The gift of health

Times Contributor

 

Christmas time is a time to spend with family members. For many, their pet is one of the family and what better gift would there be than to extend the years spent together?

Certified and Accredited Strathmore veterinarian, Dr. Kathleen Airth has dedicated 30 years to helping pets and their owners accomplish that gift. She says that 99 per cent of her business is house calls, although she has arrangements to use surgical suites and diagnostic rooms with a local veterinarian facility, if necessary. She also began offering integrated alternative modalities of acupuncture, chiropractic and Chinese herbal medicine for pets, through her home based business Paws Holistic since 1997. 

“Acupuncture has been around for thousands of years and that modality hasn’t changed that much, in the sense we still use the basic philosophies,” said Airth. The science behind acupuncture is quite extensive.”

Pet owners can sense something is wrong by watching the pet’s mobility, energy level, and food intake. Think of your pet in the best of health and monitor changes to that. Changes may be a signal to have it evaluated. 

When Airth sees an animal, she assesses it from the information the owner gives and clues of how the animal presents itself. Diagnosis and treatment involves more than addressing one presenting symptom. Chinese medicine factors in every organ system and the connecting energy vectors. Depending what the animal is presenting to Airth, she will go down a particular direction of herbal framework. She also relies on her veterinarian intuition.

“So much of it is intuition. You have to be very in tune with the pet. The people that come in with the longest list and the most information is very helpful. We have to read the pet, as the pets cannot speak for themselves, “said Airth. 

She said human acupuncture is very similar. However, certified veterinary practitioners learn to apply it to animal physiology and anatomy. She also assesses diet and lifestyle of the pet and helps teach the owners how to maintain their pet’s health. Commitment by the owner to follow through with treatment and care is an essential component of recovery and continued health. She often uses supplements and blends of Chinese herbs, developed by Dr. Steve Marsden, a reputable, world-renowned veterinarian from Edmonton. She recommends the Marsden brand, as she has noticed a difference in results when lower quality herbs are used.

“Chinese herbs can be thought of acupuncture in the bottle, because it fills in the gap between treatments,” said Airth.

Cats can live from 15-20 years and dogs 13-15. She has seen so many cases of animals that may have had shortened lives, if they did not have the integrated treatment process. She usually begins to see results within three to four appointments, depending on the severity of the illness. 

She remembers treating a 4.5-year-old Golden Retriever that had jawbone cancer. Through treatment, its life extended to ten years. A 13-year-old terrier cross, with injuries to the patella and ligaments came to her. After three months of integrated treatment, the injury fully healed. She said that severely ill animals need risk assessments. Surgical treatments often age the animal prematurely, but may be necessary. A judgement of what treatment will give the animal the best quality of life is part of the decision factor. When the pet is young, it gives to the owner. When it ages or grows ill, the owner has a chance to give back to the pet.

She has had many success stories with modalities that aren’t addressed by traditional methods. 

“I have so many ah-ha moments,” said Airth. “It is so rewarding to see the restoration of behaviour that would only be expected from a younger pet. There are still parts about acupuncture that we don’t understand and it still works beyond what science can explain for us.”

She has even seen pets that develop similar illnesses as their owners. She thinks it is because there is a deep bond between them.

“It is a level of commitment a lot of people have to their pets. When you look into their eyes you see their little souls, as they mature they begin to look at you differently. They grow with you and develop a bond. It may be part of the human-pet bond that goes beyond human comprehension,” said Airth.