Often we are fortunate enough to experience some of the lighter aspects of living with cats and dogs. One such occasion involved three of our pets. This Cat Tale is about Big Bad Bill (who is now Sweet William at the age of 14).

Bill is orange tabby. We had another orange tabby named Tat. Tat was a fat cat. And while Bill is no spring chicken, Bill makes up for his largeness in height and muscle. Bill and Tat never liked each other and would constantly get into full outright brawls. Punkin(our dog who has since passed away) was the peace keeper and not in a peaceful way. Bill and Tat were at it...again...and Punkin got to them before we could. She had grabbed Bill and was shaking him, as any peace making diplomat would do! We managed to get Bill free and everyone corralled. Bill had a broken leg. So Bill went off for surgery and came back with a titanium plate inserted into his leg. Bill had to be on crate rest for a few weeks while his leg healed. We had Bill in one of the large wire dog crates. Without fail, Tat would walk by the crate, stick his front paws into the crate as far as he could, turn his head sideways with his eyes closed to get those extra few inches into the crate and try with all his might to reach Bill. Bill always calmly sat at the back of the crate looking in the opposite direction...ignoring his foe’s measly attempts to do him harm.

Finally, the day came when we would let Bill out of the crate. On this fated day, Tat was upstairs. Bill made his way up the stairs. Tat saw him and did the whole arch back, hair standing on end and the low menancing cat growl. Bill very calmly walked up to his nemesis and using only his titanium plated front leg, back handed Tat once across the face, turned around and walked off!!! Leaving Tat dazed and confused! We literally saw birds flying around Tat’s head while he shook his head wondering where the war tank came from that ran him over!

There was peace in the household for several months after this incident.

My Personal Chef has been kind enough to do a step by step blog complete with photos for the Basic Crock Pot Diet for Pets.

You can copy and paste the link below for more information:

http://mypersonalchef.wordpress.com/2010/05/18/dr-ruths-basic-crock-pot-diet-for-pets/

Thank you Nepenthe.

This may seem a little late after the fact, but I was waiting for something truly special to occur. As many of you know, both our dogs succumbed to old age last year. The last to leave us in November '09 was Nepenthe.

Nepenthe means Remover of Sorrow. As a puppy, she proved to be a source of constant sorrow by trying Ruth's patience daily. The other dogs always picked fights with her from an early age. She became a loner and fearful that they would attack her. As a result, she never really learned how to play with others. But in her self isolation, she learned to become self reliant, observant and calculating. She became the aggressor, attacking at the slightest sign of malice towards her. She became a killer of cats and preyed on them when they dared to be outdoors.  She was suspicious of just about everything.

When I arrived in her life, I was very much afraid of her. Only for the fact that she was a pitbull. I was coming from a country where pitbulls were used for security, where they were the mean, unpredictable, human attacking canines. I tried my best to either stay away from her or stay very still around her. She was persistent though. Like a cat that knows which human does not want to interact with them...she was constantly seeking my attention, seeming content to have her entire body curled on my lap. She was forever either by my side or in my lap. It didn't matter where we were, she had to be with me. She'd sit on my lap while I sang "You are my Sunshine" to her. She'd throw her head up in the air, lean into me and smile. She became my Princess and I treated her as such. She had already earned the nickname of "Punkin" cause her head was so big for her body. The words to the song quickly changed to "You are my Punkin, my only Punkin. You make me happy when skies are grey. You never know dear, how much I love you. So please don't take my Punkin away". She loved that song so much, that she was all smiles and wiggles the first time she heard it on the radio.She was a food-oholic. Using her calculating skills to snatch food whenever no one was looking. Our favorite food story was the day our receptionist, Ashley, came back from Walgreens with a loaf of bread to make her lunch. Ashley left the bread on the lunch table to answer the phone in the other room. When she returned (less than one minute later), she couldn't find the bread anywhere. It had literally vanished into thin air. Punkin was sitting very quietly on her dog bed, looking at Ashley and looking around the room like nothing had happened. Ashley was about to make her way out of the room, when Punkin vomited the bread she had managed to scarf down in Ashley's absence. In doing so, she had to stand up. Lo and behold, underneath Punkin, she had hidden the rest of the bread by sitting on it, waiting patiently for Ashley to leave so she could finish the rest. There was no limits to her cunning.

