Integrative Medicine Services
Mission
Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital has a fully staffed Integrative Medicine and Rehabilitation Center devoted to providing traditional and non traditional treatments for our small animal and equine patients. Our Doctors are skilled in western/allopathic medical practice and have gained additional training and certifications in less traditional therapies such as; rehabilitation, acupuncture, Chinese and Western Herbology, Chiropractic (Spinal Manipulation), Stem Cell treatment, homeopathy, massage, and nutritional supplements. By integrating the knowledge of traditional and non traditional medicine we are able to expand on the diagnostic and treatment options we can provide our patients.
Many integrative therapies have been practiced as medical systems by non –western cultures for thousands of years- Chinese and Ayurvedic herbal medicine, and acupuncture for example. As more research has been done to understand how these non traditional treatments work, the benefits of “alternative” or “complimentary therapies” have become more widely accepted and treatments are more readily available. With expanded acceptance better training and certification programs have improved the education and quality of care provided by certified practitioners.
By integrating the knowledge obtained from more then one medical system we can expand our examination to incorporate the principles of chiropractic/spinal manipulation and rehabilitation for patients with acute or chronic orthopedic conditions. TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine includes examination of tongue, pulses, meridians and acupuncture points to aid in diagnosis and help direct the treatment for acute and chronic conditions. These examination techniques can be used to identify imbalances in both young and adult patients for preventative wellness plans in addition to providing non traditional options for more complex medical issues such as cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, allergies etc. Rehabilitation and chiropractic can benefit and help maintain the canine and equine athlete, as well as expedite improved mobility in post surgical, geriatric and injured patients.
Hours of Operation:
Equine
8:30 am-4:30 pm Monday – Friday
Small Animal
Appointments are scheduled on Tuesday – Friday from 8 am - 6 pm. To schedule an appointment please call 360-568-3112, or email us at: integrativemedicine@pilchuckvet.net
Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation for animals incorporates the principles of human physical therapy and applies them to small and large animals. The goals of rehabilitation are to control inflammation, improve joint range of motion (ROM), reverse muscle atrophy, and improve mobility. Proper application of rehabilitation requires comprehensive knowledge of anatomy including origin and insertion points of muscles, and neurology. The doctors and staff of Pilchuck Integrative Medicine and Rehabilitation Center can work with you and your companion or working animal to help develop an individualized plan to improve your pet’s mobility and quality of life. Below are listed some of the conditions that can benefit from rehabilitation and the types of modalities that may be incorporated into your pets treatment plan.
Conditions that can benefit from rehabilitation:
- Atrophy secondary to metabolic disease such as Cushing’s, diabetes mellitus, etc.
- Weight loss for obesity
- Osteoarthritis: senior animals, after trauma or surgery
- Post surgical recovery
- Fibrocartilagenous emboli (FCE) or spinal cord injury
- Conditioning for Athletes to strengthen muscles and prevent injury
- Tendon and muscle injury
Modalities:.jpg)
- Therapeutic exercises and stretches
- Cold Laser
- Cryotherapy and thermal therapies
- Therapeutic ultrasound
- Underwater Treadmill/Hydrotherapy
- Pulsed signal therapy (PST)
Chiropratic or Spinal Manipulation
Normal alignment of joints and the integrity of the muscles around joints are responsible for normal joint ROM, muscle strength and mobility. If joints become subluxated or misaligned ROM and mobility becomes limited, nerves and blood vessels can become compressed or entrapped leading to pain, muscle contracture and atrophy. Adjusting subluxated joints is achieved by applying a precise thrust or adjustment at a specific angle to correct alignment, reestablish circulation and mobility, and alleviate pain. Adjustments can correct misalignment of any part of the skeleton including digits, front and hind limbs, pelvis, jaw (especially TMJ), skull, hyoid apparatus, cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine, sternum and ribs. Localization of subluxations and proper adjustments require knowledge of normal joint articulations, their specific angles, and anatomy of the muscles surrounding the joint. Animal Chiropractic is considered the practice of Veterinary Medicine by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and is covered under the Veterinary Practice act of most states. Chiropractic treatment by non-certified or untrained individuals can worsen conditions if improperly applied. The Veterinarians administering adjustments at Pilchuck have received advanced training to assure your companion animals receive proper treatment, and that diagnostics are recommended prior to adjusting when appropriate.
Massage
As chiropractic is a therapy for the skeleton, massage is a therapy for the soft tissue, especially muscle. Very effective when used by itself and when paired with chiropractic.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
The medical application of acupuncture, herbs, diet and exercise has been practiced for over 3000 years in many countries including China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, France and other European cultures on both animals and humans. The oldest known mummified human with an acupuncture prescription tattooed on his back, named “Utze”, was found frozen in the Alps. He is estimated to be over 4000 years old; further proof that this medical system was developed and utilized by multiple cultures, perhaps for thousands of years longer then the first known written documentation.
The ancient form of acupuncture and herbal treatment practiced in China has changed over the years to evolve into the current practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine that is taught to Veterinarians. The choice of points and herbs used in a TCM “prescription” is based on a TCM history and examination of the patient that includes their past illness, behaviors, food preferences, examination of diagnostic acupuncture points and meridians along with tongue and pulse examination. Once the patients imbalances are identified a plan for treatment is formulated that may include exercise, diet, acupuncture, and/or herbs.
