robertwoodsdvm.com Blog

I am sure you have heard me mention upon occasion that we have a collection of cats. Cat Castaway Island is how we refer to our house, we have the cats that no one else will take or manage.
Almost 4 years ago now, a client of mine had a cat named “Moe”, a GIANT orange round tomato of a cat that would board with us often. He also had developed type 1 diabetes because of his weight problem. Moe was a character in his home, would hide from his insulin shots and was hard to monitor his food intake. So his mom, wanting the best thing for him, approached Hannah about taking him. NEVER MENTION TO HANNAH THAT A CAT IS IN NEED!!
Needless to say, “Moe” came to live with us, he got to hang out in Melia’s room while he was getting used to the lay of the land. We got him down to a good weight, he did so well that he was able to get off of insulin as long as his weight didn’t increase again. For 3 years “Moe” was not on any insulin.

“Moe” is 14 years old, turns 15 in August, and has an adoration for Melia that is hard to explain.
He loves his 5 year old little girl “owner”, he waits for her to come home from school. He cries for her to play with him. If Melia climbs up the play structure in our backyard, “Moe” goes up too. Melia slides down the slide, “Moe” will jump down and start all over again with her. He is a joy to have in our menagerie, and we love him! Last week, “Moe” was not himself, no extreme personality change, just not his usual self. Having a “senior citizen cat”, we did some labwork. His glucose was through the roof and his kidney values are elevated. Now “Moe” has type 2 diabetes and will be insulin dependent for the rest of his life, not to mention he has renal failure.
Now for the challenge: diabetics need a HIGH protein diet, and renal patients need a LOW protein diet. So our plan is to start him on insulin to regulate his glucose, to support the kidneys by feeding him a low protein diet, to start him on SQ fluids, and homotoxicology remedies to support the kidneys and endocrine system.
WOW, yes, WOW, for the little 5 year old girl that shares an incredible bond with “her” cat, yes, that is our plan for “Moe”.
Some of you probably know Melia, she is usually at the office with us on thursday afternoons, she looks exactly like Hannah, and is really a 16 year old trapped in an almost 6 year old body. She draws pictures for the patients, sits and pets their heads as they wait, and always remembers them on their next visit.

She is aware that “Moe” is sick, she happily signed up last night to hold him while we gave him SQ fluids, he does not protest anything Melia tells him is “ok” so that comes in handy. She placed his supplements on the floor in front of him and he happily ate them for her. She told him to sit while she gave him his homotoxicology oral therapy, and he opened his mouth for her to squirt the solution in.
Now todays challenge is going to be finding the right dose of insulin for him, glucose checks throughout the day, and getting the ingredients to make him his home cooked renal diet.
We are going to start with an Egg White & Rice diet, so after our trip to the store, I will document the recipe for you and let you know how it turns out.

On Paws and Needles
By COURTNEY PERKES

Dr. Robert Woods, left, places acupuncture needles in Lady, a shepherd mix, owned by Betty Dodd, of Sun City, at the North Tustin Veterinary Clinic. Lady, who has cancer, gets acupuncture to help strengthen her immune system and improve her quality of life. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Daisy the 17-year-old cat meows incessantly when she sees the box, protesting another trip to the vet.

So when David Johnson’s wife suggested trying acupuncture for her arthritis, he hoped the treatment would outweigh the trauma.

His human friends swore by the ancient process, but he wondered how much of the results were psychological. With animals, however, there is no placebo effect. Daisy might know where she was going, but she wouldn’t comprehend the reason for a row of needles inserted along her furry spine.

“I was a bit skeptical. I’m also very much open-minded,” said Johnson, a nuclear engineer from Orange. “We took her in.”

Within a couple of treatments, Daisy seemed five years younger, a frisky kitty once again. Her appetite improved. She climbs to the top of her cat tree. Her gait looks normal when she scampers around the house.

