Conventional medicine has its place, but in many instances, there’s only so much it can do for a sick dog or cat. Often, turning to a holistic approach provides the key to healing these “hopeless” cases.

There’s no denying that conventional medicine can play an important role in pet healthcare, especially when it comes to acute illnesses or injuries. But when a dog or cat has a chronic condition, such as allergies or arthritis, or a serious disease like cancer, it often seems there’s only so much that mainstream medicine can offer. Many times, in fact, such cases are written off as “hopeless”. The good news is that taking a holistic approach can promote effective healing in many of these cases, improving quality of life and longevity in sick dogs and cats. I’ll share a few brief cases from my own practice that I hope will encourage you to never give up on your own animal until you seek the assistance of a holistic vet.

Case #1 – Little One

The first case involves a sweet six-year-old kitty named Little One. She was diagnosed with a chest tumor and fluid was building up in her chest cavity. The local specialist recommended a number of tests but stated that no matter what was found, treatment was unlikely to benefit. Little One’s owner declined all these extra tests, at which point the specialist recommended immediate euthanasia “to end her suffering”.

Since Little One was not suffering at this point, the owner wanted to try something else for her precious feline, so she contacted me. I reviewed the case and offered an integrative approach, using both conventional medicine and herbal and homeopathic treatments. Within the next few days, Little One was more active and eating better. Chest radiographs and an ultrasound showed a small tumor and a complete absence of fluid!

At this time, it’s been eight months since Little One’s diagnosis. The tumor is growing, but she feels great and comes to see me each month for repeated testing to monitor the tumor and her ongoing therapy, which includes detoxification. The owner knows that her time with Little One is limited, but she is thrilled that our approach has given the cat a much longer lifespan than the specialist indicated.

Case #2 – Cesar

Cesar is a three-year-old dog with epilepsy and allergies. He was taking multiple medications for each condition and became literally hooked on these meds. His owners sought my help when their vet said Cesar would be on these drugs for life, and due to the side effects would probably not live very long.

I reviewed the case and ran some additional tests (for inflammatory markers and vitamin D levels). As expected, Cesar was abnormal on this profile (over 90% of pets are abnormal on at least one of the tests in this profile, and almost 100% of those with illness are abnormal). As a result, I detoxed Cesar with a therapy I have designed and used with much success.

I also added several supplements to help with Cesar’s allergies and epilepsy, slowly reducing and then finally eliminating all his medications within four months of his first visit. Cesar is now seizure-free and his horrible skin has healed. Since he no longer takes his medications, he is also no longer at risk of a shortened lifespan caused by drug side effects.

Cesar is now seizure-free and his horrible skin has healed.

Case #3 – Sasha

Sasha was a golden retriever who developed lymphoma cancer, a common disease in dogs but especially in retrievers (I’m glad her owners were smart enough to buy pet insurance before Sasha’s diagnosis!).

The oncologist recommended chemotherapy, and Sasha’s owners wanted my opinion. While I generally discourage chemo for most cancers, it is actually very effective at quickly putting lymphoma into remission. I also told Sasha’s owners that immune support was very important, as was detoxification. Sasha’s vitamin D levels were low and her CRA and CRP were elevated, which was no surprise, so I addressed these concerns as well.

Thanks to an aggressive holistic approach, Sasha’s chemo was more effective with fewer side effects. Despite a prognosis of only eight months of remission from the oncologist, Sasha lived almost two years on our holistic regiment (which is fairly typical for pets with lymphoma who are treated correctly with natural medicine). While lymphoma is often fatal, most animals will live longer when natural support is used in place of, or with, conventional cancer treatment.

While lymphoma is often fatal, most animals will live longer when natural support is used in place of, or with, conventional cancer treatment.

As you can see, most “hopeless” cases can be successfully treated and even cured when we take an aggressive natural approach and don’t give up on the patient. Those without life-threatening disorders can usually be weaned away from harmful, toxic, and expensive drugs when we replace them with suitable natural medicines. Even those with terminal illnesses can enjoy a longer and happier life when a more holistic approach to their care is used.

Two Categories of “Hopeless” Cases

Early on in my holistic practice, I noticed that pets whose conditions were considered hopeless by their conventional/traditional veterinarians fell into two general categories.

  • Dogs and cats with chronic disorders such as allergies, seizures, severe arthritis, and conditions involving the heart, bladder, and/or GI tract. These pets were chronically addicted to conventional medications, drugs that often didn’t help or predisposed the animal to serious and potentially fatal side effects. Their families were told that nothing else could help these pets, and to expect them to remain on harmful and expensive medications for life.
  • Pets with “fatal” conditions, typically cancers and other serious dysfunctions of the immune system. The owners of these animals were offered little to no treatment (or were discouraged from seeking treatment due to a “hopeless” prognosis) and were told to take their pets home and prepare for euthanasia.

Thankfully, many of these pets were brought to my holistic practice, and I began to see miracles (treatments. and sometimes cures) on a regular basis!