Alternative dog health techniques mean more options for Fido’s well-being
April 18, 2011 • Health & Wellness •
When deciding how to treat your pet with their illness or disease there are a few options to consider. A doctor is there to give advice, but they are deciding the best approach for you and your pet based on their knowledge and experience, and you have to decide what feels right for your pet. Knowing what is available, and what some of the top veterinarian practices are doing to heal pets will help you make your decision.
Alternative methods of medicine in the forms of Homeopathy, Chiropractic care and other coined “natural” approaches to heal both humans and animals is gaining wide acceptance. The skepticism surrounding these practices is fading with the number of success stories and “miracle” cures occurring.
“I’ve seen success with these types of treatments happen too many times to know that alternative medicine works. Other vets have said some dogs will never walk again, and those same dogs have walked out of here after being treated with alternative medicine,” said Dr. Cherie Guidry at Helping Hands Veterinary Clinic in Lynnwood, WA. Helping Hands is a veterinarian practice that implements alternative healing treatments for their patients. “I had one patient that looked very skeptical before a treatment, and then she smiled after the treatment and was excited to see her dog, that was lethargic, now showing the puppy spirit she hadn’t seen in a long time.
“With the cures taking place with alternative medicine, animals are able to have freedom from meds. We can keep these pets off of those medications that may have harmful side affects,” said Dr. Guidry.
Some of the forms of alternative medicine that are making some good headway in the states have been used for thousands of years in eastern cultures. Many western medicine doctors have been trained to use only cover up treatments with medications instead of going to the source of the problem to solve it. “When I was in vet school they didn’t require us to learn alternative healing treatments. Students are trained to use medications,” Dr. Guidry explains. “I had to learn these alternative approaches from CE (continuing education) classes.”
Originally designed for humans, alternative medicine has made its way into pet care. There are many different types of animals that come in for alternative treatments, and the instruments used on each animal are designed appropriately to address an animal’s body none too similar to the human body. Many medical approaches at Helping Hands are administered through several modalities that enable veterinarians to work on a variety of different sized animals.
As alternative medicine makes headway so does the teaching demand. “Now there are vet schools in Florida specifically for acupuncture. Alternative teachings in vet medicine are becoming more prevalent,” said Dr. Guidry.
Alternative medicine is not the cure all. “We want to integrate alternative medicine with conventional treatment. Conventional medicine is not bad, and alternative medicine does not cure disease, but it can help the body deal with disease better. Arthritis is one of the most common ailments we see. We can’t cure arthritis, but with alternative medicine we can increase mobility,” said Dr. Guidry.
The benefits of instituting alternative methods in veterinarian practices are for both pet and pet owner. Helping Hands has several exam rooms similar to modern day vet clinics, but their alternative healing room has a warmer setting with a fountain, plants and a rug in the middle of the room for treatments. This room creates a calm setting for the pets and their owners. The benefit of seeing these miraculous changes in Fido gets one thinking about their own approach to medical treatment for themselves.
My dog Tasha received the biopuncture treatment to reduce the pain in her right shoulder. The limp has abated, and we are waiting to see the long-term effects of this treatment. I have seen alternative medicine in action on my own physical ailments once thought incurable by western medicine completely cured by Ayurveda, which is an ancient Indian practice done with herbs.
The types of cures available are limited only to the human imagination. The proof is in what you experience. Just because a dog has arthritis and just because a doctor says he will never walk again doesn’t make it so. Your determination to heal and help your animal heal can lead you to miracles.
