Alternative Veterinary MedicineIn this section of the web site I will, from time to time, post articles of interest to those who would like to know more about alternative methods of treatment in veterinary medicine.
The main alternative forms of treatment available for animals are; acupuncture, homeopathy, herbalism and the manipulative therapies such as osteopathy. Of course there are many other forms of treatment out there such as healing and reiki, and I will write about these if I find interesting articles about them but I will tend to concentrate on the more mainstream forms of treatment.
I believe that it is very important to keep an open mind about all things. As a veterinary surgeon I have had the benefit of a scientific education. Unlike some scientists I believe that we should not dismiss something just because we cannot understand it, or "prove" it, within our limited scope of understanding. I think that science can only move forward if people keep an open, questioning, and enquiring mind.
There is a lack of solid evidence at present regarding complimentary and alternative therapies. However there is plenty of anecdotal evidence which suggests that they may have a place in medicine, and many clients are starting to request them, both for themselves and for their animals.
At present within veterinary medicine we do not know enough about the alternative therapies but I will not dismiss them, because I do not know enough about them to do so!
When faced with a practice in medicine which would appear to be against current thinking I always remember Dr Ignaz Semmelweis who died a broken man with his reputation in tatters because he simply suggested in 1847 that doctors should wash their hands before attending women in childbirth! One day hundreds of years hence, our current lack of knowledge regarding some of the alternative therapies may be looked upon in a similar light as to the lack of understanding of bacteria and other micro-organisms in that unfortunate doctor's time.
I hope you find the articles in this section interesting and informative but please don't use any information found here to treat your pet yourself. Always consult a qualified practitioner, your own vet should be able to refer you to a reputable person. Any alternative practitioner working with animals needs a referral from a veterinary surgeon in order to treat your pet legally.
 © Samantha Coe. All rights reserved. Further information, news and pet-related healthcare articles are available at vetbase.co.uk
Questions Answered
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behavioural (cat) (10-Apr-07 10:02PM)
Karen asks:
Hi. I wrote in at the start of February about our cat Blacky who hadn't settled into our new home very well. I took the advice and bought the plug in ... view
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Polyneuroradiculopathy (dog) (10-Feb-07 09:43PM)
Emlyn asks:
I am trying to find out anything on the cause and or treatment of Polyneuroradiculopathy as I have an Irish Wolfhound with the disease. Any help would be very much appreciated ... view
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Lous keeps biting and chewing on her inner legs (dog) (02-May-07 02:22PM)
Terri asks:
Can I put Benadryl cream on her legs for the itch? ... view
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chronic kidney failure (cat) (19-Oct-07 09:17PM)
Marquessa asks:
Please can you tell me if it's okay for me to give my cat Dioralyte, the lost water and body salts replacement? He is very dehydrated and on the box it ... view
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Sudden death (dog) (24-Sep-07 04:17AM)
Judy asks:
Yesterday, we left our lab in our fenced in area to play for a few hours. It was a nice day with no humidity. When we came home, he ... view
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Diabetes (dog) (28-May-07 11:19AM)
Stephanie asks:
Hamish is 12 years old and has had diabetes for a year. In resent months he has not been able to control his bladder and bowels at night time sometimes. I ... view
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diagnosed with a torn cruciate ligament (dog) (03-May-07 03:53PM)
Douglas asks:
Henry has been diagnosed with a torn cruciate ligament on a hind leg. He is 17 years old and our vet is not keen on any operation and said plenty of ... view
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Fleas and skin problem (na) (26-Oct-07 01:26AM)
Joanne asks:
I have two cats, a neutered tom and his sister. They are 6 and a half yrs. old. They have never been outdoors. A few days ago I was ... view
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insuvet insulin (cat) (02-Mar-07 04:10PM)
Hayley asks:
It is stated on the bottle that it has to be thrown away every 28 days, although only using 7 units which means throwing a near full bottle away. Is this ... view
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Benefits (na) (04-Feb-07 08:17PM)
Sharrice asks:
If I take the two dogs to the vets is there any help I can get with vet bills as I am on income support? ... view
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Recurring abscess (na) (12-Mar-07 10:59AM)
Anna asks:
Hi, an abscess has developed at the stump of my cat's tail three times in the last four months. It always seems to be in the same area. I have had ... view
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Why was he bleeding? (hamster) (01-Feb-07 01:27PM)
Ali asks:
Can you please tell me why, when I had Bee put to sleep, it took 15 minutes to work, and the white wrap they presented him to me in afterwards had ... view
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roundworms (cat) (02-Mar-07 10:26PM)
Sally asks:
We have tried lots of treatments but still she carries on getting them both sides are really big could she get pregnant even after being done? ... view
