Notes From Dr. Maier
Hospice for Animals
Webster's
Dictionary defines Hospice as 1. A home for the sick or poor 2. A home facility
to provide supportive care to terminally ill patients.
What does this mean to our animal companions? I think we should not focus on the
term "terminal". After all, all life is eventually terminal. We should focus on
"supportive care." I would define supportive care as those measures that are
going to keep the patient as comfortable as possible and to keep their quality
of life as good as it can be for as long as it can be.
Supportive care can include a new warm fluffy bed, a magnet pad (Nikken
magnets), a diet change (canned or natural food Vs kibble), pain relievers,
supplements, acupuncture, flower essences, homeopathy, and Reiki. Giving
subcutaneous fluids at home twice weekly really helps many geriatric cats,
especially those cats with limited kidney function. This is something that most
clients can learn to do. I even had one client that referred to giving their cat
subcutaneous fluids as "watering the cat."
Arthritis is very treatable in cats and dogs.. Dogs can start with buffered
aspirin at a dose of 5 mg/lb twice daily. (call your vet to confirm the dose).
Do NOT use Tylenol. Advil, or Aleve. For cats check with your vet for a pain
reliever called Durlactin. Over the counter pain relievers are TOXIC to cats. My
favorite supplement for arthritis is Seacucumber. The company Coastside (www.seacucumber.com)
has a cucumber product for humans (SeaCuMax), for dogs (SeaJerky). for cats (SeaFlex)
and for horses (EquiSea). The SeaCuMax is a capsule and can be used for all
species. This supplement cannot be used in those who are allergic to seafood.
Acupuncture is also a great tool in treating arthritis. I have some patients
that come in for a monthly "tune-up" and I have others that only need come in
just a couple times a year for treatments.
There are many options available to treat the terminally ill. You need to
realize that your goal is to maintain a good quality of life for what time your
companion has left. I've seen patients who were brought to my clinic for
euthanasia that we were able to treat once the owners were educated about their
options. Many of these patients have gone on for more happy years. I've also had
clients tell me that they have had animals euthanized in the past because they
were told to by their doctors and/or friends and they deeply regret having gone
through with the euthanasia.
On a personal note check out "Shakey Jake's" story on our case reports page;
http://www.horizonvetserv.com/caseprofiles.htm So if someone tells
you your pet "needs to be put to sleep", take a good long look at her/him. There
are times when there are no treatment options and your companion may need help
to pass on. But if you look in their eyes and they say they are not ready to go,
trust that. Get a second, third, or fourth opinion if you need to. There are
many more options available now for treatment and for pain control than there
were even 5 years ago. Check you options! Do the best you can for your
companion.
Taking In Rescues
A lot of rescue
animals have "issues" that need to be addressed. Many times their history is
unknown and they may have been dumped or abandoned. They may be the victims of
divorce. Some may have escaped while in heat. Some male cats are abandoned when
they reach the age where they start to spray. (marking their territory with
urine). Some are lost when traveling with their owners. Their unstable history
may lead to health problems including, but not limited to separation anxiety,
vomiting, diarrhea, skin disease and bladder infections. These animals can be
helped greatly with flower essences and a consultation with an animal
communicator. Once they know they are "home" for good their anxiety will
dissipate. An animal communicator may be able to give details of the animal's
history, which may help explain some of their behavior.
Rescue dogs often benefit from obedience training. It will help boost their
confidence. There are also synthetic pheromone products available that have a
calming effect. Feloway for cats and DAP (dog appeasing pheromone) for dogs.
They are available in a spray form or as a wall plug in. You can find them at
veterinary clinics and major pet stores.
Of course all rescues should have a complete health exam by your veterinarian.
They can make wonderful additions to your family.
What Is A Holistic Work-up?
Treating an animal
with holistic medicine includes treating the whole animal. This includes the
physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental self. A holistic work-up includes
looking at the medical history, clinical symptoms, and environment. Environment
includes the physical environment and the family dynamics. How does this pet fit
in with the other pets and the humans? Have there been any changes?. For
example, a recent move, a divorce, a death in the family or students going off
to college? In humans and animals stress often plays a significant role in
illness.
Conventional medicine often defines the patient as its disease. "That diabetic
cat", that "hypothyroid dog" or that "epileptic." In conventional medicine that
"diabetic cat" would be treat with insulin and a prescription diet. In holistic
medicine the same cat would also be treated with insulin. He would also be put
on a high quality high protein, low carbohydrate diet and given antioxidants.
Many of these cats can come off insulin. The hypothyroid dog would be treated
with synthetic thyroid supplements in both conventional and holistic medicine.
In holistic medicine he would also be placed on a premium diet and would not be
vaccinated. He should have vaccine titers run yearly. The epileptic would be
treated holistically and conventionally with phenobarb and/or potassium bromide.
