Holistic Vets?

[noludoru]

Be careful with the medicine based on belief. Remember that your dogs do not know they're supposed to believe they're going to get better, so the placebo effect commonly associated with homeopathic remedies can't be a factor.

Take a look at the long history of homeopathy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy

Highlights include: " The FDA has not approved homeopathic products as veterinary medicine in the US" and that "Homeopathy is unsupported by modern scientific research."

If this is truly being considered as in the best interest of your dogs please look at the history first. Don't believe everything the man with the youth tonic tells you. Anecdotes are NOT science, but here's one for you anyway:

My dog lost the use of her legs, we did everything we could for her, and as the last resort the vet did the homeopathy stuff behind my back while in her care(acupuncture and pills, which i researched and found to be nothing more than liver). I wasn't charged a dime, and still it yeilded no results.

What if your dog had something serious like Parvo? Would you really not take it to a "real" vet? What if he or she bloats? Would you seriously consider taking it to a person who would rather "believe" it away than perform immediate surgery? If you wouldn't accept less than the real thing for something serious, than why not for those things which are not life threatening?

I would do a lot more research on both sides of the coin. Don't read only the propaganda placed out there by people who want you to believe(read: pay for) that this is real medicine. Give it some serious consideration first. Be objective.

I typed up a really long post to this, but you know what? It really wasn't family forum friendly. All I have to say this post is OMFG. PLEASE read what you type BEFORE you post it. Holistic veterinary care isn't "believing" things will work and magically having them work. It's a different kind of medicine, one that has been working for thousands of years, and has NOTHING to do with myths like the fountain of youth.

 

[Sweet72947]

There is a holistic vet in Haymarket. I like her, she uses both holistic medicine and mainstream medicine. I went to her for help with my cat, he had hyperthyroidism and wasn't doing well on the Tapazole chews (I was recommended by another person who's hyperthyroid cat was on holistic supplements and doing wonderfully) . The holistic medicine didn't help him, but there was probably much more wrong than just his thyroid.

The only thing I found disagreeable about that holistic vet was how horribly expensive it is there. I myself am going to use the mainstream vet my family has used for the past 12 years, and I will use holistic medicine if all else fails. (and hey, my pet gets a free acupuncture session with first visit!)

 

[Schnauz]

I typed up a really long post to this, but you know what? It really wasn't family forum friendly. All I have to say this post is OMFG. PLEASE read what you type BEFORE you post it. Holistic veterinary care isn't "believing" things will work and magically having them work. It's a different kind of medicine, one that has been working for thousands of years, and has NOTHING to do with myths like the fountain of youth.

As soon as you find some evidence that isn't entirely anecdotal you go on and let me know. Until that time I hope people continue overpaying for "alternative" medicine when nothing is life threatening, only to use the safety net of real medicine when things are life threatening.

 

[Buddy'sParents]

Hmm. Overpaying for "alternative" medicine? Hardly. The first consult with our holistic vet was pricey, but it was also a long visit. As far as what is real or not... no one can judge that until they are in a situation. REAL medicine, as so aptly termed here, has failed many animals while "alternative" medicine has saved lives. I'd ask which one you'd chose, but I'm afraid of the answer.

 

[SeniorPetLover]

As soon as you find some evidence that isn't entirely anecdotal you go on and let me know. Until that time I hope people continue overpaying for "alternative" medicine when nothing is life threatening, only to use the safety net of real medicine when things are life threatening.

I actually turned to "alternative" medicine when traditional medicine was unsuccessful and I had exhausted all of my options. The only option left was euthansia. It wasn’t something that I played with first and then sought veterinary care for when the going got rough. Ironically, the very treatment that was then considered to be a "crock of hooey†has now been accepted into mainstream veterinary medicine as a standard practice. This is happening quite frequently. Many ideas once considered to be quackery are now being embraced by both medical and veterinary professionals. Holistic doesn’t really mean anything more than looking at the whole picture…for example, seeing how one’s mental, physical and social conditions contribute to their overall health. Many vets are practicing holistic medicine often without even realizing it. I don't think that anyone can make a generalization as to the efficacy or the inefficacy of all holistic or alternative treatments any more accurately than one could make about traditional veterinary medicine. It is the responsibility of each pet owner to educate themselves about the various options available to them and to weigh those options based on their specific situation. This applies to both traditional and alternative treatments. In my world, both have their place. I would not go to my dentist to have my car fixed, so naturally I would not want anyone to do surgery on me or my pets unless he or she was a trained professional, BUT, if I could alleviate my symptoms with something so simple as a diet change or the addition of a specific nutrient, would it not be in my best interest to at least give it a shot before going under the knife? Even traditional medicine recognizes the placebo effect, so a little hope and a little faith CAN go a long way in restoring health. I have learned to keep an open mind because what is considered as standard treatment today will likely be different tomorrow. Let the buyer beware.

