Vets respond to pet owners' desire for alternative medicine

By GRETEL SARMIENTO
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer


BOCA RATON — Nobody has it better than pets nowadays.

They have free rent, organic food and unconditional love from their owners. Now you can add massages, reiki, acupuncture and aromatherapy sessions.

Once in a while, 13-year-old Twojay feels a warm tingling feeling on her back and paws. Like any patient she becomes a little anxious at the sight of the red laser beam but during treatment she remains calm.
"She can feel when the doctor is coming," Ann Gazourian said of her female cat, who has cystitis and whose diet was changed many times before a holistic veterinarian suggested laser acupuncture sessions. She's been getting them since 2001.

During treatment, various energy points on Twojay's body are treated with an infrared spectrum to stimulate circulation and fortify flabby muscles. In Twojay's case, it's a low-frequency treatment, which varies depending on an animal's condition.

Holistic medicine for pets seems to be gaining popularity as recent pet-food recalls have turned pet owners into skeptical shoppers and more people shift to a more natural green lifestyle.
In response, more veterinarians are turning their practices into holistic animal practices. The American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, with 800 members nationwide and 40 in Florida, has seen a consistent increase in the number of veterinarians using alternative treatments such as herbal medicine and homeopathy.

Dr. Carol Falck of Friendship Animal Wellness Center in Pompano Beach is one of them. Pet owners bring their cats, dogs, birds with everything from ear infections to temperament issues.
But rather than prescribing antibiotics right away, Falck said "You look at the whole picture."
That means studying an animal's diet, habits, genetics, age, size, breed and other factors to determine the source of the problem and which treatment will work best.

For instance, acupuncture, the Chinese art of using needles or a laser to release the energy flow in the body, can be used to adjust the nervous system, help the body fight disease, and regenerate the nerves and cells. And just as it works in the human body, it works on pets.

"They suffer from the same things that we suffer," said Elizabeth Brauer of Wellington, who takes her pets to Falck.

Her switch to holistic medicine happened when her basset hound nearly died after a heartworm treatment from a traditional veterinarian, Brauer said.

Since then, she relies on traditional medicine "only if absolutely necessary."
"Sure, antibiotics can get rid of bacterial infection but then why do they keep getting bacterial infection?"

Gazourian also would ask herself why Twojay's cystitis kept recurring.

Then came Ronald Johnson, a holistic veterinarian and director of Mobile Vet, Inc., a mobile clinic that makes house calls for sick animals in the Broward-Palm Beach County area.

"He took one look at what she was eating and said: This is why she has cystitis," said Gazourian, of Boca Raton.

Although traditional medicine tends to relieve symptoms, holistic medicine focuses on the root of the problem, Johnson said. And often, holistic medicine helps prevent a problem before it becomes one. By studying the animal as a whole, a holistic veterinarian can keep kidney stones, urinary conditions and other illnesses from occurring.

"We try to get ahead of all that," Johnson said. "We look at the whole animal not just a piece of lab work."

Johnson, who's also registered with the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association and has practiced for 40 years, also points out holistic is not emergency-oriented nor does it dismiss traditional medicine entirely. Some of his clients take vitamins and supplements.
"We use the best of both worlds, Western and Eastern medicine," he said.

Aside from being preventive, integrative and less-invasive, another characteristic of holistic medicine is the mind-body element.

In humans, a positive attitude and optimistic thoughts are encouraged to help with the healing process. That pets don't have to make this conscious effort might actually be an advantage. Because they don't put their mind into the healing process they also don't run the risk of letting memories of trauma and abuse get in the way, as can happen with humans.
"They see positive in everything," said Brauer, a reiki practitioner.

"That's a huge part for humans. It's probably the biggest obstacle that we have. No Chinese medicine practice can help if your mind is self-destructing."