Should I see a holistic vet?

[k9kreationz]

Sorry to contradict anyone else's suggestion, but I believe a more accurate assessment would be had if Miko is present. This way the vet can get his hands on Miko for a thorough exam and look at the labs and history and go over this with you in person. You can see if you and Miko are a good fit with this vet. If you go without Miko it is more of a consult for you than Miko. You really want to have a vet established as soon as you can due to Miko's age and CRF. That way if his health takes a turn for the worse and you need to go in for an emergency you have at least been seen by a doc at a practice in the area.

Was talking with someone whose dog is 16 years old- a big dog at that, and she was upset about some of her dog's vocalizations and wandering around and such and she was also concerned if this was due to a stroke or dementia. Her vet told her they would probably never be able to know for sure , so they just treat the symptoms best as they can. They give the dog Chlodin which does help some, but just like with older people, some things just come along with old age and aren't always able to be "fixed" but rather, managed.

As for Miko's stress with car rides , maybe just try to make him as safe and comfy as possible and keep a positive attitude about it. Try not feed off his anxiety, that just makes it harder for him. Relax and enjoy getting to know a new vet !!

I know that not everything can be fixed, but I guess I felt like some issues just weren't even addressed. For example, they never said, "they can't be fixed, it is what it is". I think if they told me something like that, I'd accept that. Does that make sense.

I kind of agree with the need to see the dog for a consult. I really am thinking though, $220 is a lot, especially if I have to keep bringing him in. Sigh. I'm going to call them tomorrow (I thought today was Saturday).

 

[k9kreationz]

I would research what if anything can be offered holistically that helps a dog with what is wrong with Miko. Weigh the expenses into that. Holistic isn't inherently better or worse. If what is wrong is something that has been proven to have been helped holistically, it can be worth the money. If it hasn't, you may or may not get the results you are looking for and may be out a good deal of money up front for a visit that provided nothing more than the traditional vet would have.
I'll make myself clear. I am not against a holistic vet. After all, I take my dogs to the chiropractor every 4-6 weeks, use light/ultrasound therapy when warranted, supplements, and accupuncture.
So, just do your homework. Decide what is going to provide the best options for you and Miko and that you can afford.

Good point. Because if nothing really can be done, then there's definitely no point to seeing a holistic vet.

This woman does chiropractic care too. I think the biggest thing will be...does she make house calls, or if I need anything, do I need to go in to see her? Because I won't put Miko through the stress of the drive. Besides, it would be counteractive to whatever good she does.

 

[k9kreationz]

The adjustment was a chiropractic treatment and that is what really changed the deaf cats personality, she really was a happier cat after that. That was the good I saw.

I admit, it can do wonders. I have tried that with Miko, didn't do a dang thing with him. Seems to help Koji and his agility stuff though.

 

[SheltieChe]

It is all about what you believe and what you follow. We have vet that does either, or a mix of western and holistic ways. She is fantastic, boys adore her and I drive to downtown Chicago where parking is a nightmare
But that is what I believe, there is time and place for everything so we are exactly on same page regarding vaccinations, nutrition, acute and chronic treatments. In the end you want to trust your vet to offer best solutions based on their level of knowledge.
Boys have separate chiro vet and massage therapist and I know what difference it makes for their physical condition.

 

[k9kreationz]

Thanks everyone. For now, I changed my appointment to the regular vet. I think I'll wait and see a bit. I'm sure the regular vet wouldn't have a problem saying, "I think you should see the holistic vet also" seeing as how they work together.

I just feel better about it for now.

 

[k9kreationz]

Update: Went to the vet

Figured I'd post a quick update as I went to the vet yesterday.

Although the vet exam was free (new client), not bad, I walked out paying $330 for Koji's vaccinations, blood test, fecal test, bordatella and Miko's blood and fecal test (no urine as they said there wasn't any - they did an U/S to check). Usually, I walk out paying that much for Miko's visit and blood/urine tests, so I'm happy with that.

I went over their history with the vet tech. All in all good. The only thing was that I got a "lecture" about feeding raw due to bone splinters (a chicken leg for Koji every so often). That kind of turned me off. I guess Koji is less muscle and more fat as he still weighs the same - 19.6lbs.

Later on, the vet came in. My initial impression was, "meh". But as he talked to me and dealt with Koji, I started to really like him. So yay on that. We talked for a long time. Both he and the vet tech were EXTREMELY happy to see a NOT fat Sheltie. I guess it's rare. Sad, but true. Miko was lying on the ground and napping (either he was tired from the ride over - 20 mins - or not stressed). The vet sat on the ground and did his exam there. Koji did NOT like getting his temperature taken. Honestly, I think it was the first time. Miko got a pass on that one.

Long story, very short, because I was there so long, I went ahead and vaccinated Koji with Lepto. Why? Because of me doing agility in barns and unknown places along with gawd knows what at those places. Since they're of the same line (Koji and Miko) and Miko is allergic, I was concerned. The vet said they use a good vaccination that doesn't have as much reaction as others. And yay, no reaction!!!

