Before a new journey can begin, there are several components of each animal’s past history that are considered when they come to see us. We evaluate the animal’s daily habits of eating, drinking, eliminating, sleeping and dreaming, as well as its methods of comforting itself (such as seeking cool tiles to lie on, or places in the warm sun) and how it relates to humans and other animals (friendly or guarded).

Each individual has a medical background full of important details that are scrutinized.  That includes any “seemingly” unrelated illnesses; for example, ear infections in a dog that has come in for digestive problems. Blood tests, x-rays, ultrasounds, etc, from other veterinarians also provide critical parts of each animal’s story. In addition to the standard veterinary evaluation, we also take into account the color and characteristics of the animal’s tongue, pulse, feet, ear temperatures, and flexibility in joints and spine.

This combination of conventional, naturopathic, and oriental viewpoints informs us of what balances and imbalances are part of the animal’s condition and guides us to the appropriate treatments and remedies for their care (which may include further diagnostic testing from conventional veterinarians). Each animal is unique and their treatment is conducted as such.

Jesse

The first journey I will share is about a dachshund named “Jesse.” Jesse has one of those looks that masterfully seems to say, “Now that you’re looking in my eyes, can’t you see that I’m the center of your world?” He first came to us with progressive back pain and paralysis in his hind legs. Carol and Larry, Jesse’s loving owners, had been treating his pain with the standard treatment of Dexanaethasone tablets. However, when the dosage was lowered, as is recommended after the first week, Jesse became paralyzed in his hind legs.

Jesse was brought to us and evaluated and given treatment with herbs, acupuncture, and osteopathic manipulations. With each treatment, Jesse regained more use of his rear legs. Now, he enjoys his favorite pastime of searching for critters in the backyard wood pile.

Recent studies in dogs and humans with acute spinal cord injuries confirm more rapid recovery when treated with electroacupuncture. Acupuncture has also been shown to speed the recovery rate of animals that have undergone surgery. To read more about the benefits of acupuncture and disk disease, visit Veterinary Practice News.

Sophie

Another journey involves a 13-year-old Golden Retriever named “Sophie.” Rae, (owner), brought her gentle retriever to see us for digestive problems. Since a young age, Sophie had gurgling gastrointestinal sounds in her abdomen, poor appetite, a tendency to lose weight and vomit bile. A surgery for Pyloric Stenosis (a narrowed valve at the end of the stomach) had helped her to a certain degree but the illness persisted.

After an evaluation, Sophie was placed on an herb formula customized for her symptoms. After a week of no improvement, the herbal formula was modified. Sophie quickly gained a normal appetite, stopped vomiting, and became increasingly playful. “I can’t believe it!” exclaimed Rae less than a month after Sophie’s visit, “When I come home she is barking at the door to be fed. She has never been so excited to eat!” That was eight months ago and Sophie continues to enjoy her meals and overwhelm Rae with her boisterous behavior.

Numerous digestive disorders improve using herbal therapies as well as different types of diets.

Bogie

For over a year, “Bogie,” a cute Bichon, suffered from dangerous fevers that often reached 104 degrees and caused appetite loss, lethargy, and frequent vomiting. The skin of Bogie’s abdomen was breaking out in raised vesicles (blisters) and he would cry and bite at his person/owner when they lifted him from the abdomen. Bogie had undergone extensive, thorough medical evaluations and treatments including those administered by a board certified veterinary internal specialist. Multiple tests for Valley Fever, Tick Fever, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme’s disease, etc had been done in hopes of finding the cause of the fevers. All turned up negative.

Using an oriental medical approach, Bogie was evaluated and treated with herb formulas and dietary changes which permanently relieved his cycling fevers, vesicles and lethargy. Now, a year later, Bogie is his playful self again.

Bogie’s condition, from a conventional and holistic viewpoint, could have been a type of autoimmune disorder or possibly a pathogen (disease agent) lodged in his system. Oriental medicine, using herbs, acupuncture, and diet can often be extremely helpful and/or curative for such conditions.

