Dr. Verna - Holistic Veterinarian

Modalites / Services Offered:

In-Office exams and treatments at Linden Heights Animal Hospital in Winchester, VA every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. beginning on May 11, 2010. The contact number is 540-667-4290.
House calls: in-home Acupuncture, Chiropractic, Reiki, Massage, Physical Therapy/Rehabilitative Therapy and treatment plans for home physical therapy, Conventional and Integrative medicine examinations and treatments, house-call Euthanasia (sometimes it is easier on the pet to say Goodbye at home rather than in a busy vet clinic), prescribing and dispensing of Traditional, Herbal and Alternative medications with shipping to homes available.
Types of services: Animal Chiropractic, Veterinary Acupuncture, Rehabilitative and Physical Therapy for Animals, Chinese Herbology, Ayurvedic Herbology, Western Herbs, Homeopathic Medicines, Flower Essences, Essential Oils, Magnetic Therapy, Reiki (and other forms of energy medicine), Applied Kinesiology, Traditional Chinese Medicine Food Therapy for animals, Nutrition advice, information on sources of healthy medicines and foods for animal family members, and much more.
Medications shipped and delivered.

Animal Physical Therapy/Rehabilitative Therapy for Pets

Recently becoming very popular on the forefront of veterinary medicine is the advent of Pet Rehabilitative Therapy. Although the certification degree Dr. Verna obtained at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine specifies work on dogs (CCRP=Certified Canine Rehabilitative Practitioner), she has used her skills in Animal Physical Therapy to help everything from hamsters and rabbits, cats and Great Danes recover from surgery or injury. Just as in the human physical therapy field, veterinarians certified in Rehabilitative Therapy are able to combine the use of many therapeutic techniques and exercises to help a pet patient heal from injury or surgery and return to a strong healthy state of wellness.

Homeopathic Medicine/Homeopathy

Homeopathy was formally developed in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. Although the history of homeopathy dates back into ancient times, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann is credited with bringing homeopathic medicines into the modern world. Homeopathic medicines are made through a special process from very dilute amounts of a product, such as a virus or plant or mineral. This highly effective form of medicine is based on the principal of “like cures like”, in which a microscopic amount of a medicine is able to counter the effects of what a whole large dose of the same substance would cause. This is a bit complicated to understand…for example one might use a tiny, miniscule dose of a plant to treat vomiting when a full dose of a large amount of that same plant would cause vomiting if given by mouth.

Trust me, they work, and they work astoundingly well! There is, of course, not space enough on this page to go more deeply into the mechanism of action of homeopathic medications, but they are very effective, and especially helpful in sensitive patients (such as in the very weak patient—old and fragile or very ill, or a very medication-sensitive species such as the bunny rabbit). Due to the very low dose of the medicine, side effects are extremely rare, but remarkable healing very common!

Flower Essences

Similar to homeopathic remedies in that the amount of plant or flower used is quite a low dose, Flower Essences also have remarkable results and are quite gentle medicines. These are also used to treat both animals and people, and frequently are very helpful in treating for emotional illness, pain or struggle with loss. The basic concept, as in many modalities of Holistic Medicine, is that the body has a basic balanced state in which it ideally dwells. Tweaking the system with subtle energetic medicines such as homeopathics and flower essences help re-establish the balance and bring the body back to a place where it can again heal itself. Flower Essences are excellent for help with behavior problems in animals who are fearful, aggressive, unable to make a change to better behavior, house-soiling, or grieving for a lost companion.

Reiki

The word “Reiki” is a Japanese word used to describe many types of healing and spiritual work. The most common form of Reiki taught in the United States is the Usui style, named after its founder. Reiki is an Energy form of healing. Research is underway, and so far shows good support of the fact that Reiki Energy healing can help decrease pain in human and animal patients. Dr. Verna first learned Reiki by working with animals in the veterinary clinic, and later took a course to try and learn more about what was causing the fascinating improvement in comfort and well-being of her patients. At this time, Dr. Verna explains Reiki to her clients as, “a feeling of warmth and love that one can learn to channel from your heart and hands to the sick pet”. Where does this energy come from? Dr. Verna feels it is “a gift from the Universe; a Gift from God to help us take away pain and sickness and create a wonderful feeling of peace and wellness in the patient, whether human or animal”. If you are inspired by witnessing a session with Dr. Verna and one of your pets, you may learn more about Reiki on-line, or find a local class where you, too, can learn to soothe pain and guide animals towards wellness.

Acupuncture

Historically, we know for certain that Acupuncture has been used in China for over 3500 years. With the recent finding of the perfectly preserved remains of Utzi, the Ice Man, who came to the surface of a melting glacier in Western Europe, we have new evidence that the use of acupuncture for pain and arthritis extends back at least 5000 years and was also used over a far broader range of the world than previously assumed.

