Olive

"Our sweet Weimeriner, Olive has a torn Cruciate ligament after dealing with our harsh winter. After extensively researching our options we decided surgery was not for us. Thankfully we found Dr. Haghighat, Holistic Vet in Newmarket.

Dr. Haghighat is doing a procedure with Olive where he draws blood then mixes it with high potency homeopathic remedies and injects this into her spine and knee to promote and speed up healing. Check out his website for the accurate description of this amazing procedure. Again he has prescribed supplements to also promote healing. Olive has experienced two sessions and went from hopping on three legs to fully stepping on her leg even without the brace!

We really restrict Olive's movement and monitor her very closely. No stairs or jumping up on things etc. We also massage her and hold the knee between our hands, and are considering light therapy. All of which are Dr. Haghighat's suggestions, while under his coaching.

We have also completely changed Olive's diet, again under Dr. Haghighat's supervision and with the belief that Food is Medicine. Olive loves her new diet. The shine is back in her coat and her disposition has changed. She is more social and frisky, despite our efforts to keep her quiet.

Our relationship with Dr. Haghighat and his staff is outstanding. We are welcome to email and inquire as much as we need to and are always left feeling confident with the care Olive receives. When all is said and done we are very pleased to have discovered Dr. Haghighat for Olive's overall wellbeing and our peace of mind.

Regardless of the outcome with her knee we are grateful to have Dr. Haghighat and his staff caring for Olive on an ongoing basis. We feel confident that her knee will continue to heal with patience and the time it needs. The clinic is in Newmarket and well worth the drive.

With gratitude,
Lydia Wedlock and Olive"



The Holistic Vet Update


"Fast forward to July and Olive is healing nicely. In fact no visible limp. Still on a leash but truly thriving. We decide to let her go swimming and two steps out of the river and she has torn her left cruciate ligament. Apparently this is common to have it happen in the other leg.  On the upside we already know who to take her to. Dr. Haghighat. She has been on an Anti-inflammatory diet and course of supplements now since February, so with all this in her system she may heal quicker this time. Regardless we commit to a six month treatment plan with Dr. H. In addition we purchased the light therapy system he recommended and began using this at home faithfully. Initially Olive was not a fan but we persisted and she eventually came to love the light therapy sessions. In fact she would fall asleep.  While it has been a long journey with many ups and downs four months in and Olive is doing remarkably well. Again there is no visible sign of a limp. She is enjoying two 10 minute walks each day. Still on leash and we do restrict movement. No jumping in and out of cars or up and down stairs. But what a world of difference. She is happy, social, frisky… She loves her new real food diet too.  She also had a couple of unrelated problems along the way that Dr. H. figured out and solved too. I will say there were times when I almost lost faith but Dr. H. always held a steady course for us and assured us that we needed to be patient. He was right.  We have referred others to Dr. H. and will continue to do so and we will continue to have him care for Olive even as a well dog. We are so very grateful to Dr. H. Jennifer and Nicole.  My advice to others is to see Dr. H. follow his instructions and know that it will take time. It is so worth it.

Lydia and Olive"

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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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