Just like it is a good idea to have a well stocked first aid kit for the two legged members of the family, it is recommended that you have one for your pets as well. I hope to give you some recommendations here to help you treat those minor ailments at home as well as to be able to triage your pet in an emergency until you can get to a veterinarian.

Remember to stay calm and do not panic. Take a few deep breaths before you begin if you are stressed.  Animals will sense your state and will react better t0 you if you are calm.

Safety is the most important thing to remember when dealing with a hurt or stressed animal. Even your beloved, trustworthy companion may try to protect himself if hurt or frightened. Always begin by approaching an injured or sick animal slowly and watch their body language for signs of distress. Further, it is advisable to apply a muzzle before moving an injured animal or working with the affected area. You can purchase cloth muzzles or, with a dog, you can use a slip lead to fashion a temporary muzzle for treatment and/or transport.

Always approach and work from the rear.  To make the safest muzzle possible, slip the lead over the dogs head like you are going to walk him.  With the lead tight, wrap the close (middle) end of the leash around the dog’s muzzle three to five times securely and finally bring the free end of the leash back to the neck so that you can hold the head from behind. You will need someone to keep a hand on such a muzzle to keep this makeshift muzzle secure.

For animals who are stressed or seem shockey, rescue remedy can provide some relief. Mix 4 drops with one ounce of spring water and mix.  You can dose several drops of the mixture in the mouth every 5 minutes as needed.  It is best to mix this before each use or just use one to two drops or rescue remedy straight from the bottle.  Note that rescue remedy tastes better when diluted.  The homeopathic arnica is also useful for trauma and shock.  A 30 c potency works well and can be dosed in the mouth every fifteen minutes or so if needed in the acute situation.

A digital thermometer is always good to have on hand.  A rectal temperature in a dog or cat will normally run between 100 and 102.5 degrees.  Be sure to lubricate the thermometer before inserting.  Lubricating or petroleum jelly works best, but in a pinch, oil from the kitchen will do.

Temperatures over 103 may just be stress or over 104 are highly suspicious for infection or inflammation in the body. Especially if the animal is not feeling well, a trip to the vet may be in order.   Animals with temperatures in the 106 range may be suffering from heat stroke and are critical.  You can try to begin to slowly lower the body temperature with some rubbing alcohol on the feet while on your way to the nearest emergency facility.  Be careful with temperatures this high not to lower the core body temperature too quickly or the animal may go into shock. Thus, be very careful of immersing such an animal in water.  If you do choose to do this, make sure the water is cool but not cold.

On the other side of the scale, temperatures less than 99 degrees may be dangerous as well.  Smaller animals and young puppies and kittens tend to be most susceptible to hypothermia.  In this case, and if you pet is depressed or lethargic, wrap them in a blanket, and/or use hot water bottles or a rice socks to warm them, and again see the veterinarian.  A rice sock is another handy item for a first aid kit.  You make this quite simply by filling an old sock with uncooked rice.  When placed in the microwave, it will heat rapidly and hold heat well.  A rice sock also works well on sore muscles and joints on which you wish to apply heat.  Always check that your sock is not too hot before applying.

Be aware that small dogs or young animals can be prone to hypoglycemia, low blood sugar.? In these animals,  a sudden weakness or disorientation can sometimes be treated with a bit of Karo syrup or honey on the gums or mixed with water for the animal to drink.  For young puppies and kittens or toy breeds treating for hypoglycemia is well worth trying in cases of emergency such as this when you don’t know the cause.

To apply cold to an area of acute inflammation or pain, keep an extra bag of frozen peas in the freezer or make a slurry out of rubbing alcohol and water to keep frozen in a sealed plastic bag as a cold pack.

Boric acid diluted to half strength or an eyebright solution make a good solution to treat irritation in the eye until you can get the situation checked by your veterinarian.  Flush eyes with contact lens saline solution to remove irritants or debris from the surface of the eye.  It is always good to get eyes checked by your veterinarian as soon as possible. Problems such as ulcers or glaucoma can be very serious, but outcomes tend to be better when the situation is identified quickly.