The pack had thinned out by this time to Arnold, Chase, Bill, Romy and Punkin. Arnold had become her companion and source of guidance. Enough so that she was able to earn her Canine Good Citizen badge. Chase was the annoying little brother who didn't know when to quit.  Bill and Romy were just the cats that lived with her. Chase would always push her buttons and she would try valiantly not to react in her "younger pitbullery" way.  She would always look at us with pleading eyes to make him stop before she was forced to do something drastic. She had become the pitbull that was afraid of her own shadow. She had become the pitbull that awoke surprisingly from her own fart looking around for its origins. She became the pitbull that was so proud of her powerful bark that had "killed" a possum. She had become the pitbull that would shower you with kisses. As she told one animal communicator, there is an art to dog kissing. The perfect dog kiss was confident, nurturing, reassuring and didn't leave the receiver wanting a towel to wipe it off. She became the pitbull that was the perfect hostess, ensuring everyone was taken care of, had given her a hug (and hopefully some food). She became the pitbull that mourned my absence when I was out of town. She became my protector and guardian when Ruth was out of town. She became my source of joy and comfort. She earned her name on the days I was down and became my remover of sorrow.

When Arnold passed away, it took her three months to stop grieving. Chase began pushing her buttons even more, hoping to get his chance at being alpha. He never got that opportunity. They were both up there in age and on the few occasions she couldn't keep her cool and just had to respond by defending herself...she would turn blue. She had developed a debilitating heart condition. She had passed out one day while running the yard.  We treated her with Chinese Herbs and changed her crock pot diet to include heart and qi tonics. These changes extended her life by three years.

When Chase passed away, she seemed to have gotten depressed. In his last days, she would sit in front of his crate and they would have lengthy discussions. It seemed they had made their peace. We contacted Diane Samsel, an animal communicator. I was afraid she would slip into another long grieving period and I didn't want her spending her last few months being depressed. Diane informed us that she was actually quite happy that Chase was gone because it meant she would finally get all the attention she deserved. What we mistook for sadness was actually illness. Her heart was making her feel tired and worn out. Diane also informed us that Arnold and Chase were waiting for Punkin to pass on before they returned to us. So, we changed her formulas again and used the therapeutic laser to help ease her arthritic pain. She bounded back to her new found "puppy" freedom.

She tried to play with Bill and Romy. But they weren't used to her playing. Their reactions reminded me of my first encounters with Punkin...either stay away from her or stay stock still. Don't get me wrong...they loved her, they'd walk under her and hug her with their tails or rub their heads under her chin. But boy oh boy, they had no clue what to make of this exuberant pitbull bounding and play bowing before them. Even Ruth and I didn't know what to make of it. She had never played with any animal before, so we were always on edge when she went bounding towards the cats.

Despite her new found exuberance, I knew she was fading on me. She had stopped eating unless hand fed. Her energy level was normal in the mornings but she was wiped out by mid afternoon. She seemed to have developed both kidney failure and a gastric ulcer at the same time. She often got disoriented. I had spent many nights whispering to her that it was okay to go. That we would be fine. She didn't need to experience this agony and pain. It was okay to go. But she hung in there.

On her final week, Ruth had to go out of town for the weekend on a family matter. Punkin was slower, but nothing major. We dropped Ruth off at the airport and she gave her usual farewell to her...a big hug and kiss and the words "Take care of Nata while I'm gone. I'll be back soon." Punkin looked confused and sad that Ruth was leaving. But she took her words to heart.