Spike

Another memorable journey is about a dog named “Spike,” a high-strung rat terrier that came to us for “fear-aggression,” (a defensive aggression arising out of fear). He was a notorious speedster on the agility track and had a reputation for biting at people who reached their hands toward him—including the friendly neighborhood holistic veterinarian (that would be me). In addition to treating Spike’s spine, hips, and toe joints for stiffness, we also gave him an herb formula fitted to treat his fear-aggression.

One year later, Spike is still tearing around the agility track. While his anxiousness is not 100 percent gone, he is content with howling at strangers instead of lashing out to bite at them.

Acupuncture and herbs are known to help mediate some of the emotional extremes of fright, aggression, depression and more.

Archie

The last journey I would like to share with you is about “Archie.” Archie had a long history of seizures which had previously been controlled with the use of anti-seizure medications Phenobarbital and Potassium Bromide. Archie’s person/owner came to our office when Archie’s seizure problem escalated beyond the control of his medications. Archie was convulsing an average of fifteen seizures per 24 hour period.

We saw Archie on a Thursday. He was treated with acupuncture and given a specific herb formula to treat his type of imbalance, (there is no one-size-fits-all seizure herb formula). Archie’s owner was also advised to take Archie off his grain-infused dog food, (we have experienced that some seizing animals stop seizing when taken off grain.) By Sunday, Archie’s owner reported, “I’ve got my dog back!” Archie subsequently had one mild seizure the following week, and as of a month ago, has not seized since.

Many dogs, like Archie, experience a decrease in the intensity or the frequency of seizures with the help of holistic therapies.

Like all aspects of veterinary medicine, “Holistic” medicine is constantly growing and evolving. As a practitioner, I am also continually learning and growing from my patients and our time spent together. I am grateful to be part of their journey.

One of the goals of this article has been to “Spread the word” as to the variety of illnesses and ailments that holistic medicine can treat and sometimes cure. “Holistic Therapy” is composed of a group of approaches (acupuncture, osteopathy, Reiki, etc) that are considered different or “Alternative” to current conventional approaches. Having practiced both of these sets of treatments for many years, it is my observation that there is tremendous value in both approaches.

Holistic veterinary medicine is not a replacement for what is considered conventional! The question to ask is this: “How can we combine these approaches to maximize benefits for our animals and ourselves?” We, at Harmony Veterinary Care, enjoy and are honored to work collaboratively with the many talented, intelligent and hardworking veterinarians in the tri-city area.
Maybe someday, there won’t be “Alternative” and “Conventional” therapies but one integration of effective approaches!
If you would like to consult with a holistic veterinarian, a directory can be found atwww.ahvma.org.

Dr. Metcalf

6-23-09

Edited by Clare Hancock

See Dr. Metcalf at Work:  Click Here to see Dr. Metcalf’s Microcurrent Treatment for Dogs

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Not only might we worry about their wellbeing, we also may face numerous   choices about how to proceed with their care. Do we have blood work and/or x-rays done? What about surgery? Should we go the holistic route? And all the information on the Internet – what do we believe? And still another element is the feelings and thoughts we have around potentially losing our companion in the dying process.

Some personal insights

I would like to share some insights and processes that I have found helpful to myself and others in these areas. I share them in the spirit of suggestions, as I observe there are many ways to approach these issues and no one way is “Right”. If what I share is helpful to you, fantastic. If it doesn’t fit or feel right, then surely some other approach will be better for you.

Firstly, if we are having strong emotions and fears of losing our pet, it can be very difficult for us to make choices. This is certainly true for me. In addition to concerns for my own animals, these emotions can arise in me as a practitioner if I’ve been treating an animal for an extended period; become “attached” to the animal, and the animal has taken a downturn in physical health.

What I have found helpful is to first acknowledge my feelings about what is happening or about what I’m afraid will happen, and go ahead and accept and feel those feelings. For example, if an animal has a serious condition we may first feel fear or helplessness or sadness (or all of those feelings) about it being ill. Rather than resist the reality of the illness and of the emotions, we can accept the situation and the feelings, cry if we need to, and then arrive at a state of more clarity.

Similarly, if we are afraid that our animal may die from the condition, we can accept and feel the emotions that we would have to feel were they to die, and again arrive in a state of more peacefulness from which to make our choices.