Moving on to items to treat cuts and scrapes, 3% hydrogen peroxide works well to flush a wound.  Note that it is not recommended to use after an initial cleaning or two as it will delay wound healing.  For repeat cleanings, I recommend a chlorhexiderm solution or scrub rinsed with water.? To decrease the chances of infection,?apply an antibiotic cream two to three times daily after cleaning.? Goldenseal or Calendula ointments can be found at?your local?health food store.

If excessive bleeding is a problem, be sure to apply direct pressure with a sterile or clean 4×4 gauge pad and elevate the body part above the level of the heart if possible. Slippery elm powder can be applied to wounds and will serve both to keep the wound edges fresh and help with healing.  It can help remove toxins locally as well as reduce pain and inflammation.  It makes a wonderful medical dressing for wounds, boils, abscesses and burns.  On an active bleed, you can apply the powder directly to mix with the blood or better, make a paste with water and apply to the affected area.  Another option to use on scrapes and burns is a mixture of sugar and iodine.  The sugar will help keep flesh viable and healthy while the iodine prevents infection.  Vomiting and diarrhea are common problems faced commonly by pet owners.  These signs can be caused by anything from inflammation to infection, a foreign body, parasites or cancers.? The most common cause, however, tends to be “garbage gut” or dietary indiscretion.  With vomiting, it is generally recommended to hold off food for 12-24 hours.  Be sure to replace lost fluids with water or an electrolyte solution like pedialyte.  If your pet can not even keep fluids down, consider a visit to the vet.

To induce vomiting, 3% hydrogen peroxideagain comes into play.  1 tablespoon per ten pounds can be given every 15 minutes for several doses.  Animals should not be made to vomit certain things so check with your veterinarian or poison control for direction before proceeding.  The number for animal poison control is 1-800-548-2423 and should be kept handy.  They do charge for these calls and you will need a credit card number.

In cases of diarrhea, also remember to replace fluids.  Natural kaolin and pectate can certainly help ease diarrhea temporarily but beware of the new Kaopectate formulation as it contains asprin, which can be dangerous to dogs and must be avoided in cats unless under veterinary direction.  A more natural and safer alternative is slippery elm powder. 1/4 to 1/2 capsule twice daily can be used for cats and small dogs.  For larger dogs, 1 to 2 capsules twice daily are recommended.  You can open these capsules and mix them with water, an electrolyte solution or a little yogurt with active cultures to dose.  A natural yogurt or probiotic solution will help regenerate a healthy population of of intestinal flora and can regulate diarrhea or help prevent it in cases where antibiotics are being given.? Be sure in cases of GI upset, vomiting or diarrhea, to see your vet if your pet appears ill or the condition has be ongoing for more than 24 hours.

Always err on the side of caution and get your animal checked by your veterianrian if you are ever in doubt of what you should do.  This information is in no way meant as a substitute for proper veterinary care. 

Taurine is an amino acid (AA) talked about when referring to feline diets. For cats, unlike most other mammals, taurine is an essential amino acid, meaning that cats can not synthesize their own taurine from other building block amino acids as can dogs and even humans.  Thus it is essential that cats take in adequate taurine in their diet on a regular basis.

With prolonged deficiencies of taurine, cats can develop central retinal degeneration,resulting in blindness.  Dilated cardiomyopathy is another real risk.  In this condition, the heart dilates, its walls become thinner and weaker, making the heart less effective and resulting in a form of heart failure.

It is considered fact at this point that cats do require taurine.  It is even fairly widely agreed upon that cats should consume 1000mg (1 gm) or taurine per 2.2 lbs of food.  The discussion begins with the question - Is my cat getting enough with the diet that I am feeding??