Acupuncture was used in animals as well as people. Modern day uses of acupuncture in the Western world focus primarily on joint pain, osteoarthritis, intervertebral disc disease, and neurologic disease with radiating nerve pain or limb weakness. However, Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) employs the use of acupuncture to improve the health and wellness of animals suffering from nearly any known disease in the book!

Through the use of acupuncture therapy, Dr. Verna has been able to improve and balance appetite and GI mobility in cats and dogs with constipation or diarrhea, vomiting and nausea, liver and kidney disease, and pancreatitis. She has helped pets with weakness of the back and spine to walk again and be strong, reduced pain from surgical treatments, and helped slow the spread of cancers and decrease the side effects of chemotherapy. In short, Dr. Verna frequently incorporates acupuncture treatments into nearly every case and finds it helps almost every patient feel better, move better, eat better, and have a better quality of life overall.

How does acupuncture work? There is still a lot we don’t know about the use and function of many Traditional Chinese Medicine acupuncture points! We do know that electrical resistance is measurably decreased at each acupuncture point over surrounding tissues of the body, as measurable with a sensitive Ohm meter. We know that acupuncture points contain more arteries, veins, nerves, and lymphatics that adjacent tissues. And we know that plenty of “jogger’s-high” endorphins and enkephalins are released to the body from acupuncture treatments, creating a nice relaxed state for the patient. Acupuncture also stimulates the release of natural morphine-like substances by the body, and some natural anti-inflammatories as well, which may explain some of the dramatic healing results.

There is still plenty to learn and plenty to prove scientifically about acupuncture, but the main thing we know is that it works very well to relieve pain and stress in pets of all species, and is a wonderful tool for assisting veterinary patients return to a healthy state of being. If your pet is suffering from any pain or lameness, change in appetite or digestion, or pretty much any disease or illness at all, a few sessions with Dr. Verna and some acupuncture needles is almost guaranteed to help him or her feel better fast!

Animal Chiropractic

What Is It? How Do I Know if my Pet would Benefit from It?

The human hand was used to adjust the spine and limbs as long ago as in ancient Greek times. Dr. B.J. Palmer, an American, is credited with being the formal developer of human chiropractic in the early 1940’s. As with Acupuncture, the techniques of Chiropractic adjustments were applied to animals from the beginning, but not formalized into a trained art until quite recently.

The first formal organization for chiropractic applications in animals was created in the 1980’s and called Options for Animals. In 1986, the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) began; Dr. Sharon Willoughby was its founding President. This marvelous group has continued through the present time to provide support for trained and qualified veterinarians and human chiropractors who are certified through their affiliate programs to safely provide excellent chiropractic care to animals of all sizes and species as part of their normal routine health care.

Dr. Verna was the 150th professional to be certified to practice Animal Chiropractic through the AVCA recognized school, Options for Animals. She completed this program in December of 1995. She has used her skills and training (and many hours of Continuing Education in Animal Chiropractic since obtained) to help many, many animals …from birds and bunny rabbits to dogs in the agility and show circuit… to feel better, move better, and function better in every way through regular chiropractic care and adjustments.

Preventative medicine techniques make Animal Chiropractic a real benefit to all ages of pet. Dr. Verna’s children have been regular chiropractic patients with local human chiropractors since a very young age, and Dr. Verna feels that, “even puppies and kittens can use the help of an occasional adjustment as they grow; everyone knows that being a toddler is a contact sport, as rough as they play!” Animals enjoy chiropractic adjustments and obviously feel better immediately afterwards! Treat your pet to decreased pain and better comfort through improved spinal alignment today!

Animal Nutritional Advice and Counseling

Dr. Verna is a strong believer in the profound positive and negative effects of diet on the physical body. She recognizes that not every pet owner is prepared or able to feed a raw meat diet (nor is every pet able to physically digest such a diet without preparation and very gradual diet change!), and is willing and able to help plan a diet for each pet that will be nutritious and improve health more than most prepared pet foods can offer. It is truly miraculous what a difference a change in dietary intake can make for most pets (especially the removal of grains and starches entirely from the diet of true carnivores such as cats!).

Dr. Verna has recently taken a course in Traditional Chinese Medicine Food Therapy for Pets and is hoping to finalize her certification in this training in Spring, 2010, earning the new title of “CVFT = Certified Veterinary Food Therapist”. This course involves the incorporation of consideration of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Energetics of the individual foods, and balancing these with the needs of a certain pet to optimize health and recovery from symptoms of disease.

Treatment Options