Horizon Veterinary Services

Murray

1995 - 2009

  This is a tribute to Murray, my teacher dog.  Murray came to us when he was 8 weeks old.  Cutest little Border Collie mix you can imagine.  But he had several health problems.   In 1995 I had not yet begun my journey in Holistic Medicine. Murray received the standard series  of puppy vaccinations, DHPP at 8, 12, and 16 weeks of age.  He received his first Rabies along with his last DHPP vaccination.

  Murray developed a bladder infection shortly after his second DHPP.  Then he had a small abscess at the base of his tail after his last DHPP/Rabies vaccinations.  He always had itchy skin and got several "medicated" baths.  Although his original skin scrapings were negative, I finally treated him for sarcoptic mange after seeing a deer in the back yard that looked like she had mange..  He got better for a while, but then had grass and flea allergies.  He was neutered at four months of age.  Normal recovery.

  When he was nine months old we diagnosed his hip dysplasia.  One of the reasons we got a mix breed dog was to avoid those purebred problems.  But poor Murray had the worst looking hips on radiographs I had ever seen.  He would "bunny hop" with his rear legs when running and had problems getting on the couch.

  Then began my Holistic journey.  Another Veterinarian, who mainly works on horses, came and did two acupuncture treatments on Murray, then sold me a box of acupuncture needles and showed me the points I needed to do and said I was capable of doing the treatments myself.  Murray responded so well  that I took the IVAS course.  A couple of months later I discovered SeaCuMax and started him on the natural glucosamine/chondroitin supplement.  He responded so well he didn't need any more acupuncture treatments.  The company then came out with Sea Jerky for dogs, which Murray loved.  My husband takes the SeaCuMax capsules for people.  They cannot be used if you have a seafood allergy.

   I had taken the British Institute of Homeopathy's Veterinary Course after visiting a Holistic Veterinarian in Indiana.  So I did some detoxing with Murray.  No more chemicals, no more  vaccines.

  Anytime I would hear about a new natural product I would try it on Murray.  If it worked on his chronic skin allergies I would stock it for use in my practice.  So Murray is responsible for my use of Proanthozone (grapeseed extract), Essential Oil Shampoos and flea control,Sea Cumber, Colostrum, and eventually Gemmotherapy.  He was on two different gemmos for his arthritis and for his skin for the last two years of his life along with  his Sea Jerky.

  I never dreamed we would have Murray past the age of nine, but he lived a happy 14 1/2 yrs.  I did have to repeat some acupuncture when he was 12 and had fallen on the ice.  But  he was  comfortable on the Sea Jerky and gemmotherapy.  He had a Kong toy that he insisted we fill at least three times a day with his natural lamb & rice biscuits.

Our best joys were are walks at lunch time and weekend visits to dog friendly parks.  It was always a joy to see him enjoy his off leash journeys up and down the KY hills.  He learned at an early age that as long as he responded to his call backs he continue to have off leash time.  Murray was always there to comfort any family member having a rough time.  He also oversaw the cats as part of his job.

  His last week he couldn't get up on his own, but if we got him up with a towel he could walk OK.  Then his last three days he stopped eatting and I always felt that when he didn't want his Kong toy it would be time.  I was hoping he would pass on his own.  Unfortunately I didn't realize that Murray never slept on his side, but would sleep sternal on his bed on the couch with his head hanging over the edge.  We had to get a second bed for the floor because sometimes he could make the couch and sometimes he couldn't.  Finally his last night he wasn't strong enough to sleep sternal and kept falling over and doing the fish out of water flop.   We tried propping him up with pillows, but to no avail.  That final morning he broke with  bloody diarrhea so I knew his system was shutting down.  So I loaded him up on pain killers and once sedated, gave that final injection and said good bye to my friend and teacher.

Thank you Murray, there will always be a special place in my heart for you.

Susan Maier, DVM

Hope Through Holistic Care