That day at the office, she started her path towards the other side. I called Ruth to let her know that I didn't think she was going to make it through the weekend. She had started panting and staring off into space for extended periods of time or seem to follow an "unseen" movement with her eyes. But she'd have those moments, where she'd perk up and everything seemed fine. I knew better. Ruth said she'd get back as soon as she could. I called Diane.

Diane informed me that she was looking at Chase, who was helping her to transition to the other side. That she felt restless in spite of feeling exhausted. That she was spending more time out of her body. Diane said she was not going to go on her own and that Punkin wanted Ruth and I to be there with her to help her transit. Diane said she was torn by her duty to look after me while Ruth was out of town. Her loyalty was interfering with her innate ability to leave her body.

Well great! Ruth wasn't here! I knew Punkin needed to be euthanised and soon. But I was now torn between doing what was right for her and respecting her wishes to have both Ruth and I present. I decided we'd at least get some fluids into her. The other technician and I were able to get a catheter in her, and give her some fluids. But she had a burst of energy, wanted nothing to do with the fluid therapy. But the little we were able to give her seemed to have perked her up. So I waited.

I had a client coming into town who was going to stay the night with us. Despite death knocking at her door, Punkin slipped into "hostess" mode. She greeted our guest with the usual "now fake" exuberance. Our guest never knew anything was wrong with Punkin until I shared what we had been going through. Behind closed doors, Punkin would slip back into her space gazing. That night, she jumped off the bed for what I presumed was for a drink of water. She never found her legs and landed flat on her tummy, all four legs splayed. I helped her up, she looked embarrassed, shook it off and went to get her drink of water.

The next morning, she had her first seizure. It lasted less than a minute. She again looked embarrassed, confused and scared all at once. I helped her downstairs, she saw our guest and it was like nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. She was back to being the hostess. I built her a fire and she stayed on her dog bed in front of the fire, while I prepared breakfast for our guest. She made sure I stayed within her line of vision. Our guest left and she slowly walked up to me and had her second seizure. I carried her back to the bed and stayed with her.

Ruth had called and was going to be able to get a flight in that day. Punkin just had to hang in there for a few more hours. She had started her death rattle and the space staring was for longer periods of time. I stayed by her side. Rubbing her big ol’ head, telling her stories about when she was younger, telling her it really was okay for her to leave. I finally broke down and started singing her song, changing the last line so she didn't feel obligated to stay. "You are my Punkin, my only Punkin. You make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. I'll love you now and always." She perked up enough to give me her perfect kisses on my tear stained face. Constantly my remover of sorrow.

You know you say things that you won't usually say at times when you're really mad and times when you're really sad. This was one of those times. My heart was tearing into pieces, my source of joy was disappearing fast before my eyes. I was feeling guilty for having let her go through this much agony. I have consoled many clients during this time of letting go and here I was finally, truly experiencing it for all it was worth. So I asked Punkin for the impossible. I asked her for a very specific sign to let me know I shouldn’t feel guilty and that things were fine. To let me know I would be okay without her physically being here with me. To let me know she will always be with me, protecting and loving me. I asked for the biggest most impossible thing I could think of. I asked for the one thing I humanly knew she had no control over. I asked for the one thing only God and nature would be able to perform. Ruth was the only other soul who knew of this foolhardy request. For those of you who know me, know that I cannot keep a secret. I kept this one, close to my heart.

Through all this, she started having facial expressions like she was having an argument with the beyond. I was getting goosebumps sensing several "other" presences surrounding us during this time. Romy, our youngest cat, came and laid next to Punkin as though to comfort her as well.  Ruth didn’t make it back in time. But Punkin left this world with a final kiss on my chin and a sigh.

Life moved on. We got three new additions to our family. Elsa, the cat (who I believe is Punkin reincarnated into a form that allows her to play and get to food easier), Sammie (who from all appearances is Arnold reincarnated) and finally Esau (who also seems to be Chase reincarnated). But those are stories for a later date.

I started this entry by saying, I was waiting for something very special to happen. Punkin kept her promise and provided me with my seemingly impossible request. Exactly three months after her passing. After exactly three months of grieving...it snowed! With the exception of Hawaii, it snowed in every single state of America.  Coincidence or a dog’s undying love and loyalty...you pick. I have my answer.

