of the game for my oldest who just turned 12 on July 8 and has dealt with arthritis, disc problems, and more recently hind end weakness.
I would spend to the moon and back for my fur-babies, but ultimately it comes to quality of life. Some days are worse than others, especially with the weather here in NY. In addition we are limited to what we can use for pain management because we had negative results with Rimadyl (so noNSAIDS), which is leading me done this path of at least trying.

Guess I’m kind of wondering what others feedback is.
I know each case is individual, but I like to know what experiences were had.
Have you tried it, did it seem to work?
What was the ailment? And what methods were used?
How frequently were the visits?

Our first appointment is Monday.
Thanks!
Briana

[3ChocMom]

I think it's definitely worth a shot! My dogs have been seeing a holistic vet for about a year and a half now. Brandy goes every 6-8 weeks. Originally, she had a skin condition that my regular vet couldn't get under control. She had these weird flaky, itchy spots all over her body that made her scratch and itch like crazy. My holistic vet put her on a couple of herbal and homeopathic remedies and she's been itch-free and clear skin ever since. She also has HD, but is asymptomatic, so we just control inflammation with diet and supplements.

There are several different methods, but be prepared for food therapy, which will require a change in diet. Holistic vets tend to spend more time with you than a regular vet and you should tell them your dog's entire health history, not just the ailment you are there for, so they can get an entire picture. I now feed a half kibble, half home cooked diet and I can't even describe the difference it made in Brandy to add fresh foods to her diet. It was remarkable. Brandy gets a procedure called autosanguineous therapy. They take a small amount of her blood and mix it with different homeopathies, then re-inject it back into her at different acupressure points. The thought is that her own blood will help it work better for her. She also gets a chiro adjustment if she needs it. She has had acupuncture a couple of times before, but I never noticed much of a difference with that. They also make a custom homotox for her, actually 2 most of the time. It's just spring water mixed with homeopathic remedies that I give her 3x per day, just a few drops squirted into her mouth. Good luck, I think you will be pleased with the results!

[dogmom]

I worked for about 11 years as a CVT for a Veterinarian who practiced allopathic medicine as well as homeopathic medicine. She was the first Veterinarian in the state to be licensed in acupuncture and Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation (VOM), she knew more about herbs, oils, and homeopathic remedies than anyone in the state. I did the preliminary phone evaluations then scheduled the actual visit and time required. Most initial visits were scheduled for 90 minutes. A few shorter, some longer, depending on the pets needs.

We met this Vet because we had a GSD with severe hip dysplasia and took him to her for pain relief. Became friends, then went to work for her.

I can tell you she accomplished some amazing things. Gave animals tremendous relief, from pain, allergies, asthma, etc. But it is not for every pet nor every owner. She would also recommend allopathic meds for some and was very clear that not all could be helped and that it could take a few visits/treatments before any progress may be noted. 12 years ago, the initial 90 minute appointment was $100. for the consult with additional costs for acupuncture, VOM, etc. After the initial visit, the charges were only for the treatments.

I hope you have found a great alternative medicine Vet that can give your furkid some relief.

[Snowshoe]

I worked for big pharma, I believe in western medicine, controlled double blind studies, Govt. approvals, all that stuff. I don't doubt folks who claimed success with homeopathy, acupuncture, cooling foods, hot foods, 11 secret herbs and spices but my thought was they believed it would work so there was a greater chance it would.

Western medicine has not helped Oban one bit. We went to a holistic Vet nearby who did acupuncture, changed his diet, gave - no, sold us the 11 secret herbs and spices, two concoctions so 22 different herbs and spices and he is better and continuing to get better. Once we get clear of this IBD (Oban lost over 20% of his body weight) we will consult with her on his limping and his allergies. I know someone who saw her for allergies and got no good results but now that we have had improvement in one area we will try another.

If you think it's worth a try the caution is you will likely have to quit some things you are already doing. For us nothing was helping so no big deal to quit, and she did endorse a few things. By the time we went to her I was well past doubt and into desperation, and it seems to work anyway. Good luck.

[BogeyBaby]

I would go for it. At your dog's age he doesn't need any more vaccinations and if you want to stay away from NSAIDs then holistic is the way to go. I wish I had that alternative here.

[Kain's Mommy]

It's worth a try!

[kimbersmom]

I debated for weeks as to inquire or not at this stage of the game for my oldest who just turned 12 on July 8 and has dealt with arthritis, disc problems, and more recently hind end weakness.

Back in June, 2012, my 7-year-old Lab Kimber had a traumatic spinal injury resulting in her being completely paralyzed in her back end. As soon as she was released from the hospital, we tried every alternative and Western treatment suggested by our rehab vet: Tramadol, rehab exercises every hour, laser therapy, acupuncture, and water therapy. She recovered very well, but I can't isolate which treatment did the trick (aside from water therapy. Swimming helped her immensely.)