 

[angie8023]

I started doing research and I think I am still going to take him to a hollistic vet. I agree with the person that said if nothing has worked thus far my dog might need a change. I have been struggling with the same problems for a while now. I just want the best for Sancho as I am sure everyone on this board wants the best for their pets. Sometimes a switch is necessary.

 

[Renee750il]

As soon as you find some evidence that isn't entirely anecdotal you go on and let me know. Until that time I hope people continue overpaying for "alternative" medicine when nothing is life threatening, only to use the safety net of real medicine when things are life threatening.

Many are finding themselves "resorting" to the safety net of alternative medicine when it IS life threatening and *real* medicine has not only failed utterly, but exacerbated the original, non-life threatening condition into dire straits.

 

[Buddy'sParents]

Good luck, Angie.

 

[Gempress]

I know I'm in the minority, but I agree with Schnauz. If you chose to go to a hollistic vet, that's fine. But I personally don't believe in it, for the same reasons.

I also think of it this way. If "traditional" medicine works so much better than modern medicine, why did so many people in the past *die* from diseases and medical conditions that we now treat with ease? Back then, appendicitis was fatal.

Just something to think about.

 

[Buddy'sParents]

If modern medicine is so swell, why is it failing both animals and humans alike that should be treated with "ease"?

 

[Dekka]

I think the fact that dogs don't 'know' they should be feeling better is stronger evidence FOR holistic vets. If the dogs respond to treatment then its not the placebo effect.

I like vets who will use both. I don't think one method is better than others for everything.

 

[Buddy'sParents]

And, I should add... our cat is at the vet right now, getting $2000 worth of emergency treatments. He was sick and we had to know what it was sooner rather than later. In an emergency, you have to do what you have to do. A holistic vet can't use a magic eight ball to see whether Adobe's stomach was blocked, x-rays and ultrasounds were needed for that. Just as when Buddy fought off parvo, they had to do blood test to confirm. BUT, when there are modern treatments, for instance, allergies and yeast issues (since I know a thing or two ) there are other options.

We can give Buddy meds like steroids and antihistamines, but all that will do is simply curb the symptoms of what ails him, it doesn't seek to FIND what ails him and fix that. So, sure his skin cleared up when he was on prednisone, but he had side effects from the steroids as well and it wasn't getting rid of the problem, just assisting with the symptoms. So we spend a ton of money on modern medicines that continue to do nothing except push the real issue out of the way.

So, we changed his diet to a natural, holistic one, which is something that many chazzers believe in feeding because they do it (SHOCKING! It's a natural way of treating your dogs, oh no!). And we provide herbs that can do the same thing as the modern medicines, except for in this instance it takes care of the underlying problem, which in Buddy's case is a compromised immune system.

There is a place for both modern and holistic medicine in ALL creatures and if one method works for one and another method works for another, then so be it, I don't see the issue and why there is even a debate in the first place.

 

[angie8023]

Thanks Buddy!

 

[Gempress]

The concept of vaccination is homeopathy . . . . so I suppose we should discard the practice as that would make it unsupported by modern scientific research.

I didn't intend to continue the debate, but I had to respond to this one. Vaccines are NOT homeopathic. Vaccines are based on the principle that, by exposing the body to weakened or dead cells from certain virus, the body's immune system will create antibodies against it. With the antibodies in place, the body is protected from any incidents of the "live" virus, should it try to invade.

We spent a bit of time on the principles of homeopathic medicine in a college class on fake sciences. (You made me drag out my college notes, LOL!) And I think if more people knew about them, more would be skeptical. Here's the main premise behind homeopathy. I'm not making these up: these are true tenants of homeopathic medicine.

Extreme dilution--the more diluted the medicine, the more powerful it is. Say you have a vat of water. You put in a teeny-tiny speck of a substance. Since the medicine is extremely diluted, it's considered powerful. The water now has "negative" properties, which means it will suck out the bad stuff more effectively.

Humors--illness is caused by an imbalance of forces in the body, called "humors." These humors can be balanced by using opposites.

Treatment---Say you have a virus that makes you nauseous. The appropriate homeopathic remedy would be a diluted medicine (see above) made from an extremely small amount of an herb or substance that causes nausea. This makes the medicine into a type of "negative" nausea, which is said to balance out the bad humors in your body and make you feel better.

Here's a good article on the subject:
http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/homeo.html

 

[Renee750il]

Gem, if you talk with practicing homeopaths, you'll find that information, while correct on the surface, is purposely misleading and is itself, as far as a representation of homeopathy as it is practiced, a great deal of "quackery." A small grain of truth wrapped up in a great deal of untruth, meant to mislead.

Those are the same types of texts that will also ridicule treatments like acupuncture and herbal medicaments. There are a whole lotta Chinese who would seem to prove that to be a gross misstatement.

Very few texts are written without an agenda.

Just look at the history texts . . .

Notice that I carefully said the "concept" of vaccination, not the vaccines themselves