TCM is a complete medical system, like western/allopathic medicine, with its own language and treatment applications, often focused on prevention rather then treatment of pathology but beneficial for both. TCM examination and treatment can be used as a “compliment” to allopathic or western treatments or used independently for individuals whose medial conditions have not responded well to more traditional treatments or medications. Because TCM focuses on using the patients own body to locate their specific imbalances it is extremely beneficial for wellness examination of animals at any age. The principles of TCM are best applied to correcting imbalances before they manifest as disease but can be very helpful for many pathological conditions, including IBS, cancer, orthopedic conditions, emotional disturbances, recovery from “stroke” etc.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is the application of needles, laser, magnets, heat etc. to specific points in the body to correct imbalances or disease. Acupuncture points are primarily located along 14 Meridians, except for some traditional points which are not associated with any
Meridian. Meridians are “energetic” pathways located along the surface of the body which penetrate to the deeper tissues of the body and can be used in diagnosis and treatment of disease. Meridians were originally mapped out based on reports from individuals who where very sensitive to “propagated sensation”, meaning they were able to feel heat or tingling along pathways and into deeper organs or tissues during acupuncture treatment. Some points have special are considered “Master points”, or “connecting or luo points”. Other points, such as association or alarm point, are linked to specific meridians and organs are used for both diagnosis and treatment
Dissection and research of acupoints have identified some of the neurophysiology to explain why acupuncture treatment can be so powerful. Acupoints and Meridians are found near superficial nerve clusters, often free nerve endings and have a higher abundance of blood vessels, and neurotransmitters present. Acupoints also have a lowered electrical resistance, leading to higher electrical conduction when stimulated, compared to surrounding tissues. Stimulation of acupoints creates micro inflammation and release of neurotransmitters locally. This in turn stimulates the peripheral and central nervous system resulting in a variety of reactions including stimulation of the clotting cascade, release of inflammatory mediators like bradykinin, and prostaglandins, release of mast cells and histamine leading to vasodilatation, release of serotonin and growth factors to name but a few of the affects on the body.
Acupuncture can be used to treat any condition, including pain associated with soft tissue or orthopedic conditions such as osteoarthritis, ligament or tendon injuries, i.e. anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and bicipital tendonitis, or paresis/paralysis from IVDD or FCE injury. Metabolic imbalances are very responsive to acupuncture for example inflammatory bowel disease, renal disease, and ileus. Patients who have undergone chemotherapy or radiation many benefit from acupuncture for nausea and to stimulate appetite. Acupuncture and herbal therapy can be used in conjuncture with traditional cancer treatments or as a separate treatment for cancer.
Chinese and Western Herbs
Herbs have been used for medical treatment for century’s world wide. Many of our western pharmaceuticals are derived from plants, such as aspirin from willow bark and digitalis from fox glove. There are hundreds of established herbal formula and single herbs s in pill, tablet capsules and loose herbal form. Powder or raw herbs can be blended to make custom formulas for an individual patient. Herbal formulas can be use with any diagnosed condition. Chinese herbs are best used after TCM examination to identify excesses, deficiencies and other imbalances before starting an herbal formula. Patients should be rechecked within 1-3 weeks of starting a formula to monitor response and see if adjustments need to be made in the formula as the patient responds.
Nutrition and Supplements
The body is dependant on the micronutrients to function properly. With certain medical or age related conditions such as arthritis, small bacterial overgrowth, stomatitis, chronic viral infection etc. nutritional supplements can be very beneficial. There are hundreds of thousands of supplements on the market. The FDA does not regulate supplements which means what is in the bottle does not always match what is on the label. Without regulation it can become very challenging to know which over the counter (OTC) products are of good quality so use caution when reading “anecdotal evidence” or “Personal stories or success” since they may not be factual. The recommendations for supplements and dosages made at Pilchuck are based on current research and brands are screened to make sure there is consistency in the quality and the products are tested for contaminants such as heavy metals when appropriate.
Diet recommendations may be made based on TCM examination, or medicated diets may be recommended for animals with chronic disease. In TCM food therapy is considered part of the medical treatment. With patients who have excess conditions cooling or neutral foods may be recommended, and with deficient patients warming or heating foods may be recommended. For most patients the ideal diet is a home cooked diet, but not everyone has the time, energy or finances to cook for their pets. There are several boarded Veterinary nutritionist who can formulate a custom cooked diet for a specific patient with health concerns. For animals without health issues there are many resources for making balanced home cooked diets. It is important to follow recipes to make sure proper amounts of vitamins and minerals are being added to the cooked diet or health issues can develop from feeding an imbalanced diet over time. When adding cooked food to a commercial diet it is important to make sure not more then 25% of the dry diet (Kcals) is replaced with cooked or the vitamin and mineral content will be out of balance.
Raw diets have become popular in the last several years. Not all pets will be able to digest these diets, but many will do very well on raw foods. There are many good commercial diets available in the frozen form. Using a properly frozen raw diet eliminates the higher risk of bacterial contamination and Toxoplasmosis infection that can occur with fresh raw diets. Raw diets are not nutritionally complete and must be supplemented with omega 3 fatty acids and a multi vitamin. Animals that need restricted protein for medical reasons should not be fed raw diets.
There is a higher amount of e coli bacteria in raw diets, even when properly frozen and animals fed these diets will have higher e coli counts in their feces, so care should be taken when picking up stool for disposal. The diets themselves must be handled properly to prevent e coli contamination of humans in the environment especially children. Raw diets should not be used in homes with immune compromised people or family members undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatments as they are at higher risk for serious infection from these diets even if properly handled. If your animal is on a raw diet and is hospitalized the diet will have to be cooked if brought into the hospital to prevent potential risk to other hospitalized patients.
