I’m honored and excited to be here to answer all of your natural and holistic veterinary care questions! Many of the readers of this magazine have already adopted a holistic lifestyle. You might have even seen the voluminous and expanding research that living more naturally promotes a longer and happier life.
Susan from Wilton writes: “Henry, our 9 year old Golden retriever, just had his semi-annual wellness appointment. He has always been on the lean side. The doc found that Henry had lost 5 pounds in the past 6 months. Henry has also been drinking more water in the past few months. Our veterinarian is recommending further tests to see what is going on. We treat our family holistically and naturally and probably would not use any strong drugs to treat Henry. What do you think we should do?”
Wow, I love this question Susan! I hear it frequently and hopefully can help you decide what to do. In general, making medical decisions has two parts…the diagnostic and therapeutic. Your vet will start by figuring out if there is a problem and if so, what it is. This is where the history and examination inform her decision about which tests to run. For Henry, a basic senior screen might be a great place to start this inquiry. Other non-invasive tests like radiographs (x-rays), ultrasound, etc. may then be needed to pin down a definitive diagnosis. Now comes the second and all important treatment decision phase. What do you do with this information? It’s at this point that knowing your holistic and natural therapeutic options are most critical (IMHO)! If your regular veterinarian knows about them in addition to the conventional ones, then you can discuss everything at once. If not, I strongly advise you to consult a trained integrative vet before opting to treat Henry with any strong drugs or surgery. You can find certified vet homeopaths at: http://bit.ly/1fSLvtE, certified vet chiropractors at: http://bit.ly/1OosCNR and certified veterinary acupuncturists at: http://bit.ly/1QNVZdX Bottom line? Go for the initial diagnostics then decide where to go from there. Feel free to send me any follow-up questions.
June in Redding worries: “My 16 year old kitty had to go to the ER because he suddenly started breathing fast. They’re advising tests that cost over $1,000 and I just can’t afford it. I love my cat but what can I do?
Hi June. I’m so sorry to hear about your kitty. You have a few options to help him. First is to see if his breathing can be stabilized empirically. Meaning without the treatment guided by a definitive diagnosis and expensive tests. If not, consider looking for financial help from a local animal welfare group such as http://bit.ly/1XBBqAD. You can also find many other resources by searching online and through the Humane Society.
Steve in Newtown says: “I have a new puppy and want to do everything possible for his health care.
Fantastic Steve! Congratulations on your new family member. Now is absolutely the best time to practice proactive prevention. You can start with the overview article at http://bit.ly/16q9QT5 and find lots of other useful tips at http://bit.ly/1NqLj3x. Also, take a look at my advice (below) to Joan from Augusta.
Joan from Augusta ME wonders: “I’ve been considering a pet insurance policy for my new rescue pup. She’s about 1 year old and seems healthy but I was taking my last dog had to the vet and ER all the time.
By all means Joan. I am a huge advocate for taking out pet insurance policies. They can dramatically reduce veterinary expenses. One trip to the ER alone can cost thousands of dollars. I’d especially consider a wellness policy which will cover most vet visits, training, supplements, etc. I’m most familiar with Embrace’s wellness policy. It seems to cover just about everything (up to 80%). By all means give them a call to discuss or use this link to investigate further and get a 10% discount: http://bit.ly/1MZGKZv.
For many other answers and to join Dr. Jeff’s holistic pet care community at: http://bit.ly/1LCbIGo.
More of your questions are answered at: http://bit.ly/1LHfVqX.
Dr. Jeff is a University of Pennsylvania 1981 molecular biology and 1985 school of vet med graduate. In 1982 he was chosen to be a University Scholar. This allowed him to choose any of the university’s graduate or medical schools. Being a lifelong animal lover, he chose to become the first veterinary University Scholar. By 2000 he became the first certified veterinary homeopath (CVH) in Connecticut. He is a past Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy (AVH) president and is the current president of the non-profit AVH Foundation. Dr Jeff’s clinical practice currently focuses on both prevention and treatment of serious diseases in dogs and cats. Dr. Jeff can be reached at: drjeff@certifiedvethomeopath.com.