As a pet caretaker, you have likely experienced having a pet that needed fluid therapy.  It is a common method of treatment in veterinary and human medicine, and can be a life-saving protocol, but few lay people know what it is all about.  Fluid therapy is the method used to give a type of solution into the pet for various reasons.  The fluid can be given intravenous, subcutaneous and intra-abdominal.  The method given is often determined by how quickly the fluids are needed by the patient. The most common reason for giving fluid therapy is to normalize blood flow throughout

Not a week goes by without talking to a client who is dealing with a pet with persistent or recurring urinary tract infections (UTIs).  It is one of the most common problems that we see in both dogs and cats.  Unfortunately, most vets have gotten into a conditioned pattern to place the pet on a couple of weeks of antibiotics, which usually resolves the problem, until the next occurrence of the problem.  This is not in the best interest of the pet. Let’s take a look at the anatomy of the urinary tract which will help us understand a bit

When I schedule a phone consultation with a pet caretaker, I have them fill out a client questionnaire.  One of the questions I ask is “What do you hope to gain from this consultation?”  Most of the time, I get responses saying that they want advice regarding their pet’s health, resolving their pet’s illness, wanting to give their pet the best quality of life or how to make them comfortable.  I recently had a client respond by saying, I want peace of mind knowing that I made the right choices for my pet.   If we really look closely at

This is the second part of a two-part series about diabetes in dogs and cats.  In the first part, I discussed diabetes as a disease and how it happens.  In this part, I will discuss how it is treated and how it can be prevented. The Big Picture First.  Genetics plays a very minor role in diabetes as suggested by research done over the last decade using families that were genetically-predisposed to diabetes.  They found that these families who adopted children, the adopted children had the same high incidence of diabetes of those that were genetically related.  We know now

  This is the first part of a two-part article discussing diabetes in dogs and cats.  The first part will discuss the disease, the two types of the disease and what causes it.  In the second part, I will discuss how it is treated from a holistic perspective and what can be done to prevent it. Part One In the US there is an epidemic of diabetes and pets.  Let’s take a look at this disease, get an idea as to what causes it, how it is treated and what can be done to prevent it.  This is obviously my

Quantum physics tells us that everything in our universe is energy.  The stars, suns, planets, inhabitants and the space between them are all energy.  Some energy is more dense than others and it forms matter, while others are more subtle; thoughts, emotions, feelings and so on.   The basic structure of energy is a wave, often referred to as a sine wave, with a crest and a trough.  The trough is nothing more than the crest turned upside down.  As energy manipulates its waves, it creates new things, each unique from the other.  We have all seen pictures of waves

There once was a young man who was interested in automobiles.  He loved to drive them and tinker with their engines.  He decided that it was his calling to be an auto mechanic.  The young man lived in a small town where there was only one mechanic who provided auto repair for the people.   The young man walked into the small auto shop and found the older mechanic with his head under the hood of a car.  The young fellow explained to the older mechanic that he desired to be an auto mechanic and wondered if he would be

I was at the symphony a while back and I was watching the members of the orchestra warming up before they began.  There was a mixture of sounds coming from the different instruments as they practiced.  Then, the maestro came onto the stage and under her direction, all the pieces of music came together to form a wonderful harmonious sound.  It was no longer the sound of the flute, the violin, the cello, the trumpet, the bass and the piano.  It was one sound created by the harmony, different than all the rest. This is how harmony works and all

Winter months can bring so much enjoyment, but for pets, they can often bring unwanted problems.  Most people these days keep their pets indoors but many neighbors do otherwise.  Helping protect them is also our duty as responsible pet caretakers.  Here are a few things we need to be careful with during the winter season. Fan belt injuries.  My neighbor has three cats that live outdoors and roam around the neighborhood.  I often see their tracks in the snow on my driveway.  Outside cats are always looking for places to get warm, both at night and during the day.  The

I remember seeing an old cartoon years ago.  It was an illustration of a man talking to his dog.  The first cartoon states, What the man says; “I am going to the store Spot.  See you in a while.”  The next part of the cartoon states; What the dog hears:  Blah, blah, blah, blah, going, blah, blah, blah, Spot, blah, blah.  Actually, that is pretty much the truth. I get tickled when I read articles about what a pet thinks in this situation or that situation.  I remember one that was titled, “What Your Pet Thinks About While You are

