HOLISTIC PET CARE SERVICES IN WEST LINN, OR
Alternative Medicine Solutions for Your Pet!
Holistic medicine describes any modality that looks at the individual patient as a whole, taking into consideration not only his or her physical state, but also lifestyle, personality, environment, and many other factors. Issues on all levels of being are critical for proper diagnosis and treatment. This is especially true of Chinese medicine and homeopathy. Alternative medicine, also called complementary medicine, denotes all those modalities not included in conventional Western medicine. Below are brief descriptions of the alternative therapies offered at our West Linn animal hospital.
We also have more detailed handouts on acupuncture, orthopedic manipulation, homeopathy, and the first consultation – feel free to request them!
We Offer a Wide Range of Holistic Services to Keep Your Companions Feeling Their Best
The Chinese invented acupuncture nearly 3,000 years ago. It is a gentle method of harmonizing the body’s functions by inserting very fine needles through the skin at key locations.
Developed in Germany about 200 years ago, Homeopathy is the use of potentized (serially diluted and vigorously shaken) solutions of a substance to heal a unique combination of symptoms.
Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation (VOM) uses a hand-held tool to gently adjust spinal and limb joints, helping to restore normal neural signaling and function.
Chinese and Western herbal therapies each have their own unique historical development spanning thousands of years.
These are liquid preparations made by the permeation of sunlight through flower petals into water.
Formalized as a healing modality in Japan, Reiki has its origins in Chinese medicine, Daoism, and Tendai Buddhism.
As a general term, sound therapy uses any type of audible or tactile frequency to harmonize the body/mind.
The first naturopathic consultation in West Linn is an hour-long visit to provide sufficient time for a thorough work-up as well as the first treatment.
The word osteopathy is derived from the Greek words osteon (tissue) and pathos (feeling) – essentially, feeling the motion of the tissues.
The difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance is that an allergy involves an immunologic hypersensitivity response, whereas a food intolerance involves a direct biochemical interaction without the involvement of the body’s immune defenses.
About Your Pet’s First Consult
The first consultation is an hour-long visit to provide sufficient time for a thorough work-up as well as the first treatment. The work-up includes a complete physical exam, a Chinese medicine tongue and pulse evaluation, discussion of past and current medical history, and a series of questions about your pet’s unique habits, personality, social behavior, personal preferences, activities, diet, and response to illness. This detailed information provides a holistic portrait of your animal friend as an individual that is used to select appropriate therapy, custom-designed to suit his or her unique situation.
The first treatment is then provided to initiate the healing process that day, consisting of either acupuncture, orthopedic manipulation, Reiki, or an appropriate combination. Recommended medications to take home may include a homeopathic remedy, herbal formula, nutraceutical, or pharmaceutical, as needed. Finally, how to monitor progress and any recommended follow-up treatments are discussed. The holistic approach is designed to benefit the whole pet, which not only maximizes healing of the issue at hand but also general vitality and demeanor.