I Need An Alternative Veterinarian!
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
Updated: October 19th, 2018
When on the hard road of dog cancer, we have to use all tools at our disposal.
The reason is obvious: we still don’t have a cure for systemic cancers. Thus, most in their right mind would agree that an unsolved problem demands open-minded consideration of all approaches. At the same time, the challenge is selecting among the approaches to produce real results.
Most of us in the veterinary profession end up leaning towards a certain style. Most conventional veterinarians have a very limited knowledge of supplements, diet, and other tools that can give an edge for a dog with cancer.
The approach of the Dog Cancer Blog, webinars, and The Dog Cancer Survival Guide is what I call “Full Spectrum” medicine. This is one where we try to pick the tools that give the greatest effects. Since there is so much to choose from, it is a daunting task to get a centralized plan. This is the reason for the Guide.
Meanwhile, the information has to be put to use in your dog at home. In some cases, the steps are quite easy. In others, they are more challenging. The challenges arise from having to take into account your individual dog’s medications, other diseases, allergies, and obtaining and delivering treatments.
These could erect barriers for some that can make it difficult. I provide you with the information, but you could use a little extra help managing the details for your particular dog.
Wouldn’t it be great to have a resource where you could search for a vet that had knowledge in the areas beyond chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation? Well, you came to the right place.
There is an online listing of veterinarians who, on average, would be more willing to help than your usual conventional veterinarian. Remember, I am referring to areas of care outside of chemo, radiation, and surgery.
These vets are members of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA). The AHVMA is the official organization that many “alternative” vets belong to. As a generality, these vets will be a little more “open-minded” than their conventional counterparts. (But not always as they may vilify conventional medicine, which is another mistake.)
Click here to access the index. This great site allows you to search for vets by location, modality (for example, Chinese herbs, acupuncture, homeopathy, etc.) and type of practice (most of you will want to click on the “small animal” index, even if your dog is large!). The results can be sorted by zip code or area code, which can help pinpoint those closest to you. There are even some who practice conventional care as well.
As a guideline, have the oncologists do oncology. Have the surgeons do surgery. But if you need someone to help you be your dog’s primary health care advocate with some outside-the-box therapies, the AHVMA index is a great place to start.
Best to all,
Dr Dressler
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
My boss practices both Western and Chinese Medicine–Dr. Robert Spiegel located in Gainesville, FL.
[…] if you can manage it, consider acupuncture to round out your dog’s Full Spectrum cancer care. Here is a post on recruiting a vet that might be able to […]