I have been giving a talk about the American Animal Hospital Association and American Association of Feline Practitioners Current Vaccine Guidelines (check out www.dvmvac.com) and new research available indicating boostering Distemper Parvo and Feline respiriarory vaccines less frequently than every 3 years is safe, and I am surprised how many people are vaccinating their pets every year, for all the vaccines. Make no mistake, some vaccines like Kennel cough must be repeated each year to be effective, but most do not. Rabies by law has a 1 year or 3 year license. It has been legal to use the 3 year license rabies vaccine in South Carolina for at least 10 years, as long as it is the second rabies vaccine the pet has received in it's lifetime. In many cases, pet owners simply do not know about the every 3 year recommendations of AAHA, And AAFP, and in some cases, their veterinarian just will not change their every year protocol. It can be difficult to change. It is difficult for the veterinarian to change vaccine protocols because it's what we've always done, and partly because it is hard to take time away from the business of practice, do the research and develop a new protocol that will fit most pet owners. It is hard for clients to change because on most other levels they trust that their veteriarian is recommending what is best for the health of their pet. It feels very uncomfortable to many pet owners to seek a second opinion on a serious health issue.

So what is one to do? There is so much information available on the internet, that it gets really confusing. You can read opinions ranging from vaccine being the root of all evil, and never to vaccinate and pet, not even as a puppy or kitten, to opinions that recommend protecting your pet from every disease there is a vaccine to protect against. Curiously, this would be at least 9 different disease in 4 different injections for dogs and cats each year. Does that make sense?

Veterinarians, veterinary Technicians, and veterinary assistants are recommended to recieve Rabies vaccinations because of our likelihood of being exposed to Rabies, which is invariably fatal. In my lifetime, the vaccine reccomendations went from revaccinating every 5 years to titering (Blood sample) every 5 to 10 years, to maybe the series gives us lifetime protection. Is titering available for pets? Yes it is.

If you'd like to know more, I will be at Dolittle's West Ashely this Friday October 9th, at 6 pm to give a talk about vaccinations, titers, and options. We'd love to see you there, and feel free to email with questions.

As a pet owner, it is hard for me to remain objective when one of our own pets becomes ill. Our handsome boy, Chase developed a really nasty cancer called hemangiosarcoma. To make matters even worse, it wasn't the run of the mill type of hemangiosarcoma. His tumors were in his kidneys, his skin, and he had a very massive one on his neck that had eaten through his jugular vein. It's a sickening feeling to reach down to rub your dog's neck and find a softball sized mass that you had not noticed before. It's doubly sickening when you know the list of tumors that live there, none of which are good options. We went through all the western diagnostics, and Dr. Andrea Nicastro and Dr. Amy Adams at Veterinary Medical Care were kind enough to double check me, and help confirm the diagnosis and extent of the tumors. My dear friend Dr. Henri Bianucci at Veterinary Surgical Care removed the mass at Chase's Jugular vein, and explored his abdomen, hoping to remove the affected kidney, but unfortunately the cancer had spread to both kidneys. So Chase came home the next day, and was feeling miserable for a few days as  he recoverd from all the surgery. All I could think about was my poor buddy,and how much pain he had to go through, and all for nothing.