“She doesn’t like it, but she puts up with it,” Johnson said. “I’m a believer. I don’t know how it works. You can’t deny the results.”

Veterinarian Robert Woods, who practices in Tustin and Garden Grove, treats Daisy as well as an assortment of dogs, and even birds, rabbits and reptiles. He still performs surgeries and prescribes traditional medications, but he’s a big advocate of the holistic art of animal acupuncture, which originated several thousand years ago in China with the treatment of livestock.

Acupuncture, in both humans and pets, is based on a technique to balance the flow of energy, called qi, through the pathways or meridians of the body. Inserting thin needles into specific points is traditionally believed to rebalance the energy flow. Western researchers don’t know exactly how it works, but the stimulation of nerves and muscles may activate the body’s natural painkillers and increase blood flow.

“It’s challenging, but overall I’m always amazed by how well received it is by the animals,” Woods said. “I don’t understand how they’re able to sit for this. You’d think they would jump off the table or bite or run away.”

Instead, pets like Jazz, a Flat-Coated retriever, would relax and doze after Woods inserted the fine needles, the same as those used in human hands or the face.

Jazz received weekly acupuncture for two years to counteract side effects from chemotherapy. Despite lung cancer and removal of a lobe, she continued agility competitions.

“She was just much happier,” said her owner, Teresa Rodney of Fountain Valley. “You never could have known she was on chemotherapy.”

At $85 a session, the treatment is expensive. But Rodney had lost other dogs to cancer and wanted no regrets with Jazz. Each week Woods asked if there were any particular problems to work on, such as loss of appetite.

“Her main issue was not wanting to eat,” Rodney said. “Within an hour, she would be ravenous.”

Woods said if acupuncture works for an animal, the response can typically be seen within 24 hours. The benefits last three to five days, but Woods said over time the effect builds and treatment can often be stopped altogether or done less frequently.

As in humans, acupuncture has been studied in animals. According to the National Cancer Institute, studies in rats suggest acupuncture may be effective in reducing cancer-related symptoms. A 2008 study of reproduction in horses found better hormone regulation after treatment. Another study, of dogs with parasites, found acupuncture stimulated their immune systems.

Ultimately, Jazz died at 9 from a different kind of cancer.

“I think it increased her overall quality of life and made her have that spark in her eye,” Woods said of the acupuncture sessions.

Kris Gillan feared she would lose her beloved Roxanne, when the Dachshund’s back-end became paralyzed and she could no longer walk. Her vet diagnosed disc disease, common in the breed, and referred her to a spine specialist.

Surgery would cost nearly $5,000 and Roxanne was declining rapidly. Desperate, Gillan e-mailed Woods about acupuncture after finding him in an online search.

“He didn’t promise me anything,” Gillan said. “Within a couple weeks, she was walking but walking like a drunken sailor. Within three months, she was walking perfectly.”

That was more than a year ago. These days, Roxanne, 5, trots happily along on walks.

Gillan, who lives in Fountain Valley, takes her back for the occasional tune-up session. She estimates she spent about $800 on acupuncture.

“It was a last-ditch effort,” she said. “She was a goner before I went to Dr. Woods. I call her the miracle dog.”

Woods said not only have his animal patients made dramatic improvements, but those results have prompted some of their owners to try acupuncture.

“I’ve had people stop smoking, treat chronic conditions and end up having children through acupuncture for fertility,” Woods said.

Contact the writer: 714-796-3686 or cperkes@ocregister.com

Dr. Robert Woods of the North Tustin Veterinary Clinic, uses acupuncture on Corky, a 13-year-old toy poodle, who has intervertebral disc disease and hip dysplasia. His owner, Sherry Loos of Long Beach, holds him on a recent Tuesday morning at the clinic. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Emily Barry, left, of Costa Mesa, with her dog, Maggie, looks amused as Frank, a three-legged German shepherd, stands at the counter, while Susan Groux, center, of Newport Beach, looks on at the North Tustin Veterinary Clinic. Both dogs received acupuncture at the clinic. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Thank you to all my clients for trying something out of the box and bringing your pets to benefit from acupuncture. Thank you to David Johnson, Teresa Rodney, and Kris Gillam for allowing Courtney to interview you. Also, thanks to my smiling patients on photo day: Emily Barry with “Maggie”, Susan Groux with “Frank”, Sherry Loos with “Corky”, and Betty Dodd with “Lady”. A special thanks to Courtney Perkes and “Chewy” for being interested enough to write an article.