It turns out that this question is more difficult to answer than might at first be thought.  We know that taurine is supplied almost exclusively by meat and seafood.  Vegetables contain little to no measurable taurine as a group. Taurine is broken down by heat, thus, cooking meat will destroy over half to maybe 2/3 of the taurine that was available raw.  It is difficult to calculate the amount of taurine actually supplied by a particular diet given the variables- baking vs boiling meat results in losing different amounts of taurine, meat from the chicken leg has much more taurine than that from the breast, and the list of variables goes on and on.

To give you an idea of the amount of taurine in foods, I will provide this list but please understand, these numbers are not concrete.

beef muscle 10 mg/oz raw 1.7mg/oz cooked

beef liver 5.5 mg/oz raw  

lamb13.5 mg/oz raw         3.6mg/oz cooked

chicken 9.5mg/oz raw      2.3mg/oz cooked

fish  36mg/oz raw

shrimp 48mg/oz raw

nutritional yeast 30mg/tablet or 1/2 teaspoon

Given the inexact science behind figuring these numbers  and the known dangers of under-feeding this essential amino acid to cats, I do recommend supplementing taurine in cats who are on a homemade diet.  For most cats, I find that 75-100 mg of taurine per day is about right, although for some cats, I have seen this number climb close to 300 mg per day.  Taurine is not stored by cats and would be very difficult to overdose.  Many times you will find that you are dosing a “pinch” given the capsule size you are able to find.  This approximating approach should work just fine.  With taurine and cats, a little excess is definitely preferable to not quite enough.

 Happy feeding.

This is Bus the French Bulldog. Bus had surgery yesterday and we’re just going to do some acupunture and chiropratic on him.

Bus having been lying on his back for surgery will benefit from chiropractic adjustments.

I’m going to start at the head and feel him chiropractically to make sure he’s doing okay.

An adjustment with these guys is not hard to do, and will correct the imbalance.

Chiropratic is a very low force adjustment. Most dogs and cats don’t mind at all.  It’s very rare for pets to get upset. The dogs and cats who receive chiropractic adjustments dont need to held in place. Most dogs and cats even start to like it…once they learn what’s going on. Most pets actually get better and better as this go on. 

Bus has never been treated before this is the first time I have performed chiropractic adjustments on him.

Email from Monte’s mom: Here goes the whole truth and nothing but the truth….I have a walker hound mix named Monte who is almost ten years old. He has had problems with his gait for the last two years that I just merely attributed to aging and his overly skinny legs. At the suggestion of my vet, Dr. Nan Jack, I took Monte to Dr. Lord for acupuncture treatments starting in August of this year. It is now four months later and Monte is doing incredibly well. As a former non-believer of holistic veterinary care, acupuncture, etc., I am now a complete convert. Not only is Monte more energetic and walking proud and tall but his entire demeanor is more “puppylike” than he was prior to the treatments. For anyone that is hesitant to begin treatments, please give it a try. I feel confident that the acupuncture is staving off the debilitating effects of the future problems associated with athritis and a torn ACL (in Monte’s case). I want to take this time to thank Dr. Lord for her dogside manner and her magic touch with my baby, Monte.

Is there really such a thing as veterinary chiropractic? What is spinal manipulation? Is there a difference? What about Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation? Could these terms be anymore confusing?

Technicallythe term chiropractic can only be applied when referring to humans. Thus, chiropractic is a term which does not technically exist within the field of veterinary medicine. While the term cannot be used, however, the art of chiropractic care is most definitely alive and well within veterinary medicine. To get around the semantics, we refer to chiropractic work on animals as spinal manipulation. So these terms can be considered are one in the same.

Lets complicate things further and look at veterinary orthopedic manipulation (VOM). This is a technique which uses a chiropractic activator- a high velocity, low force instrument- to affect an adjustment. This is a valid method of adjustment which some animals actually find preferable to manual hands on manipulation. I personally have an activator which I use on occasion. The difference between using the activator as a chiropractor would and using it as one would when preforming VOM is vast. I have taken the VOM weekend course to see what this technique was and I did gain some insights. This method, as taught, however, is unrefined and very nonspecific. You are not taught to feel misalignments and correct only those areas which have problems. Furthermore, no attempt is make to even begin to instruct students how to direct the applied forces so that you can use the least amount of force to affect your desired adjustment. I have seen results in using VOM as taught, but for my dog, I would consider it a poor cousin to a true chiropractic adjustment.