As he recovered from surgery, I got together a treatment plan using chinese herbals, and neoplasene. Within a few days he bounced back, and was soon his normal, happy, exuberant self. He took the herbs and neoplasene like a good boy, and seemed just as he always was, my happy man. He was very cuddly and afectionate, and enjoyed all the yummy treats he was getting as a result of our guilt and sympathy. He did not know he was sick. We went on like this for 3 or 4 more weeks, and then one day he got up, went about his normal business, but just did not want to eat. He went upstairs and laid on the bed, and did not want even his most coveted treat. I thought it was the herbs as they are strong moving medications and can cause nausea and loss of appetite. As the afternoon went on, he looked worse and worse, not wanting to move, and letting me pick him up and carry him out side. He normally would not have permited this, even when he was recovering from surgery. We made the descision that was the day we needed to put him to sleep. This may seem premature to some of you, but Chase loathed all the poking and prodding, and ultimately tests would likely have shown that his kidneys were failing. We couldn't see the benefit to him of hospitalization in the face of such a horrible disease. We carried him out to the dock, his favorite place. He watched the birds flying overhead, smelled the sweet air, and seemed very happy. After a while, he laid down, and let us take his leg and give him the injection that would still his heart. He did not flinch as the needle pierced his skin, and seemed genuinely grateful for this gentle way to ease out of this life and into whatever comes next.

So I asked myself, during that part of the greiving process that inevitably involves feeling guilty and wondering if I'd done all that I could, Does Chinese medicine work? Why didn't it help Chase? And somewhere in this process, I realized that it had helped him. The goal of Chinese Medicine is to live your life in health and harmony, and when your Qi is exhausted, then die quickly. When it comes to cancer the philosophy is "to make peace with your difficult burden" Chase had been eating home cooked foods for 4 years, and taking herbal formulas to ease the discomfort of arthritis in his 12 year old body. As bad as his cancer was, he only had 3 or 4 days where he felt bad including the day he died. So his life and death was a success in the eyes of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine. We miss him tremendously, but we are glad he did not have a long period of suffering.

Welcome to the website, and the blog for Sun Dog Cat Moon, LLC. I could start this blog many different ways, but perhaps a story about why I started to study & practice Traditional Chinese Veterinray Medicine would be in order. I have been in practice for 19 years, and considered myself to be at the top of my game in Western Medicine. I had developed a pain management protocol for my hospital, and had all the latest equipment, and was a skilled operator of ultrasound, surgical laser, and our video otoscope system. Yet, here was my own dog, Arnold, who was beautiful and loving. Children used to see him and call him Falco from the Never Ending Story. He had reached the advanced age of 17, and had perfect bloodwork, and a healthy heart. I had fed him the best food I knew, and had helped him manage his arthritis with different medicines, jont supplements, and whatever else I could think of, but he had crippling arthritis, and lost his balance often when standing up. He would fall, look around and get up, as if to say, "doesn't bother me!!" In his younger days, he adored being called my handsome man, and a person skilled in animal communication said that he asked why I didn't call him my handsome man any more. It broke my heart that I had let my friend and companion down, and failed to continue to see how handsome he was. I had gotten too busy and too distracted to see all the beauty in front of me. He had gotten to the point where the mind was willing, but the flesh was weak. His muscles had shriveled up, and his gait was odd because it appeared that he was slinging his limbs with rubber bands to propel himself forward. He loved to eat, but only if he had his own buffet laid out. He was disappearing before my eyes. Worst of all, the pain medicine was not working anymore. We took Arnold to the beach, where he spent the first few years of his life with me, presumably for his last hurrah. The plan was to let him do whatever he wanted for the weekend, and then put him to sleep on Sunday night. What happened at the beach was nothing short of amazing.


Looking at the photo above, there is Arnold, whom I had to carry on to the beach, and while he seemed to be enjoying the air, he was not very engaged. He picked up his head to watch a kite boarder go by. He was fascinated, he wanted to get up and go see what that thing was, and so he did. We walked several blocks until the kite boarder was far off in the distance. At the end of our day, Arnold looked like this:








He was happy, bright and alive. While nothing had changed in his body, his being had gotten a kick start from being in a place he loved with the people he loved, getting a huge boost of energy. This was in July of 05. He needed to be outside to get refreshed everyday, and so every morning we took a walk on the dock so he could take in the air, see the sun coming up, the brids flying and the crabs scurying. One of my drug rep friends gave me a sample of a new pain medicine which helped. He did well for 2 more months, and then as if he fell off a cliff, he was ready to go. My animal communicator friend said that he had to make sure I was ready for him to go. So on Labor Day morning, Arnold's long life's work came to an end. He went quietly on our porch overlooking the marsh, happy that he had done what he had been born to do - be the love that he was, and shower it freely on all around him.