I recently completed the credentialed course for stem cell therapy through Vet-Stem. I am excited to use this regenerative therapy for those animals that have the right indications, especially dogs with elbow and hip dysplasia. The nice thing about stem cell therapy is that the cells are collected from the same animal for which their use is intended. This is important because there are basically no side effects or fears of rejection.

Stem cells are precursor cells that have the potential to
develop into bone, cartilage, ligament, or organ tissue.

These cells when used therapeutically can be used for
osteoarthritis pain management. Studies have shown
that stem cell therapy improved arthritis associated with
elbow and hip dysplasia.

Additional diseases show promise for treatment using
stem cell therapy such as: auto-immune diseases, liver
disease, heart disease, kidney disease, and
neurological disorders.

To obtain your dogs stem cells, a surgical procedure is
performed that collects 1-2 tablespoons of fat. This fat
is then processed by Vet-Stem and returned within 48
hours for interarticular or intravenous injection.
Additional samples are frozen for future use.

I am very proud to be working with Dr. Dodds, DVM!
Hemopet

Veterinary Practice News January 2010 Volume 22/Number1

Happy New Years!

Hopefully everyone is having a great first day of 2010.

As my start to the new year, I am starting my detox from all the past year. I am doing a very simple detox, that really doesn’t affect my daily routine. In the morning I fill my “Klean Kantine” with water, then add a few drops from each tincture in my Heel Detox Kit. The kit contains Lymphomyosot which helps eliminate environmental toxins, Berberis-Homaccord which stimulates the kidneys, and Nux Vomica-Homaccord which regulates your gastrointestinal system. Then I sip the water throughout the day. Not too hard right? I can still eat normally and go about my daily life without feeling like my system in out of whack.

I really do believe in Heel products, I use them in my homotoxicology remedies for my patients, myself, my kids, and even safe enough to use when my twins were fresh out of the NICU. Homotoxicology is appealing because it does not interfere with any other medications, has very few side effects, and is easy to administer.

Typically the detox should be done for 30-90 days, so I will have enough supplied in my kit to last 2 people for 90 days inexpensively.

In a fast paced life, it is important to know your limits, and for me, this is the easiest way for me to get back on track without letting myself down. Simple, Short, and Sweet.

Wishing everyone a healthy new year!

This morning, as I walked outside to grab my newspaper, wrapped around the front page was the Health & Wellness section, with a sizeable article on pediatric acupuncture. Typically, when I see patients, it is because the owners themselves practice homeopathy, or chinese philosophy for their family. Pets are family too, so they figure, if this can work for me, it can work for my pet.
This must be a very rewarding job for the acupuncturist to work with children and to see improvement. I know, in my position, animals never cease to amaze me. The acupuncturist featured is Heather Rice, and she must have amazing patience with kids. I know, sometimes acupuncture on a cat can be a test of patience for me, so imagine on a toddler!

Acupuncture pointed at kids
O.C. practitioners are using treatment to help whole families.
By LANDON HALL
The Orange County Register

The two brothers had been watching “Max and Ruby,” but cartoon bunnies — even when their cuteness is magnified by — can only do so much.

