Author: dthomas

According to the dictionary, the word paradox means….A statement that seems contradictory or absurd but is actually valid or true. Epileptic seizures appear to be the pinnacle of paradox but in actuality there is truth behind the madness. The problem is, that we vets, have not desired to find the truth in the paradox. Until…

I remember years ago when I was in vet school.  We had two large animal clinicians who had been in practice for many years, retired from practice and were hired as clinicians at the vet school.  These two cow-practitioners had a wealth of experience and knowledge.  When a client would back his trailer with a…

I once read a statement that said, “The more you grieve for your deceased pet, the more you loved them.”  If you genuinely feel that this statement is correct, you might not read this blog and move onto something about feeding or not over-vaccinating. Grief is one of the most confusing emotions that humans experience…

The dictionary defines a myth as a widely held but false belief or idea.  Boy do we like to use these in vet medicine.  I know, I used them my self for over twenty years.  Once I started questioning my own myths, I came to realize the absurdity in them and now spend my time…

Nothing shakes us up more than having the veterinarian tell us that our pet has a serious illness.  Immediately, we go into panic mode and our thoughts start racing and our fearful emotions start to flow.  We are so wrapped up in the thoughts and emotions, we are no longer capable of even listening to…

Pancreatitis is a stubborn disease and has been since I started treating it in dogs and cats forty years ago.  It is stubborn because the symptoms are vague and the diagnostic tests for the disease are not exact.  At best, they point towards the pancreas and then leave it up to the doctor to make…

Yunnan Bia Yao (YB) is finally getting its due now that western medicine has started to open its mind about herbal therapy.  Ten years ago, you could not find YB in any veterinary hospitals.  Today it is in all emergency animal hospitals and most general practices.   YB is know for its ability to stop…

I am sure you have heard of the the butterfly effect, also known as the chaos theory.  The butterfly effect is the idea that small, seemingly trivial events may ultimately result in something with much larger consequences – in other words, they have non-linear impacts on very complex systems. For instance, when a butterfly flaps…

Nothing can cause more suffering than trying to make the right decision.  This can be especially difficult when trying to figure out what to do when our pet is diagnosed with a serious disease such as cancer.   Then, the options start appearing.  Should I have the surgery done?  Should I have chemotherapy done?  Should…

As you might already know, acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medical approach for treating health problems.  It is speculated to be somewhere around 3000 years old.  It applies putting stainless steel acupuncture needles into acupuncture points that will have specific benefits for the patient. But, how does acupuncture really work?  According to Johns Hopkins medical…