Conscious Choice: Alternative Healthcare for Pets

October 2001

Alternative Healthcare for Pets

It's getting easier to find and closer to home

by Sheri Wallace and Leanne Ely

Health conscious pet owners who consider alternative therapies for their own health and wellbeing once were forced to look long and hard for alternative care for Fido. However, the popularity of alternative medicine has started to cross over into the veterinary world, and alternative care might be closer than you think. What kind of treatment is right for your animal friends — and how do you find a skilled provider?

Chiropractors for pets?

One of the most popular examples of alternative therapies is chiropractic treatments for animals. Chiropractic care is most common among equine, canine, and feline pets, and has a proven track record for helping with a variety of ailments. For those three types of animals, chiropractic care is most helpful for joints, muscles, and nerves, although not limited to that particular scope. For horses, anything from refusing to pick up a lead and cinchy behavior could indicate the need for chiropractic care. For dogs, sudden changes in personality to difficulty going up or downstairs could be the sign of a chiropractic need. Cats aren’t much different — if you notice a weakness in one of your cat’s jumping legs or loss in flexibility, this could be indicative that your kitty needs tending to by a chiropractor.

Daniel Kamen, D.C., a foremost authority and practitioner of chiropractic care for animals has written three books, The Well-Adjusted Horse, The Well-Adjusted Dog, and The Well-Adjusted Cat (Brookline Books). In Kamen’s opinion, chiropractic care should not be reserved for just the homo sapiens among us. Says Kamen, "Chiropractic manipulation restores normal joint function, thus reducing stress on related soft tissue structures such as nerves, muscles, and ligaments. Compare this to muscle relaxers and painkillers [which], while sometimes necessary, mostly mask symptoms without treating the cause."

Kamen states that chiropractors in the U.S. represent the second largest primary healthcare profession, next to medical doctors. There are about 55,000 practicing chiropractors in the United States, providing enough practitioners to give the informed healthcare consumer a choice. He adds that without chiropractors, people and animals would be more dependent on drugs to heal their ills.

Foot massage for a horse?

Another beneficial form of treatment for animals is massage, particularly for horses that are involved in sports. The same benefits humans enjoy from a good rub down are imparted to the animal when it is given this type of therapy — enhanced muscle tone, reduced inflammation, promotion of healing, and stimulated circulation. Mary Schreiber, a certified massage therapist and avid horse lover, noticed that her horses did much better at shows after she massaged them. Because of her own results, Schreiber began offering her services to other horse enthusiasts and the word spread like wildfire. The result of this grand experiment is her Equissage training facility in Round Hill, Virginia where she trains others in this healing art. Schreiber’s Web site boasts amazing testimonials from all over the country. Dee Schreiber, Mary’s husband and partner says, "A muscle is a muscle, regardless of its packaging — whether human or animal. The benefits of massage are real and help everyone on the planet."

Interestingly, some of the horse-owning Dallas Cowboys sent their own team massage therapist to Equissage to get trained in horse massage therapy. "[The Cowboys] understood from personal experience how massage benefitted their own performance and made the connection for their horses," says Schreiber.

Homeopathy is highly recommended

Homeopathy is another form of alternative treatment that is very beneficial to animals. Chatrigna Ferguson, an equine and other animal therapist, is an avid fan of homeopathy. One admirer called her, "The Mother Theresa of all animals." Ferguson has treated animals with homeopathy and other holistic treatments for years and considers these modalities as her primary means to affect healing within the animal.

H.G. Wolfe, the author of the book Homeopathy for Dogs, says in his book that animals "can be cured just as safely and surely by homeopathic means as human beings can." Homeopathic veterinarians, like their counterpart homeopathic physicians, do not rely only on symptoms, but judge each animal on a case by case basis and make determinations for therapy after extensive study of the whole patient.

For holistic practitioner and doctor of veterinary medicine, Kim Curtis, homeopathy is one of many alternative therapies she incorporates into her practice. "Homeopathy is definitely an important part of my practice. One patient, a pet that had developed a sudden severe itchy skin condition would be considered a miracle story with homeopathy. After doing the extensive questionnaire that you use with this type of treatment, we found the animal had had a series of vaccines just prior to this skin problem and had developed a case of vaccinosis. After a series of homeopathic treatments, he was completely well," said Curtis, whose practice as a mobile veterinarian making housecalls in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago enables her to see animals in their home environments.

Acupuncture travels the globe

The Chinese have used veterinary acupuncture for more than 3,500 years, and today it’s one of the few holistic practices endorsed by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Today, modern veterinary acupuncturists use needles, electro-stimulation, heat, massage, and low powered lasers to stimulate actual points. As in human medicine, veterinary acupuncture can greatly relieve a variety of musculoskeletal problems, inflammation, allergies, asthma, arthritis, and pain. "Acupuncture...works when more traditional care doesn’t," said Steve Farance, DVM, of Thunder Road Animal Hospital in Spindale, North Carolina.

Heather Edwards of St. Paul, Minnesota, says acupuncture saved her Siamese cat, Simon, from being put to sleep. "He couldn’t poop anymore and putting him to sleep seemed to be our only option. Our veterinarian had just attended a conference on acupuncture and wanted to practice on our cat. It was a last ditch effort," said Edwards. Amazingly, the cat responded, and within a month he was back to normal.

Herbals and dissidents

Animals themselves seem to understand the concept of herbs even better than we do and will often times seek those things out in the yard that to us, may just seem like annoying weeds, but actually are soothing and healing herbs for the pet’s malady. How do they do that? Perhaps it’s instinctual. But when instincts or available weeds are not enough, the herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine can truly help a critically ill pet. It is important however, that an herbalist experienced in using Chinese herbs be consulted; herbs are a form of medication, and the wrong medication — or too much of the right medication — could harm your pet.

Of course, there are dissidents among various veterinarians. And the AVMA encourages seeking traditional treatment first, with holistic approaches reserved as a last resort. Yet AVMA, like our own AMA, is beginning to see the value in holistic treatments.

Steve Farance is a conservative, traditional veterinarian who has begun to use some holistic treatments. "I use a little bit of them, but I don’t treat as much as some doctors do." Farance still worries that alternative veterinarians go too far, but he acknowledges that "there are places for these types of treatments." As Farance notes, "the stigma for alternative treatments is going away." For your pet, that may mean big changes in the quality — and even the length — of life.

Resources

Products

Finding good, holistic products for your pet can prove difficult. Here are a few options, easily available online and just a mouse click away from being delivered to your doorstep:

A library of holistic pet care books available for purchase

Sam’s General Store offers Halo pet care products, human grade supplements and chemical and additive-free food

Does Rover need a doggy treat? Check these out!

Interested in Bach Flower Remedies for your pet?

Dr. Goodpet offers homeopathic remedies, supplements, shampoos, and some great links

Halo products, right from the source

Healthcare

To locate a chiropractor for your pet, visit the provider directory at the Alternative, Complementary, and Holistic Veterinary Medicine (AltVedMed) Web site

An informative site on chiropractic care for pets

A great site for information on homeopathy, herbs and acupuncture

A good general site with articles and information on holistic therapies

Dr. Gloria Dodd, DVM offers insight and products

Mary and Dee Schreiber’s Equissage, Round Hill, Virginia

Dr. Kim Curtis, DVM, 773-862-8398

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