I do not doubt that veterinarians offering VOM services are doing so with the best of intentions and that many of their patients are benefiting. That said, I worry that not enough has been taught to make these practitioners aware of the need for caution in their treatments. As a pet owner it is your responsibility to be aware what is being offered to you so that you can make informed choices for your pet.

For thousands of years acupuncture has been used to re-balance the total energy system of animals’ bodies to facilitate health and healing.  It effectively treats many varied conditions such as arthritis, disc disease, nerve pain, kidney failure, liver failure, cancer, and heart disease to name a few.

According to Eastern medicine, when an animal is healthy, there is a strong and even circulation of energy, life-force, or Chi which runs along well defined channels on the body surface and deeper within the body cavities.  These channels are called meridians.  These meridians are associated with internal organs, muscular and joint structures, and the nervous system.  Acupuncture points lie within the meridians, and are areas from which the flow of Chi can be influenced.  Thus influencing the associated organs, joints and the like.

For those who prefer to look at this from a more scientific point of view, we can shift and assess acupuncture from a western viewpoint.  Specific acupuncture point stimulation has been shown to produce many measurable results within the body.  These include increasing oxygenation and blood supply to areas treated; aiding in production of endogenous cortisone and other anti-inflammatory substances; releasing internally produced pain killers such as endorphins; and improving immunity by increasing white blood cell and antibody production.

What is holistic veterinary medicine?

Holistic medicine is a term that means different things to different people. I call myself a holistic practitioner and by that I mean to convey two different things. First is that I look at the whole of the animal and work to come to a treatment plan that will benefit my entire patient and not just address one presenting complaint. Secondly, I will use the whole of medicine to come up with the best treatment plan possible.

Many veterinarians use different terms to convey this same or a similar sentiment. Alternative veterinary medicine, complimentary veterinary medicine, integrative veterinary medicine are but some of the different terms you may come across. I could use any of them comfortably but I feel that holistic medicine best conveys my attitude toward medicine.

Many of my patients come to me from conventional practices and are already involved with a treatment plan. Arthritis cases are on non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, seizure cases on phenobarbital, neurologic and cancer cases have often been prescribed steroids. And I do not feel that these animals have necessarily been done a disservice or that the conventional medications are even a big problem. My ultimate goal in practice is to improve the quality of life of my patients, and if that means steroids, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, seizure medication or the like- they should have them. Western medicine is not the enemy. It is, however, but one of the many branches of medicine, and in many cases, it does not have all of the answers.

I will not typically pull animals off of previously prescribed medications when they come to me. This is assuming that what is presently prescribed is actually improving the overall quality of the patients lives. In such cases, I will often begin by adding in supplements, herbals, spinal manipulation, acupuncture, and/or homotoxicology remedies; and addressing diet and lifestyle issues in an effort to further improvements or decrease the dependence on the conventional medications. It is only after we see gains, or I feel that an animal is stabilized with the complementary modalities that I will talk to clients and often their regular veterianarians about reassessing the need for conventional medications.

The modalities chosen to achieve this end can depend on the presenting condition of concern, the patients overall condition and energy, owners constraints, and animal temperament. Some animals have conditions that would likely benefit greatly from acupuncture or manipulation, but the animal is not one who will do well with repeated visits to the veterinary office. Others will not take supplements/medications from their owners at home which limits choices of treatments to compliment the in hands on therapies. All cases have their challenges, but ultimately I need to be able to look each animal in the eye and feel confident that what I am doing is a part of a treatment plan aimed at health.

We must always remember that it is the quality and not the quantity of life that makes it so precious.

The year 2007 did not start very well for our golden/lab/chow mix companion dog Yogi. He had just turned 10 in December and had been in general good health until one day in the second week of January.

