Shetlander Posted October 7, 2013 Report Share Posted October 7, 2013 Long story short, Quinn arrived at 9 weeks with health issues (kennel cough, coccidia and giardia at first, and then chronic bronchitis and IBD). When traditional veterinary care didn’t seem to get any lasting improvement and in fact seemed to be making him worse, I turned to a pretty hard core holistic vet when he was 2 ½. He thrived under her care for 5 years. The transformation was amazing and he was the picture of health until in February he was diagnosed by our local vet with perianal fissures which is probably an autoimmune issue. It is a pretty awful condition and I was rather depressed that holistic let us down, but the holistic vet remained positive it could be treated through her methods. My local vet is very flexible and didn’t see the harm in going that route as a start. We didn’t see much improvement at first, then in July one of the smaller fissures had disappeared so I was pretty excited. However, lately I had noticed the area was looking worse and took him back to the local vet who agreed a fissure had become worse. So I officially threw in my holistic towel. The local vet started Quinn on an immunosuppressant ointment and two weeks of antibiotics on Thursday. I already see an improvement. Not in the fissure but there is already less drainage and I think a bit less inflammation. I feel bad (and stupid) that Quinn may have been suffering needlessly for so long, though he hasn’t acted bothered by the area, other than the past month he has whimpered at times when I cleaned it. The holistic vet is very much you need to be all in or it won’t work. When I called her about the fissures in February, she said if I tried the traditional vet approach, we could never go back to holistic. So now I’m all out. Hopefully, this new approach will work for Quinn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G. Festerling Posted October 7, 2013 Report Share Posted October 7, 2013 Well, then your holistic vet smells! I despise anyone that says these things. There are vets who smell as well. Truth is, there are so many remedies and approaches that can even compliment each other, that no one single person can know them all. I have no doubt that Quinn is the apple of your eye and that you are doing your very best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted October 7, 2013 Report Share Posted October 7, 2013 Poor Quinn. Poor you. You can only do your best, nobody knows the future. Holistic doesn't work for everything and it doesn't work fast enough for some things. I like integrative vets because I want the best of both worlds. Alas, all we have is traditional, but I do have a really good traditional vet, at least. It sounds like you do too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted October 7, 2013 Report Share Posted October 7, 2013 The holistic vet is very much you need to be all in or it won’t work. When I called her about the fissures in February, she said if I tried the traditional vet approach, we could never go back to holistic. I am glad that Quinn is doing better. I hope he continues to improve. BUT, I don't understand the above attitude. Is there some 'scientific' reasoning why holistic can't be used again? Or does your vet feel that you are a traitor to holistic so she doesn't want to deal with you anymore because you broke the discipline? So sad. I also believe that the approaches can be complementary. Jovi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnewe2 Posted October 7, 2013 Report Share Posted October 7, 2013 Sad story but you are getting him the best treatment you can and doing your best. Shine on those thoughts of not doing him right. You are. So glad he is getting better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlwzgd Posted October 7, 2013 Report Share Posted October 7, 2013 I've never heard that holistic can't be used with traditional... well ok, I've heard it, I just don't agree with it. We have a vet that does both, on the same dog, in one visit, depending on what is called for by the problem. I'm sorry you had that experience. At least he is getting the care he needs now and you're doing the right thing. I'd say look for a new holistic vet, if there's one in your area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted October 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Thanks, everyone for the sympathy and encouragement. The holistic vet feels integrating the two approaches doesn't work because traditional vet care often cloaks the underlying problem or causes more problems, such as weakening the immune system. She didn't even want me to give him heartworm preventative but I hadn't drunk that much of the Kool-Aid and told her he was still getting preventative. She said we couldn't go back to holistic with this issue because the treatment would compromise his system so much. Quinn really was a mess when I first took him to her and she quickly turned his health around. I think Gideon's girl summed it best with this statement, "Holistic doesn't work for everything and it doesn't work fast enough for some things." I thought maybe it was slowly working for this condition, but it wasn't. Tonight, the area is showing continued improvement in just 4 days. I understand this is a frustrating condition to treat and keep at bay, but my main concern is keeping Quinn as comfortable and happy as possible. Fingers crossed, we are finally on the right path. ETA There really isn't another holistic vet nearby. The one I used was over 90 minutes away. However, I am so lucky in my local vet. He treats me as a partner in my dogs' care, never hesitates to refer out when he feels an animal would be better served elsewhere and really seems to keep up on the latest approaches. Plus he saved my Lhasa's life several years ago, for which I will always be grateful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Don't feel stupid. We do the best we can with what we know and make decisions that sometimes turn out to be wrong. You are taking care of it. I'm sure Quinn doesn't hold a grudge.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Jumping on the band wagon here - be kinder to yourself. You did the best you could with the information and experiences you had. No one can do any better. Hope Quinn continues to improve! Ruth and Agent Gibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Sad story but you are getting him the best treatment you can and doing your best. Shine on those thoughts of not doing him right. You are. So glad he is getting better. Yes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 However, I am so lucky in my local vet. He treats me as a partner in my dogs' care, never hesitates to refer out when he feels an animal would be better served elsewhere and really seems to keep up on the latest approaches. Plus he saved my Lhasa's life several years ago, for which I will always be grateful. This says all you need to say about your vet. And the fact that the holistic vet basically told you "my way or the highway", tells me all I need to know about her. You're doing the right thing for your dog at this point, and always have. That's it. You have nothing to feel bad or stupid about. Hope he's feeling 100% soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Personally, I wouldn't want to rely solely on a holistic vet. I haven't made my mind up about all that stuff. Sometimes it seems to really help in certain situations. And other times it doesn't seem to help at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crawford Dogs Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 You aren't stupid. In fact, you're quite the opposite. You are a caring owner and have clearly put a lot of thought into Quinn's care. My dogs do see a veterinary chiropractor who practices both holistic and conventional medicine. And growing up I worked at a veterinary clinic that did both holistic and conventional medicine. Neither of these veterinarians feel that one approach is exclusive to the other. You may find a veterinarian near you that has similar views. No matter what happens, as long as Quinn is improving your goal has been met. Bethany Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted October 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 Well, it is 6 1/2 days into treatment and I am astonished at how much improvement I'm seeing in the area. Plus, Quinn is acting happier. I had a friend over yesterday and he was a downright nuisance, pestering first her for attention, then when I told him to leave her alone, he kept poking at me for attention. In addition, he is spending less time under the end table or behind the sofa in the evenings., So even though he hadn't been acting like he was in discomfort before, he seems to be feeling much better. I continue to fight off feeling stupid for taking so long to give up on holistic and am focusing instead on hoping this new treatment is going to give him a good quality of life. Thanks again, everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted October 10, 2013 Report Share Posted October 10, 2013 Glad he is on the mend! It is easy to look back and say "I should have or I could have." You did what you felt was best and you found out you needed to do somethink different. It seems to be working and you seem to be on the right track now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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