Holistically he could also be treated with acupuncture and homeopathy. And he
would not be vaccinated. Many of these patients can have their doses of seizure
medication reduced or eliminated.
When adding holistic care to your pet's life, his current medications are never
stopped cold turkey. It is a gradual process to wean them off their medications
as the new supplements and therapies have a chance to work. The longer a problem
has been present, the longer it may take for the animal to heal. Some actually
go through a healing crisis where they might get worse before they get better.
And if the disease is due to emotional trauma or stress, flower essences may
have a dramatic effect on their healing.
Commentary on Holistic and Conventional Medicine
There seems to be a
lot of confusion and misinformation regarding holistic medicine. It is
definitely not "new age." Acupuncture and aromatherapy have been around for 5000
years. Homeopathy was developed in the early 1800's. There were 22 schools of
Homeopathy in the United States at that time. Conventional or "modern medicine"
has been with us since the 1930's. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in
1928 and it took several years to develop the antibiotic for use. The polio
vaccine was developed in the early 1950s'. Once modern drugs were developed
people opted for the convenience of pills. Unfortunately the money behind drug
companies plays a large role in how doctors practice medicine. But that topic
could be a whole different commentary.
There seems to be a lot of conflict between Holistic or complementary medicine
and Conventional medicine. It is often a "us vs them" and a real control
struggle. Unfortunately many humans struggle with control issues everyday. I
believe conventional and holistic medicine should work together and should work
very well together. Conventional medicine has brought us life altering and life
saving diagnostics and medications. We now have ultrasound, endoscopy, CT scans,
and MRI's to mention a few. Many diseases can now be controlled with medications
and surgery. Diabetes and congenital heart disease are two of the many examples.
The advances in emergency medicine are incredible.
In my practice I have a lot to offer holistically, but I'm not a surgeon or a
dentist. I do not offer ultrasounds or endoscopy. But I happily refer my
patients for those additional treatments or diagnostics that I feel will be
beneficial to their general health. I'm never afraid to say "I don't know, but I
will find out or refer you to someone who can find out." We are fortunate to
live in an age when we have such rich resources of specialists.
Conventional medicine can become detrimental when patients are over medicated. I
have clients who are taking some medications to treat the side effects of their
other medications. Often their initial problem could be treated with diet,
supplements, and exercise. Overvaccinating is a huge problem in veterinary
medicine. Research has linked vaccines to thyroid disease, diabetes, autoimmune
diseases, and epilepsy to name a few. When I was in vet school I was taught that
the criteria for developing a vaccine included a disease with high mortality,
high morbidity, and is highly contagious. Parvovirus in dogs is a good example.
Unfortunately today there are many vaccines out there that are unnecessary, but
are still being highly recommended by some doctors. I think what most people
don't realize is that vaccines don't protect instantaneously. The body's immune
system must take that vaccine and process it to produce antibodies against the
disease. If the immune system is already taxed by allergies, asthma, epilepsy,
hypo or hyperthyroidism, kidney insufficiency or cancer, the patient will only
get worse if you vaccinate him. I once had a patient with kidney failure that
was receiving acupuncture. The referring Doctor didn't give him much time to
live. But with the acupuncture and excellent nursing care by the owners the cat
was doing very well for several months. His kidney enzymes were still elevated,
but physically he felt good and ate well. Then they decided to get his annual
booster vaccinations. I was devastated when I heard. And sure enough he started
to deteriorate in days and was dead in six weeks.
Your puppies and kittens should receive their core vaccines. (you can discuss
this with your vet because a lot of what they need may be determined by their
environment). Adult cats and dogs would benefit from having yearly vaccine
titers run. Vaccine titers are a blood test that measures antibodies for certain
diseases and this can tell you if your pet has adequate protection already. This
way only the animals really needing vaccine boosters will be identified.
Thoughts on overmedicating. If your pet is on a roller coaster ride of
antibiotics and steroids I would give holistic medicine a chance to break that
cycle. Looking at diet and environment are very important. I highly recommend
reading the book "Food Pets Die For" by Ann Martin. It will teach you how to
read food labels and pick the right food for your pet. Many disease states can
be controlled with a good diet, supplements, and antioxidants. Many premium
foods may cost more per bag, but you feed less so the cost per meal is not that
different. And you will save on vet bills.
In conclusion modern medicine is wonderful when utilized appropriately. There
are basic vaccines that should be given. Wellness exams and vaccine titers
should be done yearly for adults and every 6 months for geriatric patients.
Geriatric patients will also benefit from yearly bloodwork to screen for common
old age problems. If caught early, they can be treated easier. And those animals
that are on continuous rounds of antibiotics and steroids should seek holistic
care and diet consultation.
