Nixon

"A few months before Nixon, our miniature American Eskimo, had his 2nd birthday he experienced some sudden and short episodes of lameness in his hind right leg.  These came on without warning usually while running and were preceded by a sharp "yip" followed by the leg held stiffly flexed for about 30 seconds before it would straighten out again.  At first we thought Nixon had something sharp stuck in his paw but an examination by the local vet confirmed it was much more serious.  Nixon was diagnosed with luxating patella (also known as "trick knee") where the "Y" groove of the lower bone socket was not deep enough to house the upper bone, allowing it to slip out of the joint.   We were referred to a veterinarian surgeon for a consultation and told to plan for an expensive and invasive surgery to "hollow out" the socket and perhaps implant pins to hold the joint in place.  In addition to the cost, I was concerned about the 9 week recovery where Nixon would be required to stay off his leg, as well as the high likelihood of arthritis in that knee as Nixon grew older.   I had also heard that it is possible for a recurrence even after surgery, as well as a high likelihood that another leg or legs could be affected.  Nixon LOVES to run and I was mostly concerned about how 9 weeks of just laying around (and our constant vigilance to make sure he did!) would affect his absolutely adorable disposition. Unwilling to accept that surgery was the only solution, I Goggled "alternatives to surgery for luxating patella" and up popped several testimonials about the benefits of a raw food diet, including many people who successfully avoided surgery for their pets by switching them to that ancestral diet.  

I was convinced that we needed to give the raw food diet a try before going the extreme route of surgery but I had no idea how to start, so my next Google search was for "vets who support a raw food diet in the Aurora / Newmarket area".   Up popped North East Newmarket Veterinary Services so I called the number and was delighted when Dr. Haghighat answered the phone himself -- and that he was willing to spend time on the phone with me to discuss Nixon!  I described Nixon's condition and Dr. Haghighat said he could definitely help strengthen Nixon's leg through a variety of alternative healing methods including acupuncture, chiropractic and some holistic medications and also help us transition him to a raw food diet. Calling Dr. Haghighat was the best thing we could have done for Nixon! Within a relatively short period of time after the variety of Dr. Haghighat's treatments were applied and Nixon was well entrenched in a raw food diet, Nixon's bones and ligaments strengthened. Within about 3 months Dr. Haghighat was no longer able to "pop" Nixon's knee out of its socket and within 6 months Nixon was back to running and chasing a ball as if there had never ever been a problem with his knee in the first place.  Nixon has been seeing Dr. Haghighat for a little over a year now and he is a healthy, happy, energetic pup!  His coat is shiny, his eyes are bright and ALL of his limbs are healthy and strong. Thank you for your natural and gentle approach to healing Dr. Haghighat! You said you could heal Nixon, and you did."

Nixon's mom

The Holistic Vet Update:

Nixon came in for a follow up visit on Saturday April 5, 2014 and is doing great! His hips and knees felt fantastic and he did not need an adjustment, we look forward to seeing Nixon in the fall for another recheck.