Don't wait until it is too late...

I’ve been doing alternative care for about 4 years of my 6.5 years in veterinary medicine. And you know what my most typical call is? “My dog can’t walk, we’ve tried everything and you are our last resort. Can you help?”

I always say, “I can certainly try”. These cases rarely end up the way the owner had hoped. Once a condition has progressed to a certain point and all medical treatment has failed, acupuncture or chiropractic rarely will make your animal do a 180 and magically get better. It will help provide pain relief at the end of life, and help make the transition across the rainbow bridge easier however.

Acupuncture and/or chiropractic are not cheap. It is certainly much more affordable to get pets on medications that block inflammation or the brains perception of pain. And in the end of life, these may be more valid options than what I have to offer. So please, don’t call me with expectations that my little needles work miracles. They don’t. Needling is just another way of practicing medicine. So please, don’t only call me when it is a last resort and expect a miracle.

Chiropractic and Acupuncture truly shine BEFORE there is a clinical problem. Both of these modalities are able to address issues in the animal before you even notice them. Using them as preventative medicine will help avoid potential back pain/slipped disks, ACL tears and early arthritis.

Would you rather spend $210 every 6 months on your dog/$450 on your horse to prevent medical or surgical issues, or pay thousands of dollars to fix the issues after they happen? Now I can’t guarantee nothing will every happen to your animal that will require a surgical fix, but the idea is to make the body as strong as possible to combat injuries and illness.

Just remember, when you choose to use alternative care, you are choosing to FIX the problem. Nothing gets fixed overnight. Our goal is not to mask symptoms, but to fix the body. I choose to try to manage my personal health with eating whole foods without preservatives, exercising regularly, and getting adjusted at a minimum once a month. I do the same with my kid, and my dog. More to come on canine nutrition in a different blog!