Practice progress, wellness plans, chiropractic
Veterinary Alternatives November 2013 Newsletter
Well, I’m going to try to get back on a monthly schedule. It’s been a busy summer. For now, I think I can keep up, but if I can finally secure a loan for my practice I may have to go back to every two months.
Practice progress: I’ve been constantly working towards opening a brick and mortar practice. As I’ve mentioned before, I hope to open the Whole Health Pet Center as a fully integrative veterinary small animal practice. My original location in Martin City has proved to be less than optimal for various reasons. I am now looking at a location in northern Cass County, east of Raymore. It is close to two highways, only minutes from I-470 so should still be easy access. The country location is lovely and the peace of a visit there would make up for the drive, I think! My plan initially is to open with full holistic services, much greater availability of supplements and some healthy pet foods, lab services, and routine wellness care (parasite testing, vaccinations/titers, puppy and maybe kitten classes, examinations) plus minor procedures. I hope to add radiology and dental cleaning as soon as possible if not right away, and as soon as feasible begin offering elective surgeries one day a month, increasing as patient load dictates. More demanding surgeries will be referred to specialty facilities that can provide the experience, monitoring, and 24 hour care I feel is necessary for best outcomes. As mentioned in the past, all surgeries or anesthesia procedures will include the appropriate acupuncture, homeopathy, and cold laser therapies plus a chiropractic treatment after the pet is awake to ensure optimal healing. I hope many of you will be excited enough about the focus on wellness care and disease prevention with a holistic emphasis to drive a little further to enjoy our great client service and willingness to keep your pets healthy instead of waiting until they get sick to do something. Whenever possible, natural therapies will be offered unless the condition requires stronger medications initially for quality of life. Even in cases which initially may need steroids, antibiotics, or other medications, we will form a partnership to seek out the causes for the condition and make lifestyle changes for your pet that hopefully will minimize progression or recurrence. For more regular updates on progress, and hopefully soon pictures if I buy the property and start renovations, be sure to like my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/VeterinaryAlternatives .
Wellness Plans: One exciting aspect I think my clients will enjoy at Whole Health Pet Center will be the monthly wellness plan program. For an initial fee of around $100, plus a varying monthly fee depending on the level of plan, pets will receive a set of therapies and services over the coming year. The automatic payments will help spread veterinary costs out over the year, many visits won’t cost you a thing over what you are paying for the plan, plus participants will receive significant discounts on non-covered services. For example, a first year puppy or kitten plan might cover the 2-3 sets (depending on age) of core vaccines, a couple of parasite checks; the entire series of puppy/kitten classes which will cover basic training, socialization, and many issues important to new pet owners; two chiropractic exams; the office call and exam fee for each vaccination visit; 2 dewormings; several nail trims; and more. A senior pet plan might include vaccine titers, heartworm test, 3 chiropractic visits, 1 set of x-rays, 1 full and 1 mini blood profile, 2-3 examinations, 2 nail trims, etc. You get the idea, I think. I feel this plan will not only make paying for veterinary costs easier for clients, but also help insure that pets get the minimum level of care I feel is needed to start them out right and keep them healthy plus catch any problems before they become serious.
The Importance of Chiropractic Care: Many people are not aware how important it is for a pet to receive at least two chiropractic checkups each year. The nervous system controls all aspects of a body’s functions, from organ function to immunity to skin health to how the pet moves. The longer the nervous system is impaired by a chiropractic problem the harder it is to get it back to normal. All pets can benefit from this minimum level of chiropractic monitoring. Those with back problems, arthritis, obesity, or high levels of performance such as hunting or agility may need to be checked as often as often as every month or two. Has YOUR pet seen its chiropractor lately?
Whole Dog Journal: I am told that this month’s issue of Whole Dog Journal has an article on acupuncture for which I was interviewed. I have been unable to find a copy in stores. After calling the publisher, I hope to receive my complimentary copy soon, but if anyone has a copy of this article they’d be willing to send me for my files, I’d appreciate it! Just in case they don’t actually send me one… This year’s edition of Natural Dog, the one with a Viszla on the front, also quotes me in an article on selection of healthy pet food, if you haven’t seen that one. I also recently did a talk for the KC area Golden Retriever Club, submitted an article to the Brittany Spaniel club magazine, and performed chiropractic exams at a local agility trial. Keep me in mind if your organization needs a speaker or an event needs animal chiropractic!