# Holistic or traditional vet for raw fed dogs?



## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

Mods, feel free to move this to a different section :bounce:

The time has come for me to find Louis a new vet, and I've pretty much narrowed it down to 2 in my area...one is a traditional vet and the other a holistic vet. I heard the holistic vet is great and supports premium dog foods and homecooked, but not so sure about raw. Now I do feel that where my vet stands on raw feeding does not matter because I have made up my mind about it and that's not about to change! What it boils down to is whether or not they are a good doctor...So I was wondering how many of you use traditional/holistic vets, and which would you recommend? I see benefits to both types of medicine, which is why I don't know which to choose.

The holistic vet recommends minimal vaccinations, which I have been looking into a lot lately, and I am definitely all for it. On the other hand he does acupuncture, herbal remedies, and all that (which I don't know much about). Also, I've heard he isn't cheap...I think it's around $300+ dollars for an initial check up alone. Price is not an issue for my baby's health, but I'd still like to save some money where I can, if you know what I mean. I plan on calling the traditional vet to ask them their vaccination policies, etc.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I would lean towards the holistic one if he/she was well informed about raw. If the holistic vet doesnt know about raw at all...it wouldnt make much of a difference to me which one. 

I would go with the one you feel most comfortable with in the end. Call up both places or visit in person to meet the doc and staff. Then make your decision!


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Call and ask both places how much a general exam is going to cost. $300 is absolutely ridiculous unless they have magical powers and can cure anything with a wave of their hand. So chances are, whomever you heard that from is probably exaggerating. 

I love a vet who is savvy on a more holistic approach to medicine, including minimal vaccinations, fewer antibiotics, fewer invasive surgeries, etc. But that's just me. I also like a vet who can step up to the plate and knows when drastic measures need to be taken and can get the job done. 

You could always go to both vets depending on what you want done. It is definitely frustrating to go to a vet who is adamantly opposed to raw feeding and makes you feel like a bad owner if you aren't pumping as many vaccines as possible into your dog on a regular basis while handing out antibiotics like candy. 

Why don't you see if you can schedule a 5 minute interview with each vet, go with a list of questions, bring your pup with you to see which one he is more comfortable with as well. This will give you a better idea of who is going to be right for you and Louis.


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## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

rannmiller said:


> Call and ask both places how much a general exam is going to cost. $300 is absolutely ridiculous unless they have magical powers and can cure anything with a wave of their hand. So chances are, whomever you heard that from is probably exaggerating.
> 
> I love a vet who is savvy on a more holistic approach to medicine, including minimal vaccinations, fewer antibiotics, fewer invasive surgeries, etc. But that's just me. I also like a vet who can step up to the plate and knows when drastic measures need to be taken and can get the job done.
> 
> ...


Yea, definitely always have to take reviewers (especially ones on the internet) with a grain of salt. More like...a mouthful of salt, lol!

Frankly I don't think he supports raw Natalie :frown: But like I said I don't want to base my decision solely on that either. 

There also is the emphasis on Chinese herbs and acupuncture etc. Not sure if all those Chinese concoctions my mom and grandma jammed down my throat as a child worked. I'm also not sure if it was all the money they spent on acupuncture sessions that cured my allergies or if I just simply outgrew it. I guess what I'm saying is, I'm open to Eastern/alternative medicine but I am also rather skeptical as well!

I will call them both up, thanks for the suggestions. It's totally like me to think things to death :yuck:


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## _Trish (Jan 31, 2011)

Like another poster suggested, why not use both vets? I use both a traditional and a holistic vet, I actually have three different traditional vets and two holistic vets (all in separate offices) depending on what the issue is.


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## Chocx2 (Nov 16, 2009)

I agree with using different vets for different issues. My friend is a vet but for certain issues I use one who believes in raw and she is listed as holistic, but charges less than the traditional vet?

Sounds like you should check and see if there is another holistic vet in the area. 

Its hard, most vets are traditional just like people doctors. I find that most doctors are just selling there medicine also. I'm finding out that doing your own research is better.

It seems if you have an idea of what the illness is and going in with that knowledge your better off. That way the animal can get treated for the right problem, not several guesses


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

I have a traditional vet that is very close to my house. I plan to use this vet for anything that is not diet or vaccine related. For example, my dogs were spayed/neutered here, they get looked at for ear infections, etc. 

I also have a holistic/integrative vet that is about 30 minutes away. This is where I took Millie when she was having tummy troubles that I KNEW must have been diet related. This vet suggested a raw diet. This vet also follows a reduced vaccine protocol. I will be going to this vet for vaccines and diet related issues. 

The holistic vet charges a steep introduction fee - something like $150 for your first, hour long visit to get to know your dog. Well, I bypassed this buy waiting until there was an "issue" with my dog to bring her in. This way I was only charged for an office visit, which was about $50.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

BrownieM said:


> The holistic vet charges a steep introduction fee - something like $150 for your first, hour long visit to get to know your dog. Well, I bypassed this buy waiting until there was an "issue" with my dog to bring her in. This way I was only charged for an office visit, which was about $50.


Your holistic vet sounds good. Wish I had one around here. Got a good vet that alot of times wont take a dime from me, even when I insist. She's also come around alot, since I first started to go. She use to pester the hell out of me with vaccines, meds and diet. Now she has me down as no vaccinations:biggrin: Still pesters me with meds, but she's so impressed on his turn around, she inventually leaves me alone. She and alot od other vets diagnosed my dog with auto immune disease. He hasn't got sick in 5 or 6 years, so I guess it wasn't auto immune:amen: All I did was cut down on the carbs and stop vaccinations and meds. Than his immune system recovered. Side effect from heartworm meds is hives all over body including in ears that get infected, autoimmune and depression which he had:wink:


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

Our traditional vet I like to call half holistic. lol She is very open minded about many things. She is willing to listen to our input and any research I have done. She does however still move Science Diet through her practice, but she has implied to me that some people just see that as the only way to go when they have a problem. She is also starting to work with the Wysong medical foods. She does support home cooking, but sits on the fence when it comes to raw. She does not believe in over vaccinating, and knows our guys have not had yearly boosters since they were like 5 which was when we learned about vaccinations. Our guys are due for rabies, in fact by law they are currently almost two months late. PA has something in committee about not administering the rabies vaccine if a dog is not healthy right now, and I keep hoping it will pass which is why I have drug my feet a bit.

Our holistic vet does charge $300 for an initial work up. She works nicely with our other vet though when there is a problem. We used the holistic vet with Aurora when she was diagnosed with Cushings, but our "regular" vet had already suggested some of the same products to support her situation. 

So, we like using both vets when possible.


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## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

Thanks everyone. I made an appointment for the holistic vet this coming Thursday. I spoke with them on the phone and I am pretty happy with their stand on raw feeding and vaccinations. They also recommend yearly bloodwork, which was something I was looking for. I called up a bunch of vet offices and they all sounded like i was crazy for asking. I figure I will take Louis to the holistic vet for general checkups, and the other clinic for most other things!


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