Why am I telling you this story? Because this experience had me digging deep to find anything else I could to make his life better. While my practice at the time was so busy, I couldn't look outside the confines of western medicine, it did spur me to start taking acupuncture classes in February of 06. I realized how much it could have helped him, and while I regret i did not have the knowledge then, with out Arnold's need for more help, I wouldn't have gotten that kickstart. The other reason I am telling you this story is that it demonstrates the power of Qing Qi, or Cosmic Qi. That sounds pretty far out or "wu-wu" as the saying goes, but Arnold (and I) got out of the office and the house for some fresh air, and we both felt better. This is why you see photos and videos of the Chinese doing Qi Gong or Tai Chi in the early morning mist. They are gathering Qing Qi to help increase their energy, and exhaling "stale" Qi at the same time. If you get nothing more from this than remebering to get up a few minutes early and take your cofee cup out in the back yard, let your mind go blank, and take some deep breaths, you'll be ahead of the game all day. Arnold will be happy you did.

Why Integrative Medicine is the Best Choice for Your Pet

Integrative medicine is a term that loosely describes combining different modalities or type of medical system to treat the patient. That’s a mouthful, but what it boils down to is using all the tools available to provide the very best, safest and most effective treatment for an animal or a person. In Human Medicine, Dr Andrew Weil brought the idea to the forefront of most people’s minds. In Veterinary Medicine, Equine veterinarians were early adopters of acupuncture, herbal medications, nutraceuticals and chiropractic treatments. As more and more people search out holistic or alternative treatments for themselves and their pets, many doctors are integrating these treatments into their practice. Because there are so many different options, some definitions may be helpful in sorting through what is available.

Holistic medicine: This is what most people think of when they think of alternative medicine. Many associate it with homeopathic medicine in specific, but it really is more of a healing philosophy which views the patient as a whole body rather than as a disease or a collection of symptoms. it recognizes that a patient's emotional and spiritual state can affect the patient's condition, and so aims to treat mind, body and spirit. Holistic practitioners may combine traditional forms of treatment (medication and surgery) with alternative forms of treatment including homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, and herbal medicine. In it’s purest sense, this is integrative medicine.

Acupuncture: The Chinese practice of inserting needles into specific points (acupoints) along the "meridians" of the body. It is used chiefly to relieve pain, but is a complete method of treating internal medical problems, and for preventative and therapeutic purposes. The insertion of the needles stimulates the acupuncture points and alters the flow of Qi

Ayurvedic medicine: A system of medicine practiced in India. Health is considered to be a state of balance between the body's physical, emotional, and spiritual systems, and illness is a state of imbalance. Illness may be detected by reading of the pulse and by observation of the tongue. Nutrition, massage, natural medications, meditation, and other modalities may be used for treatment of a wide variety of ailments.

Chiropractic: A system of healing which is based on the idea that the body has an innate self-healing ability and seeks homeostasis. However, subluxations in the joints interfere with the body's ability to maintain optimal health. Through manipulation of the spine and other joints and muscles, the body is brought back into balance and the neuromusculoskeletal system can function smoothly.

Energy medicine: Therapies which use an energy field (electrical, magnetic, sonic, acoustic, microwave, infrared) to detect or treat illness. A practitioner would identify imbalances in the energy fields of the patient's body and then correct them. Reiki is a good example of energy medicine.

Homeopathy: A system of therapeutics founded by a German physician named Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843). It is a philosophy of "like heals like". In this system, the treatments are composed of substances which, in their undiluted state, actually produce the symptoms of the disease in a healthy individual. The substances are diluted to infinitesimal amounts in solutions and vigorously shaken (succussed) before they are given to the patient. Many homeopaths also believe that an individual's mental, physical, and emotional constitution may also need to be treated. The potency is based on the dilution ratio and it is believed that the more diluted the dose, the more potent the effect. A dilution ratio written as 1x is 1 part substance to 9 parts dilution medium, 1c is 1 part substance to 99 parts medium, and 1m is 1 part substance to 999 parts medium. A remedy labeled 20c has first been mixed as 1 part substance to 99 parts dilution base. Then, 1 part of this mixture is then mixed with 99 parts of the base and this dilution process is continued for a total of 20 times.