He jumped down off the sofa and yipped, then came up lame in his left front leg, unable to put any weight on it. Almost as soon as it happened, it was fine. He had had strains and sprains before but when the same thing happened again after a few days, I took him to the local veterinary emergency clinic. After x-rays and an exam, the vet diagnosed arthritis, recommended crate rest for a week, and prescribed a strong analgesic. We did that and everything was fine for a week or so. One day when he was playing in the back yard with our other dog Rusty, he let out a yelp! His left front leg was basically unusable and it appeared to be “hanging” from his shoulder. It was awful to watch and I knew we were not talking about just arthritis. It continued to happen more and more often.

What happened in the next three weeks was a flood of vet visits and an emotional roller coaster. Knowing that it would help the lameness, our vet put Yogi on the steroid Prednisone; it made him a very different dog - he was hot, angry, constantly panting, ravenous, and so thirsty that he drank all water in sight; of course, he then had to eliminate every 3-4 hours. We had to hire a pet sitter to come in during the week just to let him out during the day and we had to schedule “middle of the night” outings so he could pee. He lost weight and muscle tone and looked very ragged; his personality changed drastically and he was not the same dog.

To try to get to the cause of his lameness, we went to a specialist who diagnosed “nerve root tumor” (a very dire prognosis) and recommended surgery/amputation with a preliminary MRI ($1300) to determine the extent of the tumor. We scheduled the MRI and then cancelled it after considering the costs, the benefits, and the possible complications. We went to another veterinary oncology surgeon who concurred with the diagnosis but recommended performing a CAT scan ($700) prior to possible surgery/amputation. We scheduled this for a day in late February.

Neither Yogi nor I slept much the night before. I knew it was a bad omen when, amidst yapping dogs, constant activity, and gruff receptionists, he had diarrhea in the waiting room. I told the doctor, through tears, that I couldn’t (and wouldn’t) put my dog through any more traumas. Many days and dollars later, we still had no good solution to Yogi’s situation.

What happened next is nothing short of a miracle. We went to our vet again, this time with the question, “Isn’t there some way to allow Yogi to live out the rest of his life, however long or short that is, in peace and quiet?” She referred us to Dr. Tracy Lord, explaining that she was a holistic vet who used natural cures and acupuncture; Dr. Lord had been able to help another client’s dog and our vet was pretty sure she could help Yogi. I called Dr. Lord the very next day!

It was a beautiful spring day in March when Yogi and I went to Williamsburg for our initial consultation. Immediately upon meeting Dr. Lord, I felt comfortable with her and I could tell Yogi did too! She listened intently to our story, looked at his referral information, asked me some questions, and then proceeded to talk to Yogi! She gave him an acupuncture treatment that he didn’t seem to mind! By the time we left her office, we had developed a plan of action including changes in diet, alternative drug therapy, natural supplements, and continued acupuncture sessions. I knew that this was the answer to our prayers!

Now, five months later, I can honestly say that Dr. Lord has transformed Yogi into a vibrant, healthy dog…even better than he was before! When I think about what we might have done if we had taken the advice of “traditional” veterinary science, I cringe and then thank my lucky stars that we found Dr. Lord. She is a loving, concerned person who has given us our dog back; he is whole, happy, and affectionate again.

He has not had a single episode of pain or limping since we began her course of treatment. He “talks” to her during his acupuncture sessions because he knows she makes him feel better…he has never done this before and he doesn’t do this with anyone else! No matter how much longer he is with us, I know that he is living a happy life. On a recent visit to the mountains of western NC, Yogi and I took a long walk: he was wagging his tail as he followed the scent of wild animals in the woods, splashed in the cool mountain stream, and just enjoyed being a dog! We have Dr. Lord to thank for that!