The vet and I discussed Miko and possible solutions for pain management. At this point, he said the holistic vet would be a better choice, since the tramadol didn't seem to do much. He suggested something else, however, he felt if the tramadol didn't do much, this wouldn't either. He then suggested steroids (for inflammation) and then said, "but then, that brings on a whole slew of other issues that I'm sure you don't want to deal with". Which I don't. So, holistic vet would be useful for pain management, but even then, we don't know if it would work. The acupuncture was starting to not work, so who knows.

One thing that concerned me was that the Internist in CA wasn't concerned about Miko's numbers and felt he was "stable". The vet tech said that one of Miko's numbers was extremely high (I believe it was his BUN). And basically felt he wouldn't live another year. So, was the internist being hopeful or did she see something the vet tech didn't? Why would the vet tech think Miko's kidney's are failing (in a bad way), when the internist felt he was stable, and doing well (she still had him in a stage 2-3, when I first went, he was 1-2. I believe there are 4 stages). The way the vet tech talked, it was like he was stage 4 and almost there. Hmmm.......the vet didn't talk like that and felt he was good and that a lot of the other issues are old age related (the circling, not sleeping at night, etc)....as in dementia/senility. Which is what my internist said too.

Overall, he was suggesting the same thing as my internist, so I'm happy. I'm going to see if the nutritionist feels we should reformulate his food, or not. Miko is down to 13.1 lbs. Scary low. He was 16 lbs about 1.5 years ago. My poor baby.

Koji's vet records file is like a few pages. LOL. Guess he's healthy and we haven't had any issues. The bad part? Looks like his upper left back molar is not good at all. To the point where they'd like to pull it. They also found 3 small teeth behind his lower canine. I guess there's only supposed to be 1 or 2. Oh Koji. I'll probably do a dental on him. Clean his teeth and pull the back molar and see what the heck is going on with those extra teeth. The vet found it interesting that a lot of his teeth didn't come through. I told him I think his early neutering stopped his maturing. Then I said, I have no idea, I just know he didn't mature correctly.

Not sure if this is a Sheltie thing, but the vet said, "yeah, I can't feel any of his organs, his rib cage is holding it all in". And then he said, "but it's nice to be able to feel his rib cage and see his tuck, okay, feel his tuck". They kept saying how great it was to exam an in-shape Sheltie.

And the best best best part? The vet tech "checked me out" in the exam room. I didn't have to go stand in the waiting room and pay. I hate that, because Koji wants to beat up all the other dogs (or at least act like it). And with me having to carry Miko out and drag Koji, it was a blessing in disguise.

Overall, I'm happy with the vet. He was really nice, answered a lot of my questions, had the same findings as the internist and my other vet. He did a very thorough exam on both of them and suggested things and noted problem areas.

I also got an email late yesterday evening telling me to sign up with this website. It's got a "file folder" for Miko and Koji. Kinda cute. They're very high tech....well, I get emails from them. LOL.

Oh yeah. On the up/down side, I got a referral for in-home euthanasia. I'm glad they had a contact for that. I hate thinking about it, but I know I have to, just in case. The vet tech also made sure I knew exactly where the closest e-vet was. She even gave me specific directions (as in pass the Starbucks, turn left, etc). And we chatted a bit after my appointment. It just made me feel really good about them.

Sigh. I feel better.

 

[Calliesmom]

glad to hear that your visit went well. it's always nice when the vet makes allowances for each dog and how they're doing.
My vet belongs to a website- Pet Portal- for keeping track of when things are due and what each dog has had. It's pretty cool.

 

[Tagg]

If his kidneys aren't processing well, the toxins will circulate in the bloodstream and can cause the symptoms resembling dementia. Eventually it can lead to seizures.
I don't understand the 3 teeth around a canine comment. There should be 1 canine, 6 incisors and then 1 canine on the bottom. Going back into the mouth there should be 4 premolars before the molars. Many dogs are missing premolars which has nothing to do with what they eat, or when they were neutered, and everything to do with genetics or outside influence such as damage, veterinary removal etc.
You should ask this vet what most of his comments and that of his tech really mean so that you can "see" what they do.

 

[BarbV]

It sounds like you found a vet with a good balance. Not overly promoting ongoing pain meds, supporting alternative treatments, etc.

One comment, when I decided to switch vets, I emailed all of Bacca's history to him and he reviewed it no charge and provided me an early assessment.

When I actually met him, I was in love. He has two Shelties himself so is well aware if their issues....bad teeth, fat tendency, etc. and was so interested in Bacca's condition that he did an ultrasound for free. Only draw back is he is an hour away. But they now courier his meds to me

Tagg mentioned about toxins. Ask your vet about lactulose. It's used currently for dogs with liver disease like my Bacca. It may be appropriate for kidney disease as well. You can buy lactulose at a regular pharmacy

 

[k9kreationz]

glad to hear that your visit went well. it's always nice when the vet makes allowances for each dog and how they're doing.
My vet belongs to a website- Pet Portal- for keeping track of when things are due and what each dog has had. It's pretty cool.

The one they use is Petly. It's just cute. I like when vets are into those things. Makes it a bit easier to keep track of things.