Holistic Veterinarian Telephone Consultations

The Doctor Is In! Convenient Holistic Veterinary Care By Phone

Dr. David Gordon, Holistic Veterinarian and Medical Director at VCA Arroyo Animal Hospital in Lake Forest, CA is now available for telephone consultations on Wednesday and Saturday mornings to help you with your pet. Dr. Gordon will review your pet's medical records and provide you with advice regarding the best conventional and holistic veterinary treatment options. This is an especially convenient way to receive medical advice if you have a very busy schedule or don't have access to a holistic veterinarian in your area. Dr. David A. Gordon has over 25 years of experience in veterinary medicine and is a member of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Veterinary Acupuncturists and the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society. Dr. Gordon has a special interest in acupuncture, orthopedic pet problems and holistic medical therapies and is dedicated to giving his patients the best that veterinary medicine can offer. Of course, he is an expert in general veterinary medicine too. Click here for more on Dr. Gordon's credentials

This 30 minute medical appointment is recommended if you:

1) Would like a second opinion about your pet's health condition or veterinary treatments

2) If your pet has unusual symptoms and a diagnoses is unclear

3) If your pet is not responding to conventional veterinary care and you would like an additional holistic medical perspective

4) A personalized, focused discussion of your pet's medical prognsosis without having to stress your pet with car transport

Please note that if you are seeking indepth dietary and/or supplement advice, than a combination appointment with both Dr. David Gordon and Susan Blake Davis, pet nutritionist is recommended.

30 minute consultation cost: $149

Click here to sign up now for a telephone consultation with Dr. David Gordon, holistic veterinarian

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Come Meet Susan and Get FREE Advice!

Get Expert Advice on Pet Nutrition
FREE!

Meet Susan Blake Davis, a certified clinical nutritionist who provides holistic health consultations to pet owners nationwide, teaching them how food choices directly affect their pet’s health concerns. Susan is also on-staff at VCA Arroyo Animal Hospital. Stop by and learn about:

-What’s Really in Pet Food
-How Poor Digestion Can Lead to Allergies & Other Diseases
-Best Supplements to Keep Your Pet Healthy
-Benefits of a Raw Food Diet

Susan will be at The Dog Ranch Bed & Biscuit located at 20401 Sun Valley Drive in Laguna Beach to answer your questions and help you optimize your pet’s health on:

-Tuesday July 6th from 4 – 6 pm
-Wednesday July 14th from 4 – 6 pm

Diet For Cats With Digestive Problems, IBD and Intestinal Lymphoma

Q: My 16 year old Tonkanese cat has trouble with digestion. He sometimes has small hard stools or diahrrea and/or vomiting. He primarily likes sea food. The Vet sold us Royal Canin for digestion health. I'm not so sure about the ingrediants. Do you think this is a good choice. (cat doesn't like it) any other suggestions for a food that would help him? Vet says it could develop into IBD. Thanks for your help
Barbara

A: Thank you so much for submitting a question. Your kitty's digestive problems are very common for senior cats. It seems that a lot of cats as they get older develop digestive problems which can include diarrhea, constipation, vomitting and discomfort. Many pet owners try the prescribed "prescription diet" from their veterinarians and the kitty doesn't want to eat it. Moreover, the prescription diets often contain ingredients such as corn, byproducts and other synthetic ingredients that may not be good for your cat.

What is hard for cat owners to understand is why their cat "suddenly" developed these issues. Most likely, the symptoms of diarrhea, poor digestion, vomitting, etc were evolving over time and now as a senior cat, it has become more apparent. What this means is that the general "inflammation" in the intestinal lining has been building and as your veterinarian mentioned, if untreated over time, can lead to intestinal lymphoma in cats. There are medications that can help but if possible and the symptoms are not too severe, starting with some supplements and a diet change is the best step.

The main issue is that you need to avoid poultry, sometimes seafood and most grains. You don't want to use a cat food that contains wheat gluten for example. All of these ingredients are hard for cats to digest and can be big allergens for cats. I am reluctant to recommend a specific brand as many of the high quality diets are very high in protein and depending upon your kitty's liver or kidney values, I would want to make some adjustments to the diet. In other words, if I recommended that you use Instinct rabbit by itself (which can work great for many cats), that may not be advisable for your kitty if the kidney values are even slightly elevated, which they often are in a 16 year old cat. Certainly adding some canned pumpkin to whatever diet you use will help add valuable fiber and helps regulate bowel motility.