The thyroid glands are two separate glands found in the neck area, on either side of the trachea.  They are not usually palpable unless they are enlarged.  The primary function of the thyroid glands is to produce thyroid hormones that help help regulate the body metabolism, also known as basal metabolic rate. If you remember in older cars, there was an instrument called a regulator.  It kept the engine from idling too fast or too slow.  This is similar to what the thyroid gland does.  When the body is revving up, the thyroid gland will slow it down.  When the

One thing that I always tell my clients is that the experience that they are having with their pet’s illness is an experience that will benefit themselves if they are open to it.  I say, “If it wasn’t for you, the lady across the street would be dealing with it.” Everything in your life is in a relationship with you.  Whether it is your pet, your spouse, your home, even your computer is in a relationship with you.  You wake up in the morning and you have a relationship with the day and everything that happens during that day.  So,

As a holistic veterinarian it is my job to look beyond the clinical symptoms in order to find the underlying causes for our pet’s health problems.  This is done by digging deeper, looking closer and connecting the dots.  If something doesn’t make sense, then I look even deeper to find out what is missing. I was working with a lady on a phone consultation who had a very sick cat.  Her cat had four major diseases and were being treated by several vets for each of the problems.  Her cat continued to get worse. I have found with many chronic

In the first part of this article, I discussed canine cognitive disease and its similarity to Alzheimer’s disease in people.  You saw that using the latest research by renowned brain specialist, we can use their findings to extrapolate the potential causes, treatment and prevention for this degenerative disease of the brain and peripheral nervous system.  I listed the most common potential factors that will bring out this disease. If we look at this list, and again work backwards, we can start to connect the dots and get an idea as to how this degenerative condition may have occurred.  Inflammation, as

This is the first in a two part series about Canine Cognitive Dysfunction.  Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD) has been recognized in dogs for many years, but like many idiopathic diseases (unknown cause), there has been little information gained as to the cause, treatment or prevention.  Due to the increasing number of dogs reaching their life expectancy, the incidence of this degenerative disease is on the rise. CCD is often referred to as doggy dementia, but in actuality, the two are not the same.  From the perspective of clinical symptoms and the fact that both are idiopathic, it is easy to

What causes illness?  This should be the primary question that all health care is based on.  So, let’s make this really simple.  Illness is caused by toxins.  What is a toxin?  Anything that is not good for the individual. Everything that you or your pet is exposed to is either good for you or not good for you.  Whether it is the food, water, supplements, drugs, environmental toxins or energy in the household, it can be classified into one of these two categories. Let’s look at food and see how it can be good or bad for you.  If you

Have you ever watched a small child playing with its toy, trying to put a round peg in a square hole?  There is usually a display of interest, then frustration and maybe anger.  In time, the child, due to frustration, quits. I see this tendency often in conventional pet health care.  The doctors try everyday possible to put that round peg in a square hole, searching for a new method or a new angle, but in the end, it just won’t work.  Unfortunately, for health care, giving up usually means letting the pet go. When we take a close look

As a holistic vet, most of the people that I consult with are stuck in the middle of making a decision.  Imagine this situation, one that I see and hear a lot.  You have a sick pet and you take it to the vet.  The vet does her thing and comes up with a tentative diagnosis and refers you to a specialist.  You take your pet to the specialist, she does her further-diagnostic thing, and then meets you in the consulting room. “Your pet has lymphoma (or any other type of cancer).  The only treatment option that we have is

I was consulting with a lady whose vet had given her dog an injection of ProHeart 12. This is an injectable parasiticide for preventing heartworms. Shortly after the injection was given, the dog started having nervous ticks and twitching and later developed grand-mal seizures. I did a little research on the drug and found that it had a FastLink approval of the FDA, meaning that it has not had enough clinical research to grant its final approval. What it really means is that Zoetis, the manufacturer has enough political power to get this temporary approval and allow the vets in

I Think, Therefore I Am “Ego cogito, ergo sum” … Rene Descartes Most of us have heard the statement, “I think, therefore I am,” by Rene Descartes, the French scientist and philosopher.  The time was the 1600s and it was a great time for thinking and understanding.  What made this philosophical quote one for the ages is the fact that many people still debate what it actually means. Recognizing the mindset of people during Descartes life, most people dealt with life with an attitude of “Just the facts, ma’am.”  Based on the human senses, beliefs were pretty limited and simple.