Beta

This is the story of Beta, A Busy Off-Duty Therapy Dog

"Hello. My name is Beta. I am a dog. My friends call me Mister Beta. I am eight-and-a-half years old. My fur is black. I live with a man called Yogi who takes care of me. Over the last two years, I have visited and worked with the police, schools, a hospice, a mens’ shelter, and a hospital. That is because I am a Therapy Dog (with St. John Ambulance). I took two tests to be sure I was the right kind of dog for this job, and I passed them both.

I am a very strong dog and I love to run, but sometimes dogs like me have a weakness in their knees. Last year I tore my knee muscles on both sides and broke a tooth. So I had four surgeries, which was very interesting and changed my routine. Now I am off-duty as I do rehab exercises and acupuncture to get stronger. However, I am still practicing friendly service in my community as I look forward to coming back to work. I want to tell you about my helpers, people like Tania and Dr. Sasan.

Tania (Tania Costa, Canine Wellness, http://caninewellness.com) is the lady who handles my rehab. She uses laser therapy and measures my leg extensions. She teaches me special exercises which I do at her studio and then practice at home. When I visit her, I always get wet because we do treadmill-underwater training. I can feel my body getting stronger every time. She likes to give me treats which makes it more fun. Then I take a shower and shake off the extra water. Sometimes, when we have time, I roll in the grass across the street before I get back in the car.

When I hurt my neck, Tania suggested we see Dr. Sasan. Here’s what happened:

I had been visiting my friends when suddenly I felt very uncomfortable. I couldn’t lift my head and it was very hard to get into any position to lie down or sit or even stand because it hurt. I didn’t want to move at all.

We went to the Emergency Animal Hospital, where I was given something that put me into a deep sleep. I had an x-ray and more medicine to help the pain. But it didn’t work very well. And it was very hard to wake up. The emergency vet said I needed to have another surgery. I was very, very tired.

We contacted Tania. She sent us a note on the computer right away. She said that this would be a good time to meet Dr. Sasan, that he was a different kind of doctor, a holistic vet (Dr. Sasan Haghighat, North East Newmarket Veterinary Services, http://www.holistic-vet.ca). She said he would be able to help me. So we contacted him right away and went to his clinic. It seemed like we were in the car for a long time before we arrived at his office, but when we got there it was worth it.

Dr. Sasan was very gentle. His place was like home, calm and cozy. He spoke softly as he felt my neck and back, and told me that I was going to get better. He sat on the floor with me and said he was going to use a needle to make some special medicine just for me. There was talk about my food and rest and supplements and massage. I was very interested, and was looking forward to what this would be like. He said I might not need an operation after all and that he would help me to get stronger. I knew we were in the right place.

After Dr. Sasan checked me over, he gave me an acupuncture treatment. It was a relief – I felt better right away – still tired but with less pain – and I could lie down without crying.

On the car ride home, I took a nap. Then at home, over the next few weeks, I slept a lot. We took short walks and I played my “find” games indoors, so I knew I was getting stronger.

Sometimes I would still feel uncomfortable, like when the fire alarms would go off and my head would hurt. Or when I would bark and it would hurt my neck and shaking my head didn’t help. So we went back to Dr. Sasan and he sat with me again, treated me with acupuncture and gave me new medicine.

I saw Dr. Sasan and Tania several times in the months that followed, but I did not need to go to the hospital again. I am not allowed to run yet, but I am walking fast. I can stretch my neck without any pain, and I am ready to go back to work."

UPDATE: May 2014 – Beta is back to work with St. John Ambulance.

Prepared by Yogi Akal, on behalf of Beta Illustrations by Ute Kledt (http://www.annaloog.de)

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Maya

"It was December 2012, and I was eagerly preparing for a much anticipated holiday get-together with my family. Suddenly, my 10-year old GSD Maya’s back gave in, and she couldn’t climb, take stairs, or squat to do her business. After a couple of days of rest, restricted activity, and monitoring with no improvements, off to the emergency vet we went.