Dietary changes alone, at this stage, will not be sufficient. It is very important that you also incorporate some natural nutrients into your cat's diet. In your situation, I would recommend using the Probiotic and using our IBD Kit. The Probiotic is highly purified, 3rd party tested and well tolerated by cats. It really helps to repopulate the bowel flora and most pet owners provide wonderful testimonials about how it reduces digestive symptoms and helps regulate their cat's bowel movements. The IBD Kit includes the Probiotic and really helps to heal inflammation and irritation that is causing the digestive symptoms.

In Memory Of Beloved Robert Weinstein, My Stepfather

Our dear Bob passed away yesterday. He just celebrated his 83rd birthday on June 5th. He made an incredible fight but the pneumonia and complications from open heart surgery were just too much for him.

Bob was a thoughtful, generous and caring person who took care of Selma, our mother for 38 years. They had a wonderful life together and enjoyed terrific times going on cruises, shopping and just being together. He could never do enough for Mom who was disabled with multiple sclerosis, diabetes and then later Alzheimers. His only concern was always what was best for Selma.

Bob was a wonderful father and stepfather and gave so much of himself. He was so kind to others in his community too and for years volunteered his time to bring in baked goods for the seniors in his apartment complex.

Bob suffered terribly as a result of the complications due to his surgery. We are so grateful he is at peace now and will miss him terribly. We love you Bob. You will live forever in our hearts!

Testimonial For Layla- Pancreatitis

Layla

Canine Pancreatitis

"Layla is a 3 year old Yorkshire Terrier who was diagnosed with pancreatitis in October of 2008. Our vet wanted Layla to be put on canned prescription formula to manage this and I knew I couldn't do that because I didn't agree with the ingredients in these foods. I talked to a friend who had used Susan in the past for her Yorkie with great success. Our vet was quite sure that Layla's issues could not be managed with a home cooked diet but we were determined to try. From the moment I talked to Susan in our first consultation I knew that Layla was in good hands and that through her help, everything would be fine. Layla was put on a strict diet and along with Susan's LypoZyme and Probiotics. Layla's Spec numbers went from 740 (under 400 is considered normal) in October, down to 164 in February. Our family is beyond thankful to Susan and all that she has done to save our girl from a lifetime of horrible canned food. I recommend Susan to anyone I meet who is considering home cooking or who is dealing with a dog with health issues- I just can't say enough about how knowledgeable Susan is and how deeply she cares."

The Pluss Family, Feb. 2009, Canada

Visit AskAriel.com for more information on digestive disorders

Teddy's Testimonial- Canine Liver Cancer

Canine Liver Cancer

In April 2008, our 10-year-old dog, Teddy, a Chow Chow rescue, was diagnosed with a liver tumor. Our vet did not know if it was cancer at the time. As Teddy’s tumor grew, he was able to be tested, and cancer was confirmed. We were told he was too old for conventional treatment and, as his cancer progressed, to simply keep him comfortable. The vet had no hope for his recovery from canine liver cancer.

Our family decided to treat Teddy’s liver cancer condition with a holistic approach. We found Susan Davis through her website. We scheduled a phone consult, and the surprising results began. Susan customized a diet and supplement plan for Teddy, and we saw a marked difference in just two weeks. His overall health continued to improve.

We chose to have Teddy living with canine cancer instead of dying with cancer. He lost his brave battle on January 8, 2010. Teddy’s vet felt it was a miracle that he survived for so long. Our family knows that it was a miracle, thanks to Susan. We were blessed to have found her. She made it possible for us to have extended time with our wonderful Teddy.

Susan and her team are professional, well-informed, caring, and most responsive. The ability to consult with Susan by phone and e-mail is extremely convenient. We highly recommend her services, particularly when pets are young, to start them off on a healthy, all-natural diet.

–The Nardoni Family 2010

Learn More About AskAriel's Cancer Support