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!