The Value of Integrative Veterinary Medicine
As most veterinary professionals know, the health of a patient is more than the sum of its various parts and systems. Besides absence of illness or injury, a pet’s well-being encompasses lifestyle, nutrition, behavior and exercise. Nobody understands this like veterinarians who take an integrative approach to patient care. Treatments and services such as acupuncture, phototherapy, nutraceuticals and rehabilitation are becoming less “alternative” and more mainstream all the time, especially...
VITAL VOICE: Virtual Consults Give You Another Way to Help Your Pet Without Leaving Home
VITAL VOICE is back! Vital Vet's new video series featuring interviews with leaders and experts in the field of pet rehabilitation. This episode features an interview Dr. Jennifer Repac who is certified in canine rehabilitation (CCRT), chiropractic, Chinese herbal medicine, and acupuncture. Dr. Repac received her DVM from UC Davis in 2009. She spent 2 years working as a veterinarian and teacher for a small animal practice in Beijing, then completed an Integrative and...
Acupressure For Dogs
Acupressure points for dogs were first described during the Tang Dynasty between 618-907AD. Massaging acupressure points has been proven to provide a host of measurable therapeutic benefits to animals. Here’s how you can massage real life force into your pet, make him or her feel great, and bond in a beautiful way. Several studies have proven the benefits of massage in both animals and people. Massage has been directly linked...
Virtual Consults for Pets - Rehab, Conditioning, and Mobility Issues
Many of you are becoming familiar with telemedicine so that you can connect with your veterinarian for a virtual appointment. A Vital Vet Pet Video Consultation is different - it's a totally new concept in virtual consultation. Here's how: You do not have to be a client of the Vital Vet Pet Consultants Our Pet consultants are the best of the best - some names you might even recognize since they helped develop the certification...
Dog Acupressure
Acupressure Origins Warning: Always remember to consult with a certified professional before attempting to practice any form of medicine. Acupressure is a hands-on, fingertip therapy that works by applying pressure to various identified points on your dog's body. It originated over 3,000 years ago as part of a holistic healing system called Traditional Chinese Medicine (or TCM). Chinese medicine holds that all animals have a "life force" called qi (pronounced...
Similarities & Differences Between Acupressure & Acupuncture
A horsefly is mid-air, within inches of landing on the horse’s flank. The surface of his flank twitches just before the fly has a chance to land, warding it off in advance of being stung. This is how sensitive a horse is! He can feel everything within inches of his body. Your dog is asleep across the room. You look at him and suddenly his head pops up and he looks...
Acupuncture for Dogs
WHAT IS ACUPUNCTURE? Acupuncture is a medical art developed over 2,000 years ago. The acupuncturist places needles at specific sites on the body called acupuncture points, and may also incorporate hands-on techniques to facilitate the healing process. HOW DOES ACUPUNCTURE WORK? The classical Chinese explanation is that channels of energy run in regular patterns through the body over its surface. These channels (or meridians) course like blood vessels and lymph...
Canine Physical Therapy
There are many types of non-traditional therapies that benefit dogs! Canine sports medicine and rehabilitation is a relatively new specialty in veterinary medicine. Physical therapy (also called physiotherapy) has long been used for humans to help preserve, enhance or restore physical function impaired by disease, surgery or aging. What many people don’t realize is that physical therapy and rehabilitation can also enhance and restore function for our dogs. The dogs...