I decided to give her until midnight to see if it was just a passing stomachache, something she sometimes (although seldom) experiences because of her liver condition. But I called first to book the vet appointment for the next day, just in case she needed to go in. The vet I wanted to bring her to see is a world-renowned holistic vet who gives lectures all over the world and is also an excellent naturopathic doctor for human patients. The only problem was that I had to cross the border into the US to see him, so I had no choice but to bundle the unhappy Jemma up a little after midnight to make the super long drive there.
Even though we had to go out of the country to see the vet, it was worth every minute. I must admit I had my doubts before going as we have had our fair share of bad vet experiences. However, all the praises I have heard about this vet both from dedicated pet owners + vets alike were true.
Do I have to come out of hiding?
I better not be here for bloodwork or else!
Is that the vet I hear? I wonder how evil this one is...
This is such unnecessary stress for my small body.
We ended up doing some blood work during the consultation (to Jemma's dismay, LOL) and also spent a great deal of time discussing Jemma's health history, mainly her specific liver condition. Since the vet is extremely well-versed in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), diet issues were discussed at great length and I learned some very useful information.
Although I have always believed in holistic ways of healing, this was our first experience with TCM. I learned about the properties of hot + cold foods in TCM and how certain foods, while fine to eat short-term, can actually be detrimental to the liver in the long run, especially with Jemma's form of liver disease (MVD). The vet has a lot of experience with liver disease and has seen many instances where lifespan was drastically decreased, related to diet, and how it eventually affected other organs of the body.
He has personally seen many dogs with MVD bounce back to life after following his diet protocol. This is good news as I know how horrible this disease is and have witnessed the deaths of many dogs on several health forums.
Although there wasn't anything wrong with the blood work and bile acids panel we had done at the appointment, I took the TCM information and applied it. This included making several changes to her home-cooked diet, geared towards helping her liver "heal" and minimizing its stress level. With liver disease, one wants as less stress as possible on the organ. There are many "normal" foods regularly fed to our dogs that actually put a HUGE load of stress on the liver (which is fine for healthy dogs, but potentially a lifespan decrease to those with liver disease).
Jemma was and is still eating a specialized diet tailored to her individual needs because of her several health issues. The vet also prescribed a special blend of herbs that he formulated specifically for Jemma and her symptoms.
All packed up and ready to GO. Thank dog! Let's book it out of here, mom!
To be continued...
[Edit] Comments now disabled. See Part II for update :)
