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Holistic/chiropractor for my dog

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deactivated member 42515
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My dog Livi has always had minor hip problems. She would just have some stiffness whenever she got up from laying down too long. The vet never recommended any treatment or preventative measures so I took it upon myself to ask for some glucosamine and MSM. After taking the supplements, I could tell she felt better, and she also lost some weight.

Wednesday comes along (I said Friday in the other thread and was mistaken) and I checked on the girls during my lunch break, played with them, let them out to go pee. Livi was fine; trying to take food off the table...all that good stuff. I come home from work and Livi is just laying down, doesn't wanna get up to greet me. She is always first to have a toy in her mouth and wag her tail to show me what she has. I knew something was wrong. I touched her gently on her hips and she screamed in pain. I have never ever heard her scream like that before. I have never heard any dog scream like that. And she was baring her teeth menacingly. Livi is the kindest dog I know, she never does that. She can have tons of puppies jumping and playing on her and she just sits there and let's them. Of course being the mommy I am, and the hypochondriac about the girls, I said I wanted to take her to the emergency room. DH calmed me down and said let's let her rest overnight and see what happens. It's Sunday now and it's gotten better. I've found out that its the left hind leg, but I'm not sure if its her hips or her knee. She's walking, limping still, but walking. I still want to take her to the vet. A new vet. A lot of people in my area have been recommending a vet that specializes in holistic approaches, chiropractics, acupuncture and of course regular veterinary medicine. I know some people are skeptical of holistic medicine but is it worth a try? I want her to feel better and it's killing me knowing that she's in pain and mommy can't do anything about it. I've been using a heating pad and usually she hates heat but seems she likes it right now for the pain. And I've been trying to massage her leg but I'm no doctor. I need to take her but I do not want to take her back to her old vet.

Has anyone else had any luck with holistic or chiropractic veterinarians? I want to do whatever it takes to make sure she's ok. I just need to find something that works. Or someone that cares enough. I hear this Dr. Coleman is an awesome vet. I just don't wanna get my hopes up about chiropractic or holistic medicine and be shut down.
 
I don't think there's anything wrong with exploring some holistic avenues but I do think you should get the problem diagnosed by a regular vet. I would go to someone new and see what they say. They can maybe take xrays to see if they can see what the problem is. Once you know if it's arthritis etc then you can move forward with treatment.
 
Usually a holistic vet also is a regular vet, with holistic options available to their patients. I know many, many people with years of managing their ill pets who have had success with holistic vets. It's probably most important to find a facility that can accurately diagnose her. If this is the facility they seem to get good reviews (looking at the bad reviewer's other reviews, they sound like a cheapskate) : http://www.yelp.com/biz/coleman-charles-w-dvm-pasco Looks like a free exam for first time patients.

BTW - we were recently helpfully reminded that the dose needs to be high enough to be effective: http://www.dogarthritisblog.info/treatment-of-dog-arthritis/getting-your-glucosamine-for-dogs-dosage-right/

A holistic vet may also address how to improve your dog's quality of life with better nutrition. Regular vets receive little to no nutrition education with many programs underwritten by pet food companies. The prescription junk they try to push is terrible. www.dogfoodadvisor.com is a great place to research. Since we weren't prepared to manage a raw diet, we went with The Real Meat Company 90% air dried meat "kibble" for our sick dog so that we were providing the most bio-available, nutritious diet possible while he heals. We're also filtering all his water. Since he has liver issues, I'm going above and beyond to help that.
 
Oh, scary, YT. I'd have wanted to hit the emergency vet too. Number 1 would be to get her x-rayed. A responsible chiropractor wouldn't touch her without that, same as with a person.

The Obedience Club I belonged to in Conn. had a chiropractor come once a month & many people swore by the help it gave their dogs. I know a bunch who have used holistic vets -- some sound good, some are quacks. Like any other field. The best place to search out vets is Angie's List -- if you don't have it, I can't recommend it highly enough. I've saved a zillion times the $50 (thereabouts) annual fee in any number of areas. Just started with a new vet myself -- recommended by a friend but it was the reviews on Angie's List that made me feel safe trying them. It's excellent for all around this city.

--- Laurie
 
So sorry to hear about your dog!

I hope you find some long lasting relief for her!!!

In our state all Holistic Vets are have to be board certified regular Vets first and they go on to take further training in Holistic Vet Care. We have worked with the Holistic Vet in our area on many occasions for various pets and she has always been wonderful-very intelligent, great listener and has really good suggestions for care options.

IF other have had good experiences with one in your area, I'd ask them lots of questions and then give them a try---Good luck :)
 
Acupuncture does work if it's done by someone who is properly trained. It's been studied by western doctors and it does act to confuse nerve singles that travel to the neural net. It's legit, and I think it's Western hubris to think that something that has worked for 3,000 years for Asians is just malarkey. It's a combination of subtle racism and no money in it for Westerners.

Look at it this way: the Native Americans used willow tree bark as a pain killer for generations. It took a while, but it caught on when white people figured out how to bottle it and make money with it. Today, we call it aspirin.

Yes, try the holistic vet. But make sure he does an x-ray, too.
 
I don't know much about hip disease in dogs. Unfortunately, I do know WAY too much about Degenerative Disk Disease. First, you need to know what is causing your dogs pain in order to properly treat it. My vet is a big believer in laser therapy and claims to see remarkable improvements in pets with chronic pain. Perhaps check into that and maybe get something to relieve the pain like prednisone. Hope your dog gets well soon!
 
We used to take my dog to the chiropractor, as she was a racing greyhound who had bad hips from the get go. It made her feel much better, and she was in love with our chiropractor. She would go bananas when she figured out where we were going, and then get adjusted, and finally just curl up for a nap afterwards.

I agree about getting her checked out with the vet too, as it could be something else contributing to her pain. Better safe than sorry.
 
Oh YayTacori, I'm so sorry to hear your furbaby is hurting... :(sad

I agree that acupuncture and a chiropractor will probably help if done properly. Another thing to consider is doggy physical therapy, which includes water therapy using an underwater treadmill.

I hope Livi feels better soon!
 
THANK YOU EVERYONE for your concerns and your advice. I made an appointment for Livi. I'm just so scared of what the Vet is going to say. She is my first baby and she hold a special place in my heart that no one else does. But I know the sooner the better. She is 6 years old so I hope she's still young enough. I wish she was still 1 year old. I don't say puppy cuz she was literally a freaking terror. She grew up to the THE BEST dog ever, but she was the terror or terrors as a puppy :love:
 
Any updates on your baby?
 
Thank you Webdiva for asking about Livi! I took her to the vet and was told that it was just probably a sprain. He checked her out and didn't find any major concerns. He just wanted me to keep her off her feet for a while.

Since then she has been doing reallllly well! You can tell that she feels better because she is trying to steal food off of the counters when I am cooking! And she acting normal, if not better than before! I don't know what he did... he moved her legs around and stretched them out. Same thing I did but after he did it, I swear she seemed a little better and since then shes 110%. I'm going to continue to take her to him for regular checkups just to be on the safe side. You always wanna catch things early.

Thanks Webdiva!
 
Yay! So happy to hear! :)
 
Great news! Taking her for checkups is a very good idea too. The earlier you catch things, the easier they are to cure. I'm kind of paranoid about that w/my animals. As long as you're sure there's no interior problem w/joints or spinal ickiness, chiropractic might help keep her feeling better. I know bunches of people who swear by what it does for their dogs, especially active dogs like Livi. I'm SO glad she's better!

--- Laurie
 
Glad to hear she's feeling better, YT!
 
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