Contact the writer: Contact the writer: 714-796-2221, or hall@ocregister.com

YAY! My good friend “Sprint” with help from her owner, took SECOND PLACE in the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge 2009 Nationals in the large dog agility competition. Sprint made the trek to Purina Farms in Summit Gray, Missouri to compete on October 2nd and 3rd in their National Finals Competition. I get the pleasure of treating Sprint with acupuncture, and have seen her compete in agility before. She is a dog that truly enjoys every moment of competing and lets you know by barking the whole time! I am glad she placed, but I am sure Sprint could upstage that Border Collie that won, if she was given another chance. Sprint certainly lives up to her name.

In the state of California, a Rabies vaccination is required for all dogs over 6 months of age. The first documented Rabies vaccination for a dog is considered to be “good” for 1 year. Every following Rabies vaccination is considered to be protective for 3 years.
When it comes to vaccinations, I do prefer to do titers rather than vaccinate, but the state of California does not accept a Rabies vaccine titer as a substitute for an overdue Rabies vaccine.
I am pleased to now be able to offer the “safest” type of Rabies vaccines to my clients. They now manufacture a Mercury free Rabies vaccine, also referred to as TF (Thimersal Free). Thimersal is a mercury containing perservative that is found in vaccines. This is the same preservative that sparks pediatric vaccination debates on the cause of autism in the children of this generation. The hope in the companion animal community, is that the less preservatives a vaccination contains, the less likely it will be to cause an allergic reaction when given. In a dog or cat, a vaccination can cause a hyper sensitivity reaction. Each animal’s reaction varies from something as mild as malaise, to an extreme of hives, swelling, and so on. My hope is that I will see a reduction in adverse reactions, and will be keeping an additional record to compare ratios.

As some of you know, my cat “Oso” is fighting nasal cancer.

We began homotoxicology remedies as SQ injections given:

8/25/09
8/30/09
9/4/09

The swelling began to go down immediately after the first injection. His body reacted to the swelling as if it was an abscess. The skin punctured open to drain, and he had clear discharge from his nose.
Then I became concerned that the wound was not going to heal, it looked as though the skin was dead around the opening. Almost as if the bridge of his nose was really going to fall off. It was bloody and ulcerated.
I will say last Saturday was not a good day for “Oso” and we held him as we sat on the couch, wondering if these would be his last moments. After that moment, I incorporated a chinese herbal remedy to hopefully help dry up the bloody wound.
The next morning, I could already see the perimeter of the wound was getting smaller and the swelling remained to stay down. He has a good start to maintaining control over the nasal cancer, and probably within a few days, I am hoping the wound will be completely healed. If you remember his entire left nasal cavity was swollen, his eye was pushed closed by the pressure, and the entire bridge of his nose was protruding about an inch and half. As you can see from the pictures, he has no swelling, normal eye shape, and no discharge.
He is still eating normally, laying in the sunshine, and rubbing up against all his cat friends. Hopefully, he will continue to be happy and at least feel like somewhat of a normal cat as he battles

I received an email from a client of mine, who is always fighting for the welfare of pets. She reminded me of the California Senate being days away from voting on the Puppy Mill Bill.

Sadly, this bill was already declined in the state of Texas, so we really do need to speak out of the welfare of our California pets. For more information on it being denied in Texas, you can check my discussion board on facebook.

Here is an example of a letter to send to your district:

“Puppy mills commonly house animals in overcrowded, filthy, and inhumane conditions with inadequate shelter and care. The puppies who survive these conditions are taken from their mothers for sale at approximately 8 weeks of age, when they are highly susceptible to contagious diseases and very sensitive to behavioral stress. Left behind are the hidden victims of puppy mills-the mother dogs.

Puppy mills contribute to pet overpopulation, which is a serious problem in California. Every year, California’s animal shelters are forced to euthanize thousands of dogs due to lack of homes, while puppy mills in our state just add to the problem. Pet overpopulation is a humane crisis and puppy mills feed into it, while taxpayers foot the bill.

Please help stop puppy mills by supporting A.B. 241.

Thank you. ”

For more informaiton you can follow the link below:
Californian’s Take Action Against Puppy Mills