One of the most important things that we can do for pets is to feed them properly, and while it is not that difficult to achieve a balanced diet, it is a bit more complex when we use food to help achieve optimal health. In Traditional Chinese medicine, foods are looked at much like herbs. Foods can heal. Foods can balance or unbalance the body. All foods have energetic properties, and the foods you feed your pet will affect their constitution, their affect, and can help to alleviate or exasperate personality traits, disease symptoms, and behaviors. Hot natured pets will tend to do better with cooling or neutral foods as cold natured pets will do better with neutral to warming foods. Thus the question of what foods are best to feed my pet is not a “one size fits all” answer. The first thing you need to do is to determine whether your pet is hot or cold natured.

The yin and yang of pets

Some characteristics of a hot natured, yang, animal ….

These animals are often nervous and on edge. They may have a red tongue, pant excessivly and seek cool floors on which to lie. Often you will note that these animals have very poor energy in summer heat, and show signs of excessive thirst. They will avoid warm beds, couches or carpets. These animals tend to get more acute, sudden illnesses with intense symptoms which go as quickly as they came.

Some characteristics of a cold natured, yin, animal ……

These animals will be cool, calm and collected. They may have a pale tongue which is often wet. They may prefer warm places to sleep, or wish to be covered or cuddled for warmth. These animals generally do not like to be out in the winter but will bake themselves in the sun or in front of the fire place until you fear they may combust. Cold natured animals tend to be more slow moving and sleepy and may catch colds frequently.

The temperature of foods

Food also has tendencies toward yin or yang. The temperature or thermal nature of foods does not refer to the temperature at which the food is served, but the way the food makes the body feel once consumed. Cooling foods can cool both the body and the psyche. Conversely warming or hot foods will affect the entire body as well. Foods, like bodies, all have BOTH yin and yang properties, but some have more of one and some more of the other.

Warming foods are often used to aid digestion. They can also improve circulation and may help ease the pain of arthritis if it is worse in cold weather.

Cooling foods will calm the mind and cool the body. They can also be useful when inflammation is a problem.

Neutral foods are the harmonizers of the diet and are often added to balance or temper the more extreme qualities of other foods.

EXAMPLES OF WARMING FOODS

tuna, turkey, salmon, lamb, venison, chicken, chicken liver, shrimp, trout, oats, cabbage, squash, kale, quinoa, dried ginger

EXAMPLES OF COOLING FOODS

clams, duck, egg, tofu, prok, millet, barley, wheat, whole wheat bread, lettuce, celery, broccoli, spinach, tomato, kelp, banana

EXAMPLES OF NEUTRAL FOODS

beef, beef liver, chicken gizzards, rabbit, sardine, string beans, aduki beans, kidney beans, yam, polenta, rice, corn, rye, potato, beet, turnip, carrot, eggs, cod, brown rice

In addition to their thermal properties, foods can moisten or dry, clear excesses or stimulate in cases of deficiency.

FOODS THAT MOISTEN

potato, sardines, tofu, wheat, pork, mussel, citrus, barley, , string beans, dairy

FOODS THAT DRY

lettuce, turnip, asparagus, amaranth, rye, mackerel, celery, garlic

This is only the tip of the iceburg so far as the true qualities of foods go. Before choosing or changing a diet for your pet always consult with your veterinarian for recommendations and understand that each body is different. The simple question…what is the best diet for my pet???…. may not have a simple answer.

VetLord.org is a site dedicated to the health and well-being of our furry loved ones. Dr. Tracy Lord D.V.M. has introduced many of us to a whole new world of veterinary medicine and holistic health care for our pets. Her knowledge of Eastern and Western medicine opens up many possibilities for treatment that we didn’t have before finding her.

Those of us that bring our four-legged family members to see Dr. Lord are very excited she’s decided to contribute to this site. I hope all of you find VetLord.org useful and encouraging.

Be sure to seek a qualified Veterinary professional if your pet is in need of treatment. Dr. Lord is unable to offer treatment or advise without seeing patients directly. Do not attempt to treat or diagnose your pets based on what you read here or anywhere, find a qualified professional.

Thanks Dr. Lord for sharing your unique knowledge with all of us!