Repeating the process

Sometimes we may need to repeat the process again and again, or at different points in the process of caring for an animal. Maybe we’ve accepted the possibility of losing our pet when we first notice a lump on their body, but after a biopsy we find out it is an aggressive cancer.

We may need, again, to accept those uncomfortable feelings, feel them, breathe, and allow them to run their course, before we can make any further decisions. Note that this does not mean that we want the animal to be ill, or want them to die. It is merely a process for clearing our hearts and minds so we can come from a loving connection with our animals and ourselves when we proceed with their care.

As challenging as this can be, and it really can be, believe me, I know, I have found it opens my heart up to compassion and connection with my animals and parts of my own awareness. It helps me make my next step from a sense of love and caring, rather than fear.

When we accept our challenging feelings we can restore our sense of positive connection with our animals. Sometimes we feel the deeper being we share. We may sense something we could learn from the animal or have an intuitive insight about the animal’s condition. Other times we simply have clarity of mind and heart and can proceed with treatment choices knowing we are doing the best we can even as the outcome of treatment is unknown. Note that this does not mean we know the outcome of the choice we make, but that the choice comes from Love and Caring.

As much as we want guaranteed outcomes… there are none. We can only take the journey, and the journey is part of the mystery of life.

Once we’ve accepted the current state of affairs of our animal friend, rather than resisting them, we can move forward with the next step. Perhaps we need to make an appointment with a veterinarian to ask some questions and gather more information. Maybe there are tests to be done.

Maybe we want to call a friend that might know something from their experience. Doors tend to open and insights tend to come. Again, we may not necessarily know the outcome of our choices, but we can make them from love and caring and let Love lead us along. Then, no matter whether our pet “lives”, or “dies” (moves into another type of life?) we can feel in our hearts that we’re doing the best we can, given the circumstances we have, in providing loving care for our animal companions.

Mocha

Recently, we treated a dog named “Mocha” that had a severe neurological disorder. We treated Mocha for 9 months two times a week. He was severely uncoordinated, wobbling and gyrating and at times falling or crashing into things. He always maintained a happy countenance, and gazed lovingly at his human companion…until his physical condition deteriorated to where he couldn’t arise to eat or eliminate and he was lovingly euthanized.

When I accepted his deterioration and my feelings of grief I felt a soulful connectedness to Mocha, and I sensed the growthful opportunity he had given me to do all I knew to do and learn more and more in trying to help him. I was stretched in researching, consulting with numerous experts, trying new ways to treat his condition.

I really, really wanted to help Mocha, and I did all I could in trying to find ways to reach that part of him that would make the changes that would help him. Through it all, Mocha remained a happy-camper, wagging his tail and sometimes falling over in excitement as he came for his treatments.

When I accepted his passing, as much as it hurt, a part of me smiled inside when we connected during his euthanasia. It was as if  we  (not just he, not just I) had given our best and now we were just connecting in Love. No more struggling. What a sweet and wonderful dog-being. How nourishing just to join in that love together. And of course, remembering Mocha just being happy and being OK with “what is” in his life, what an example he was to me!

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The beauty and contribution of the holistic approach we use is that many of these conditions can be seen from additional perspectives that can often lead to tremendous improvements and cures.It is not feasible to print all of the conditions that may be helped, and many conditions may not have a specific name or a known cause. If you are curious as to if your animal’s condition could be aided by our treatments, please feel free to contact our office and inquire with us.