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Ronin lethargic, off food, very quiet. (dog) (04-Feb-07 11:01AM)
Colin asks:
For the past 2 days he's been lethargic and now he's off his food, yawning a lot and seems very quiet. Could this be a worm problem or something more serious? ... view
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this is a strange question (cat) (09-Mar-07 08:51PM)
Lynne asks:
Hi, I have a beautiful main coon male cat, he is 6 years old and he kind of believes that he is a dog. He has always been attached to ... view
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loose stools, lethargic (na) (19-Aug-07 05:38AM)
Sabrina asks:
We purchased this pup 1 week ago. The owner said he had been dewormed, but he has had very loose stools over the weekend and now has become lethargic to the ... view
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drooling cat (cat) (25-Apr-07 03:38AM)
 Chloeco33 asks:
My cat Tom started drooling excessively 3 days ago, he constantly has stinky, smelly, saliva all over his chin, he's a healthy cat as far as I know, I haven't ... view
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Cat has sore paw pad (cat) (26-Feb-07 04:12PM)
Kellie asks:
My cat loves going out and is a typical tom, he has had a limp for a couple of days, looking closely at it the first toe pad is inflamed with ... view
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Dog eye or neck problem (dog) (04-Apr-07 11:29PM)
Christine asks:
My dog is walking with his head held high, his ears pulled back and seems to not have proper sight. ... view
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Sick syrian hamster (na) (08-Nov-07 10:53PM)
Sara asks:
Hi. My syrian hamster is 2 and half yrs. old. The last 24 hrs I have noticed a big change in his behaviour. All he wants to do is sleep, he's ... view
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Your Questions Answered
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Injured Wild Owl 30-Nov-07
Kelly asks:
I found an owl this morning, very small but adult. It flew into a power line. It's still alive. ... view
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swollen hind leg 20-Nov-07
 Zshai asks:
I have a 6-day-old bunny who has a swollen hind leg. I saw her mama step on her but ... view
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Sick syrian hamster 08-Nov-07
Sara asks:
Hi. My syrian hamster is 2 and half yrs. old. The last 24 hrs I have noticed a big ... view
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lack of sleep 07-Nov-07
Bill asks:
We have a 14 month old Yorkshire terrier, which goes to bed at around 6.30pm, because I have MS ... view
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wet tail 06-Nov-07
Evelyn asks:
Can a young hamster be successfully treated for wet tail and what would it roughly cost? ... view
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Alfie 06-Nov-07
Elaine asks:
Hi Sam
Thank you. Alfie has no feeding time he just has food in his bowl when he wants it ... view
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Guarding problem 05-Nov-07
 Elaine asks:
Alfie is a terrible guarder and will take your hand off if you try and retrieve an object he ... view
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White Gums and Dark Stool 02-Nov-07
Leslie asks:
My 8 week old American Bulldog has really white gums, around the eyes is also white. She has dark ... view
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Dog's Health 01-Nov-07
William asks:
My dog is around 11 years old, possibly older (we received her as she was taken from a bad ... view
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behaviour 31-Oct-07
Debby asks:
Hi Max is very lively of course but he seems to get very excited and bites the children, not ... view
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Blood in dog's stools 31-Oct-07
Lee asks:
Hi. We recently got a 3 year old Labrador from a friend. From what we can see she has ... view
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upset stomach 30-Oct-07
kat asks:
About three days ago my dog started acting like she was sick; diarrhoea and vomiting along with excessive sneezing ... view
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Blood in Poo 28-Oct-07
Mandy asks:
Treacle is now 9 wks old and had her first vaccination two days ago. I have noticed that at ... view
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neutering 27-Oct-07
 ashen1956 asks:
3 days ago Molly-Mae gave birth to 5 kittens. How long should I wait before having her neutered and ... view
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Ordering Insulin Online 26-Oct-07
Purdie asks:
Purdie is diabetic and I'm keen to find a way of reducing the cost of the treatment. Currently ... view
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Fleas and skin problem 26-Oct-07
Joanne asks:
I have two cats, a neutered tom and his sister. They are 6 and a half yrs. old. They ... view
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My cat has a hole in its stomach! 23-Oct-07
Sarah asks:
My cat has a hole the size of a dime in its stomach. He doesn't seem to be ... view
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labrador vomiting bile and nearly passing out 22-Oct-07
Paul asks:
Hi there - our five year old male labrador is generally in very good health - excellent appetite, plenty ... view
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Guinea pig fits 22-Oct-07
Renate asks:
My guinea pig is acting strange. I've only had him around a week and he's running as if spooked ... view
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feeding 22-Oct-07
Terry asks:
Is it safe to feed my GSD raw chicken wings, he is 16 months old and is 37 kg? ... view
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