Kinesiology: An investigation of the muscle-gland-organ link for an indication of the cause of illnesses. Practitioners of applied kinesiology believe muscles reflect the flow of qi and that by measuring muscle resistance one can determine the health of bodily organs. Once a problem has been identified, various treatment techniques are used to strengthen the muscles involved and restore health.

Reflexology: A system of therapy which involves manipulation of specific areas of the feet. Different regions of the feet are believed to correspond to particular body systems. It is believed that stimulation of these areas can eliminate energy blockage which produces disease in the associated organs.

Western Medicine: This is the system of medicine with which we re most familiar. it involves advanced technologic diagnostics, synthetically produced medications, and excellent emergency care. The whole process should start with a careful history of the patient, a thorough physical examination, and then a differential diagnosis list is developed, and tests are done to confirm or rule out differential diagnoses, and arrive at a definitive diagnosis if possible. Wellness care such as vaccinations, dental cleanings, and heartworm prevention should be utilized bearing in mind the pet’s exposure to disease, health status, and future needs.

Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine: Encompasses 5 different disciplines to maintain health and promote a long and enjoyable life. They are Exercise and Meditation (Tai Chi or Qi gong), Proper diet or food therapy, Chinese Medicinals or Herbal medicine, Tui Na (a form of massage for pets and humans), and acupuncture and moxibustion. We think of acupuncture as the main method of treatment, but in China, 80% of a doctor’s practice is Medicinals, and 20% is acupuncture. We have adapted these methods for acupuncture for dogs and cats, using acupuncture points developed for humans, horses and pigs, and transposing them based on anatomical structures. Herbal medicine for pets has been developed based on classical formulas developed for humans, many of which have been in use since 2500 BC.

Many veterinarians are practicing integrative medicine simply by adding nutritional supplements like glucosamine for the joints, and milk thistle to protect the liver, into their daily practice habits.

At Sun Dog Cat Moon, we will integrate western medicine, Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, nutraceuticals, western herbs, and other modalities as they fit into our practice style, and show benefit to our patients. We have found this to be the most effective approach in preventing disease, limiting the issues that accompany normal aging, and most especially, treating chronic disease. Let’s look at the strong points of each of the components in our approach.

Remember when you were younger, and when you went to the doctor, it was scary because it smelled funny, and everyone was very busy, and you remember something about getting a shot? But there was that one really nice nurse who held your hand sweetly as she took your pulse. And when the doctor came in, he listened very carefully to your chest and spent several minutes examining your eyes, ears and throat. Then he palpated your tummy, and asked you several questions about how you were feeling? You may still have been scared of him, but you knew he cared and was smart because he took the time to do a thorough and complete examination. He didn’t get flustered when you mom said, “Oh doctor, I forgot to ask you about this bump on the back of Jane’s neck. “ He looked at the bump, made careful notes about the whole visit, and talked about what tests should be done, and what the bump might be. He asked your mom if she had any other questions, and let you know the nurse would be right in to take the tests and finish up. Usually this meant the mean nurse with the shot was coming back in.

This is Western Medicine as preventive care at it’s best. A careful and thorough exam was done, tests were ordered to diagnose the disease, and your mom understood what she needed to do at home to help you feel better. Western medicine shines brightest in emergency situations. When you have suffered major trauma, as in an automobile accident, western medicine will relieve your pain, find out if you have internal injuries that need to be addressed, and repair your broken bones. When you are acutely sick with a gall stone, western medicine will be the fastest way to get you out of pain and danger of rupture of the gall bladder. When you have congestive heart failure, and have an episode where your heart function declines abruptly, causing you to not get enough oxygen, western medicine will rescue your heart, and help improve it’s function. But how much will your heart function improve? If you have diabetes, and take insulin, but have stayed overweight or are eating foods high in sugar, and have a diabetic coma, western medicine will help reverse the coma, and improve your blood sugar. But how much better will your quality of life be, once you are back at home? These last two scenarios point out the weakness of western medicine to help improve chronic conditions. We say these conditions are manageable, but not curable.



Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) offers treatment options for diseases that western medicine has no options for. For instance the older dog with a dry red tongue that paces at night , pant and keeps everyone up, then sleeps all day, western medicine offers a diagnosis of Cognitive dysfunction syndrome, and a medication that was 10% more effective than nothing in controlling symptoms. TCVM would see the pattern as Yin deficiency, and offers herbs, acupuncture and food therapy to notify the Yin and cool the dog so that the can sleep at night. TCVM would add the same balancing effect based on the pattern a pet was showing with heart failure to improve quality of life, restore energy, allow exercise and play. We would continue the western medications that have saved the pet's life, and add herbal formulas, acupuncture, and a change in food to help return the pet to a state of health. For the diabetic pet, we would work on diet first, and add herbal formulas and acupuncture. We may never be able to completely take the pet off of it's western medicines, but the overall purpose is to combine the 2 modalities for the best health of the pet.

At Sun Dog Cat Moon, we will combine our knowledge of western medicine, nutritional supplements, and acupuncture, herbal formulas, and food therapy, for the health of your pet. We will teach you Tui Na massage techniques you can do at home to improve your pet's health, and design a plan with you plans to help improve the exercise level of your pet. When you and your pet come to see us for an exam incorporating TCVM, we will spend 30 minutes to an hour with you in the first visit. A very complete and thorough history will be taken, gathering information on medical problems dating back to puppy or kitten hood, current issues, current medications and preventive care. A Thorough western medical exam of the entire body will be done, including a videoscopic ear exam, followed by a TCVM, including a tongue and pulse diagnosis. We will discuss our findings of the western exam and TCVM exam, and suggest appropriate test to refine the western and TCVM diagnosis if needed, and then develop a treatment plan combining western and TCVM treatments as are appropriate. We will work to give you the information you need to make the best decision for your pet. We welcome and desire your input as to what will work best for your pet and your family. For preventive care visits, we will discuss appropriate vaccinations or vaccine titers in lieu of vaccines, blood testing to help detect problems early, and can add food therapy and notifying acupuncture treatments to help prevent problems and strengthen your pet. We will respect what you do and do not want for your pet, and always keep your pets health and quality of life as our ultimate goal .

Through the use of western technology we will be able to do most diagnostics in the office. We have a comprehensive in house lab that allows us to get results for your pet in under an hour, We have digital radiography that allows us to take xrays quickly and use the computer software to enlarge areas of the xray image for closer examination, and send xrays to a specialist or radiologist fro review via the internet. We have an ultrasound machine for studies of the abdomen and heart, and over 15 years of experience in making the studies and interpreting them. These ultrasound studies can also be sent for teleconsultation if needed. We offer laser surgery to reduce the pain associated with recovery from spays and neuters, as well as tumor removals, and other more complex surgeries. For small skin tumors, we can often use a local anesthetic and little or no sedation to remove the tumor, avoiding major anesthesia. Our video otoscope allows you to see inside your pet's ear with the doctor, and also allows us to flush and visualize the problem under anesthesia, making it possible to solve chronic ear disease, or at least get it under control. We can couple laser surgery with the video otoscope to remove tumors or benign masses within the ear canal, making a difficult procedure simple and much less painful for your pet.

We look forward to working with you for the health and happiness of your pet . We welcome questions by phone and email, and look forward to your visit to our brand office opening February 16th!!!
Contact us at 843-437-0063, or email us at info@sundogcatmoon.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Come visit us at 2908 May bank Highway Johns Island , SC 29455