The following week, right around Christmas, involved a gruelling series of physical tests, x-rays, and MRIs with adverse reactions to the anesthetics to boot. We were told that she has severe spinal compression, and that the condition will degenerate over time. It was clear that a new chapter had started in Maya’s life. She now had to make the transition from a healthy working dog to a senior dog in recovery. I made the heart-breaking decision to retire her from our beloved sport of herding and from other cherished activities such as running and hiking.

To deal with her back issue, heavy pain-killers were prescribed and a very expensive back surgery was recommended, which would require months of rehabilitation and recovery. I declined the surgical option because I believe that orthopedic surgeries are particularly hard on the body, especially for an older dog with a history of physical ailments.

Luckily, I was already exposed to holistic approaches with dogs.  Diet wise, all of my dogs are fed a home-prepared diet composed of cooked vegetables and raw meats, organs, and bones. Herbal tinctures and a moderate use of supplements complement the diet. I also had prior experience with canine chiropractic and therapeutic swimming. I am an avid canine exerciser and keep my dogs lean, light, and fit. I also know that a sound relationship with their person (me) is another key ingredient of health.

With that said, I was not prepared for the miracle of acupuncture and biopuncture. I thought Dr. Sasan Hyatt’s treatment would buy Maya some time, but I didn’t realize that it would practically alter the structure and energy of her entire body. Not only did her back get better (almost immediately after the first treatment), but her whole mind and body were enhanced as well. We complemented her acupuncture treatment with photonic therapy and therapeutic swims at the terrific Canine Wellness Centre (http://www.caninewellness.com). We enjoyed a period of recovery, and Maya eased joyfully into her retirement.

One year later, we were on the mend, or so I thought, and here my girl started to limp and toe-touch. But this time around, I had learned my lesson. There was no need for expensive diagnostics, imaging, and putting my old (and proud) dog through constant handling and anesthetizing. We were going to go straight to Dr. Haghighat this time.

Dr. Haghighat immediately noted that it was most likely a torn cruciate and proceeded to treat Maya with biopuncture - a simple, but at the same time complex, process of drawing blood, mixing it with a homeopathic solution and re-injecting the solution around the injured site. Additionally, he diluted the solution further for oral administration, along with ligament-support supplements and a slight change of diet. Again, Maya is doing well. This kind of healing takes time, but is minimally invasive. And, as Dr. Haghighat says, “The body wants to heal.” We also discussed in detail other common orthopedic surgeries. The most common procedure for repairing a torn cruciate ligament, in a medium-large size dog, is TPLO; or Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy. Since this procedure involves making profound changes in the knee structure (changing the angle of the knee by cutting the tibial bone and re-attaching it with a bone plate), it can be very hard on the body.

Seeing the amazing recovery in Maya’s health, it is my hope that conventional veterinary medicine starts to incorporate more and more alternative modalities to assist the body toward faster healing."

Souha

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Deuce

It was in the fall of 2012 that I found out Deuce, my Rottweiler/collie mix, had pancreatitis. We took him to our family vet after he was throwing up yellow bile and not eating. His specific pancreas enzymes were three times the normal level, and we were told that this can be a life-threatening condition. Deuce was only 4 at the time. We switched Deuce to a prescription diet and pain medication recommended by our veterinarian to make sure he was more comfortable. Unfortunately, Deuce’s condition was not improving. Our vet and diagnostic bills kept increasing and his health worsened.

I started doing some research on pancreatitis, since I figured there had to be some other option. I came across Dr. Sasan Haghighat online and figured: I see a naturopathic doctor, why can’t my dog see a Holistic Veterinarian? I made an appointment with North East Vet and sent all his paperwork and x-rays, and was told that yes, he had full blown pancreatitis. When my husband asked what the prognosis of the disease was, we were told although pancreatitis is a serious medical condition, they had patients with a similar condition who responded very well to their treatment approach! We switched his diet to home cooked meals, and gave him some homeopathics and supplements. Deuce was doing very well - his vomiting stopped completely in two weeks. Two months later we repeated the blood work, and the specific pancreas enzyme dropped to just below normal. I am so grateful that I came across Dr. Haghighat, he is such a caring person and I know that if any other health concern comes up with any of my other dogs or cats, that he will be the first and last person to help them.

Deuce's mom

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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.

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