One nagging problem was that her back left hip was hiked up. You could visibly see it on her. The vet and I tried more passive exercises, but six months from the injury, it hadn't budged. The vet suggested taking her to see the doggie chiropractor, who was 1.5 hours away. My husband rolled his eyes so hard he nearly fell over, but undeterred, I took Kimber. Dr. M adjusted Kimber and at first, it just seemed like a long car ride for nothing. But the next day, Kimber's hip hike was gone. Her hip was back where it should be. DH happily ate his eyeroll. I take Kimber for an adjustment once a month and if I miss a month, her walking gets more irregular.

It's not all rainbows and unicorns, though. Dr. M prescribed a Chinese herbal pill that made Kimber terribly sick to her stomach. It took a good week of chicken and rice and yogurt and probiotics to get her back to normal- and she normally has an iron stomach.

Due to Kimber's success, our friend took her elderly dog with weak end problems to Dr. M but didn't see much effect following the chiro.

I recommend video recording your dog before the treatment and then after so you can have a record of improvement.

[Adirondack Labs]

I have seen TCM work with two different dogs, first our Ben and now Maddie.

Ben had degenerative myelopathy and was slowly weakening his hind end; he had larangyl paralysis and (unbenownst to us) liver cancer. He started going to a holistic vet when he was 14. The difference for Ben was night and day. His gait was better, his appetite was good and he was happy. All in all, he had one bad day before crossing the Bridge a month past his 16th birthday. Then it was Maddie's turn. After we lost Ben, she started to slide downhill. She also had hind end weakness, with the suspicion of DM. She went to the same vet (who also practiced Western med when he felt it was complimentary) and she went from slinking around the house with her back legs collapsing to running around the yard. Of course now, two years later at 14.5, she is beginning to slow down and the herbs are having less of an effect, but she's still happy and still wants to go.

We can't put off the inevitable, but we can give them a good quality of life as long as we can.

You will likely be asked to change diet. It worked wonders with Ben (who was on fully homecooked for the last 1.5 years); Maddie has turned her nose up at homecooked and prefers kibble. But we do follow the food therapies for hot/cold foods.

If you're just looking into it, I would recommend two books about TCM: "Four Paws, Five Directions: A Guide to Chinese Medicine for Cats and Dogs [Cheryl Schwartz, Mark Ed. Schwartz]" and "The Well-Connected Dog: A Guide to Canine Acupressure [Amy Snow, Nancy Zidonis, Carla Stroh" You can find both on Amazon. Both our holistic vets have also encouraged me to do acupressure treatments in between acupuncture appointments.

Best of luck!
paula

[black_paws]

I am blessed each and every day I get to spend with Ruby. Not to say that Emmy and Keenedon’t compare, but Ruby holds a very special place in both our hearts. She was our first (and we weren’t even looking), she has seen us through a lot of “down” times, and she has definitelygiven us a run for our money at other times.

She experienced Lyme Disease at 6 months old (just after we got her), then was “kinda of” diagnosed with IVDD (Intervertebral disc disease)at age 7, and then we almost lost her this February to negative results from Rimydal (liver values of 1200+).

I am realistic with the outcome that can be produced. I’m definitely not expecting Ruby to exit the office and start doing “zoomies” again, although it would be a good laugh. I can’t reverse the effects of age (i.e.-muscle tone, arthritis), but I do want to make her comfortable. When she lays on the floor moaning and groaning,and repositioning, it speaks to me that she is uncomfortable and that the Gabapentin (what we use instead of Rimadyl) isn’t working or at least not enough. But she eats normal, potties normal, and does have the occasional perky moment when I ask if she wants to see the chickens ( we have 6) or go for a ride.

Our only challenge with the food change is that we are afamily of 3 dogs, ages 12, 9 ½, and 1 ½. The simpler that stays, the better, since we already have 2 different foods (one is grain-free) in the house. In addition, my husband gets to feed them since I’m a shift worker and never around at those times.

The initial visit is 90 minutes and cost $180, which includes evaluation and treatment. Subsequent visits are $100.

I too have an eye-roller for a husband. When I informed him about this next venture, he just kind of shrugged it off, thinking I was on one of my trips again. Considering I pay for the food, prescriptions and the vet care he really has no say from the financial aspect, but I do consider his input otherwise.

[doubledip1]

My horse has Cushing's disease and I treat him entirely holistically. I don't medicate him. If it's a medication I can't touch with my bare hands, you can bet your bottom dollar none of my kids are taking it. Some things I treat holistically, some things I go right to medication (infections). I like antibiotics. I think sometimes you need big pharma. I think sometimes holistic treatments are the way to go.

I would totally go to the holistic vet. Can't hurt anything!

Where in NY are you? I know of some great holistic vets.