• Behavioral & psychological disorders – such as: separation, travel, and noise anxieties; fear, dominance, aggression; depression, cognitive dysfunction syndrome
• Cancers – including abdominal, hepatic, thoracic, skin, brain, lymphatic (lymphoma), spine, and many others. Many, but not all, may be slowed by natural therapies. Quality of life is often significantly enhanced. Some cures are reported anecdotally by holistic veterinarians. May combine with chemo, surgery, radiation, or do natural approach alone.
• Cardiovascular disorders – such as: congestive heart failure, cold limbs or ears
• Digestive / Gastrointestinal / Liver disorders – such as: vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, gastritis, ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, colitis, pancreatitis, hepatitis, hepatic encephalopathy, porta-systemic shunts, hepatic lipidosis
• Ear, eye, nose and throat ailments – such as: conjunctivitis, otitis, rhinitis, sinusitis, kerratoconjunctivitis sicca(dry eye), detached retina, progressive retinal atrophy
• Immune system – such as: many autoimmune disorders , immune hemolytic anemia, immune thrombocytopenic, systemic lupus, erythematosus, vaccine reactions, cycling fevers of unknown origin, masticatory myositis, pemphigus foliaceous, generalized ossifying myositis, immune glomerulonephritis
• Kidney, bladder, urogenital disorders – such as: kidney failure (early or late), glomerulonephritis, cystitis (bladder infections), crystalluria (urine crystals), pyelonephritis (kidney infections), vaginitis, impotence and infertility
• Musculoskeletal disorders - such as: joint disease, hip dysplasia, arthritis, neck, upper and lower spine disorders, spondylosis, cervical spondylopathy (Wobbler’s disease), disc disease, myositis, and partially torn cruxiate ligaments
• Nervous system disorders – such as: disc disease affecting nerve function, paralysis, vestibular syndrome, cerebrovascular accidents (stroke), encephalitis, meningitis, necrotizing encephalitis, degenerative myelopathy, hepatic encephalopathy, seizures, and Bells Palsy
• Respiratory disorders – such as: chronic cough, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, and collapsing trachea
• Skin ailments – such as: allergies, demodectic mange, pyoderma (infection), seborrhea oleosa or sicca, urticaria (hives), alopecia (hair loss), pemphigus foliaceous, acral lick dermatitis (lick granuloma)

“Often, pets with long-term or unresponsive conditions receive much benefit from natural therapies.” – Dr. Todd Metcalf

I combine my experience and training in conventional medicine, acupuncture, herbology, and osteopathy to get a picture or sense of what would most be helpful to your pet. I use my mind, heart, and senses with the hopes of finding the individual needs of your pet.

Education: Doctor in Veterinary Medicine, University of California at Davis, 1980
Bachelors of Sciense in Biological Sciences University of California at Davis, 1976

Advanced training in veterinary acupuncture, veterinary osteopathic manipulations, Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation (V.O.M.), and veterinary herbology.

25 years of experience in conventional medicine and surgery. 10 years of experience in natural therapies.

Association Memberships: American Veterinary Medical Association, American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association AHVMA.org, American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncturists AAVA.org

“The name, ‘Harmony Veterinary Care’ expresses our hope that promoting internal and external harmony is to move away from disease, and toward health.” – Dr Metcalf

• Listening to and respecting your individual concerns and needs.
• Caring service toward enhancing your pet’s well being.
• Awareness of, and service toward the interconnectedness we all share.
• Support for freedom from physical, emotional, and mental suffering, which to us includes compassionate support when dying.

• History taking: questions regarding your animal’s current health concern (for example — a skin problem). Also, questions regarding digestion, drinking, sleep, temperament, diet, etc., which help us to understand the root of the issue.
• Review of prior medical records where applicable (x-rays, labwork, etc.,). This includes any records you may want to bring from any previous veterinary examinations.
• Thorough examination using holistic approach to veterinary medicine. This includes conventional approach plus evaluation of tongue, pulse, coat, skin, radiance, temperament, etc.
• Recommendations on appropriate diet for your animal’s condition.
• Treatment with acupuncture and/or osteopathic manipulations depending on your animal’s needs.
• Determination and recommendation on appropriate herbs and supplements.
• Recommendations in conventional medicine if advisable (further blood tests, x-ray, MRI, ultrasound, etc.)
• Contact with your conventional veterinarian if necessary.

Dr. Metcalf’s particular focus is in holistic medicine using veterinary acupuncture and herbs, gentle manipulations, and natural supplements in the care of your animal friends.

Drawing on 25 years in veterinary practice, Dr. Metcalf also makes recommendations in conventional medicine where appropriate. Dr. Metcalf gladly collaborates with any conventional veterinarian of your choosing.