Brandy

"This is Brandy, our smart, loving 7 year old Brittany spaniel.

Brandy was adopted into our family when she was about 1 1/2 years old.  Brandy was adopted from a Dog Rescue (NBran) that is specialized in rescuing abandoned Brittany Spaniels.
Brandy has always been a very active dog, getting exercise daily which included an off-leash run in the forest along with our other dog, Dexter.

In January 2014, we noticed Brandy was limping. At the beginning, we thought it was just a minor sprain and let Brandy rest for a few days and noticed the leg seemed to improve. Then in June, Brandy re-injured her leg. We decided it was time to have Brandy checked by our local veterinarian. After examination, our vet diagnosed Brandy with a torn cruciate ligament and recommended surgery. The surgery, as it was explained to us, involved cutting the tibia bone and attaching a metal plate to change the angle of the knee joint; this would prevent Brandy from limping. Since this procedure seemed to be very invasive to us, our family was very uncomfortable with the idea. We decided to look at an alternative option which led us to the Holistic Vet in Newmarket.

On our first visit, Dr. Haghighat assessed Brandy and immediately began a treatment plan which included injecting homeopathics in the knee area to promote healing. Also, other herbs and supplements were prescribed. Her diet was changed to 100% home cooked meals, with lots of meat and vegetables and no grain. Brandy needed to be on-leash for walks at all times – no more running or jumping for a good 3-4 months.

It’s now 5 months later and Brandy is doing remarkably well! She no longer limps and has lost 10 lbs. Although this treatment route seems to be more time consuming, in our opinion, it is much better and safer than surgery. She is back to her happy, playful self and we are so thankful for the team at The Holistic Vet! We don't regret for a minute taking this course of recovery for Brandy!"

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Molly

"Molly's story started out very complicated, and was happily resolved at the care of Dr. Haghighat and his wonderful team.

At 2.5 years old, my puppy Molly, a yellow Labrador retriever, began losing hair on two symmetrical spots around her hips. It started as a light thinning, then appeared to get worse and was soon gone completely, until there were two fair-sized circles on each side of her back hip area. At times, they looked dry, because the skin was exposed to the weather. I began asking questions to my conventional veterinarian about what it could be - why it was happening - and what could be done to make the hair grow back. I scoured the internet, looking at 900 different things of what it could be, worrying myself endlessly, and never having answers. We tried giving her Melatonin with no success.

On one of Molly’s visits to the conventional vet, I asked again what could be done. She was perfectly healthy, not sick, eating like a horse (true LAB appetite eating everything in sight) and was perplexed at the bald spots. The conventional vet said it was likely allergies and provided a (what I consider a very high) quote, so that they could do a biopsy of the area and see what was going on.

I felt that was extreme. If she were ill, I would have conceded as something below the surface was likely going on. But she was healthy. I did some digging online before making any decisions... sedation is not something to take lightly for dogs... and after review felt that an allergy test didn't make sense. The spots weren't itchy, they weren't red or inflamed. So out of a last ditch approach before going that route or just accepting her life with bald spots, I reached out to a holistic veterinarian for a second opinion.
I should add to this story that I don't see myself as a natural believer in the holistic practices. Or "wasn't." I originally had a hard time accepting an alternative approach as conventional treatments were all I'd known.

On Molly's first visit, Dr. Haghighat gave us his undivided attention, and heard my concerns about her bald spots and her history. He believed she had Alopecia X due to hormonal imbalances, an often undiagnosed condition. He prepared a homeopathic mixture to be given orally to Molly, and told us we would have the hair grow back in six months.
I'm happy to tell you that four months in, the bald spots are gone - it worked. It continues to work, I should say. We're not at 100% fur retention, but we're darn-near close, and I couldn't be happier.
Important to also mention was Dr. Haghighat's advice for Molly's coat overall. A little coconut oil on the dry patches helped the fur grow in without irritation, and the addition of fish oil to her diet has made her coat revert back to puppy-like conditions -- she's SOFT!

I couldn't be more grateful that I took a leap of faith into the holistic side of the veterinary world, and that I trusted my little pup to the care of this clinic."

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