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Natural Therapies
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Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a distinct medical science that originated in the late 1700's with a German doctor, Samuel Hahnemann. It is a gentle, natural approach to wellness that triggers the body's own healing intelligence using highly diluted yet potent medicines.
These diluted medicines or "remedies" have to be exactly matched to the symptom picture of the animal and can have remarkable effects when accurately prescribed. To realise the full benefits of this discipline, it is important to consult with veterinarians specifically trained in this form of medicine.
There are several books available on homeopathy. If you decide to treat your own pet, we recommend you keep very accurate records. If you need to have a consultation with us, these details are necessary to interpret what has happened and rework the case. Please note that homeopathy can be potentially harmful if you do not know what you are doing and should not replace attention by a veterinarian.
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Western Herbal Medicine
You are probably already familiar with herbal medicine. Chamomile tea is known to be calming and soothing, garlic has a reputation for helping fight infections, and arnica is known to benefit bruising. Eighty percent of the world's population use herbs to treat a manner of health issues. What may seem like a modern healthcare alternative can be a traditional healthcare, now supported with scientific studies.
Herbal combinations usually produce healing in a more gradual and natural way by stimulating the body's own mechanisms, although they can act rapidly in many cases. You may already use herbs yourself. However, we strongly caution applying or using the same remedies for your pets as some herbs are specifically contraindicated in animals and they can also interact with other medications.
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Acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine
Acupuncture uses very fine needles inserted through the skin at specific points on the body. It has been practised for 4000 years and is widely used today because it produces results, facilitating healing by stimulating natural processes, and a return to balance. Animals treated with acupuncture often appear to relax during the session and often fall asleep. This form of medicine is particularly beneficial in assisting with the relief of pain and facilitating the return to normal function. It can be used for most conditions treated by conventional medicine.
Acupuncture is actually one part of a whole system called Traditional Chinese Medicine involving diet, Chinese herbs, massage and other techniques. Traditional Chinese Medicine is used to diagnose, prevent and treat disease. In animals, acupuncture and Chinese herbs work very well together. Acupuncture provides a more immediate benefit and herbs provide longer term home treatment between visits.
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Bach Flower Essences
The Bach Flower Remedies are flower essences based on the research and findings of an English doctor Dr. Edward Bach. Bach was a medical pioneer in the early 1900s. He observed that different types of disease were associated with different types of personality, temperaments and emotional issues. From his insight into the role of emotions, Bach sought to find a simple, safe way to restore harmony in the body and in his search, found flowers, trees and bushes that when prepared in a particular way could be very helpful in healing disease.
Dr Bach's idea was that negative emotional states can suppress the healing process. This is interesting because in the last decade there has been a great deal of interest in ‘psychoimmunology' or the study of the connection of the mind and its influence on disease.
The Bach Flower Remedies are gentle, safe and can be used as an adjunct to other therapies when there is a distinct emotional component involved.
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Massage
Massage is an excellent therapy for the treatment of arthritis and acute chronic muscular issues. They improve circulation, flexibility and joint mobility.
Massage has a relaxing and calming effect on animals prone to stress and anxiety, and keeps your working dog in shape by preparing muscles for optimum use, and reduces the likelihood of injury. It is also a valuable therapy in the palliative care of terminally ill animals.
There are a number of types of massage including trigger point therapy, remedial massage and acupressure.
Our massage therapist is available for appointments and offers 30 minute and 60 minute sessions. Click here to make an appointment
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Trigger Point Therapy
A trigger point is an irritable, taut band of muscle which is painful when compressed. Trigger points give rise to pain which is frequently chronic. Many dogs with chronic pain in which diagnostic tests cannot find any underlying cause, will have trigger points.
Trigger points are treated with a combination of acupuncture, massage and stretching. Sometimes a series of two to three treatments is necessary. Appropriate exercise and warm up and cool down programs can help prevent them recurring.
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Chiropractic
Chiropractic care can be beneficial, where changes to the spine interfere with the normal functioning of the whole body. The goal of treatment is to gently adjust and manipulate the body to stimulate the body's own innate healing mechanisms.
It is important that an animal's condition is accurately diagnosed before treatment or that the work is carried out by a qualified veterinary chiropractor. There are several situations where chiropractic work is specifically contraindicated and may actually worsen the condition.
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Nutritional Counseling
Dietary factors play an enormous role in the health of our animals. Simply improving the plane of nutrition can have remarkable effects on well-being and overall health. When specific disease conditions are present, modifying the diet can actually assist in the restoration of health. Specific foods or supplements can be introduced, or quantities increased or decreased to affect targeted organs, cells or systems of the body.
We always take a thorough nutritional history and assess current dietary and nutritional needs. In certain conditions such as cancer, intravenous vitamin therapy may be of assistance. While sometimes changes to the diet can seem time consuming or inconvenient, within a short space of time, you will know if it has been worth the effort. Often times once health has been restored we can simplify the diet and make feeding time much simpler.
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Craniosacral Therapy
Craniosacral Therapy encourages release of the negative effects of trauma and stress and enhances general health and resistance to disease.
It is based on gently adjusting and correcting for increased pressure in the fluid bathing the brain and spinal cord. It is believed that these increases affect the functioning of various organs and systems throughout the body.
The system was developed recently by Dr John Upledger, an osteopathic physician and surgeon, and is now used by many health professionals in both the human and veterinary fields.
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Reiki
Reiki is a therapy that works with life force energy. This natural form of healing involves the direction and application of gentle energy to the patient. Reiki is not aligned with any particular religious belief system, and is available and applicable to all animals whether well or ill.
It can be of tremendous benefit, particularly with pets facing serious illness or death, and complements all forms of therapy. We are happy to provide treatments and encourage you to learn the methods so that you can use them yourself.
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TENS
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) is used for pain management by increasing circulation and activating the body's own chemical pain relievers.
This can be helpful to prevent muscle atrophy or even improve muscle strength in an animal that is unwilling or unable to contract the muscle voluntarily. It can be useful post operatively when the limb is too swollen or painful for the animal to use, or if the animal is too weak to support its own weight.
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Other Services
There are numerous ancillary services available in this practice, all provided by our team of veterinarians and paraprofessionals on site, or by referral to one of our aligned therapists. These services include physical therapy, muscle manipulation, counseling, compassionate euthanasia and animal communication.
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