It is heartbreaking to watch a pet we love suffer from pain due to injury, surgery or age-related degeneration. Traditional pain medications only treat symptoms and do not support the body’s natural ability to heal, often leading to devastating side-effects. There are a number of holistic treatment modalities that can provide pain relief, and there is often added benefit in using them in combination.
Meet Cian, an 8 year-old Irish wolfhound who suffered from a serious neck injury leaving him in chronic, debilitating pain. When I first saw Cian, he was already getting regular chiropractic and acupuncture treatments. In addition, I began a course of homeopathic injections customized to his particular set of symptoms. Cian’s owner writes “Our traditional options were limited and all of them had side effects that were nearly as bad as the problem. All it took was a small blood draw and a series of tiny injections with a needle that Cian didn’t even notice, and WOW! Two days later he was running around like a puppy! The alternative treatment lasted several months and was easily repeated with the same astonishing results. A veritable fountain of youth in pain relief”.
Holistic veterinary medicine offers many options where traditional medicine may reach a dead-end. The treatment I used for Cian was only one of many options, and the specific remedies that I chose could be changed as his needs changed over time. I believe that the fact that he was also receiving acupuncture and chiropractic care enhanced his response to my therapies. This is a beautiful example of how using holistic therapies in combination can offer an additive effect, often dramatically increasing the benefit to your pet.