At 10 years’ old, Indy is an incredibly loving, good-natured Labrador receiving  a unique combination of integrative therapy (traditional and natural care) to help her arthritis and pain.

Her integrative therapy plan includes:

• Frequent Acupuncture to aid healing and decrease pain
• Nutritionally rich, high fiber diet
• High grade, veterinary approved/researched Glucosamine in increase mobility
• Pre/Pro Biotics to aid digestion and immunity
• Milk Thistle to support liver health
• NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for pain

Since Indy began her therapy 1 1/2 years ago, she is overall happier and more mobile.

This month’s Pet of the Month is Lola. She is a 7 year old Chihuahua mix that has been coming to Dogwood since June 2007. Her visits to Dogwood have been great! She is overall a healthy small breed dog coming to us for vaccines, blood tests and almost yearly dental cleanings. You see, like many small breed dogs, Lola suffers from chronic dental disease. Chronic Dental Disease is when there is a build up of tartar and gingivitis (gum disease) leading to 12 tooth extractions! Now with many of the teeth gone that were causing her to be uncomfortable, Lola is doing great and enjoying her summer with her family!

Myah is a jovial 7-year-old Welsh Corgi who’s been coming to Dogwood since a spunky pup of 8 weeks. Overall, she’s  been healthy. Myah sees us annually for her wellness exam and when she’s not feeling well. Myah suffers from back pain with the possibility of disk disease. At one point, she visited us twice monthly for acupuncture therapy. Today she is doing much better and is receiving monthly acupuncture treatments for maintenance, eating a veterinary-recommend diet, taking natural supplements, and pain medication as needed. We all look forward to hearing Myah’s friendly “hello” whenever she walks through our door!

Cricket

Cricket is our adorable Pet of the Month for many reasons. He will turn 18 this August and has the personality of a kitten! Cricket has been coming to Dogwood Pet Hospital since October 1993! Most of his life he has been healthy with only a few surprises here and there. In December 2008, we ran some blood work on Cricket and found his kidney values were increasing. We changed Cricket’s diet and added some supplements to help bring these values down.  During a recheck exam, we discovered Cricket’s blood pressure was high!  Yes, cats get high blood pressure too!  Lately, Cricket has been having some breathing problems, and we’ve had to supplement him with oxygen and take chest x-rays.  Currently, Cricket is doing great!

February is a time to celebrate love, indulge in chocolate (exclusive to humans only), and honor a wise and wonderful Golden Retriever named Jessie. We have been Jessie’s family veterinarian since she was a tiny, fluffy puppy. Today, at age 12, we continue to care for her through the senior years. Jessie is a cancer survivor and takes veterinary-approved supplements including shitake mushrooms and antioxidants. She also has acupuncture treatments for her recent cruciate ligament injury and to improve overall health and balance. Jessie continues to improve and we wish her the very best!

MAX

Our pet of the month for December is the fabulous Max!  Max became our patient in August of 2007, and at that time he had a long history of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).  Yep, dogs get it too!  We had been managing his IBD with a combination of western meds and some natural medicine such as probiotics and prebiotics.  Recently, poor Max has had some bad luck.  In October, we removed two cancerous tumors and started Max on a supplement program of Chinese mushrooms and antioxidants.  Then, in November, Max’s abdomen swelled with fluid.  After an ultrasound, it was determined that Max’s IBD had worsened and now his bowels were leaking protein! We are working hard to stay on top of Max’s dynamic disease, and we wish him the best of luck and a happy holiday!

We are happy to celebrate our newest Pet of the Month, Joey! Joey, a charming cockapoo, was diagnosed with cancer a little over a year ago. His cancer treatment plan includes monthly acupuncture visits, Chinese herbs, natural supplements, and routine monitoring.

As of the last exam, none of Joey’s tumors have grown in size. In fact, he’s feeling much better than before his diagnosis!

~September 2009~

Rosie Prull

6/8/09 – 8/29/09

Rosie was a little spark and touched everyone she met.  Dr. Prull and her fiancé took her in when no one else would have, and when the odds weren’t in her favor.  With Rosie’s googly eyes and curly tail, she showed us what joy and courage looked like.  The sweetest little angel, we had nothing but hope for her.  For months we celebrated every victory and watched her get so much better.  Rosie was not meant for this life for long, sadly, and we lost our little Potato.  We are all so sad, but all so lucky to have known her.  We will miss you Rosie the Potato!

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Gabby

Gabby is our fabulous pet of the month for August! Sweet Gabby is a two-year -old tabby who came home limping and bloody at the beginning of June. We suspect that Gabby was hit by a car because the exam revealed a broken tibia (shin bone) that had punctured through the skin. Gabby was stitched up and had to wear a splint for 6 weeks (and stay in the bathroom!). Poor Gabby needed that splint changed every 7 days (twice in one week when Gabby figured out how to get the splint off behind the TV!). Now, Gabby has healed up and is at home with her loving family. We love you, Gabby!

At just 9 weeks’ old, Mader a normally spunky boxer developed acute pain all over his body and trouble walking. His concerned parents brought him to Dogwood Pet Hospital for a comprehensive examination and diagnostics. We took x-rays (also known as radiographs) and ran full bloodwork. Diagnostics such as radiographs and bloodwork give us a better understanding of what’s happening inside the body, but in Mader’s case, his condition remained a mystery!

Mader was later diagnosed with probable corticosteroid responsive meningitis, a rare disease causing inflammation of the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cords. This disease can be very painful, but manageable. Today, Mader’s parents are giving him a low dose of oral steroids and monitoring his temperature. We are happy that Mader is recovering and wish him the very best!