August 2004
Doc. and Mrs. Doc. in the trenches. August 6, 2004
How are the Blakes coming on their home?
It has been two months since I last wrote my newsletter. For those of you who do not know about the burning down of our home and office in the firestorm last October, we have been under a great deal of stress trying to get our lives back in order. The good news is that Charene and I finally broke ground on our home last month. We have trenches in our dirt lot and anticipate the foundation in a couple of weeks.
As you can see by the photograph, Charene and I are smiling. It is so exciting actually to see something happening where our home once stood, that we are smiling much more now than ever. Each month from now on I will be sending an update on how the progress is going on our construction so you all know when the big day finally arrives that we get to return home. Being a nomad is not our style and we dream of the day when we will back in our neighborhood once again. Feeling my friend, the breeze, being back in our trees, seeing old friends and hearing my old animal friends singing at night, will be a dream come true for Charene and me.
The Pet Whisperer and Dick Van Patten, August 11, 2004
As you can see by the picture, I finally got to meet Dick Van Patten. He is the real thing just like he appears on film. Not only a great actor but a very kind human being. His love for all animals and people shows in his work and in his company Natural Balance. It will be an honor and pleasure working with him over the coming years.
Natural Balance Raw Dog Food
The big news is that the diet I formulated, Natural Balance Raw for Dogs will be making its debut the 26th of August in 50 stores in San Diego and 50 stores in San Francisco . This is a very exciting time for me and I see this as a great opportunity to provide my dog friends around the country with a quality raw diet on which they can thrive and stay healthy.
Dr. Blake and an admirer sharing dog food together.
As a side note for those of you who do not know my philosophy on the use of any products used on my animal patients, here it is. I do not believe in using any product or procedure that has not been thoroughly tested on people first. That means it has been used on people for thousands of years, like acupuncture, or my new diet, which I have been eating for the past 3 months, before it goes on line this month. I am happy to announce that my skin has never been better, my teeth whiter and according to my wife, Charene, my breath smells better as well. The only side effect is that I am barking more. :O)
I am the only veterinarian linked to Natural Balance's webpage www.naturalbalanceinc.com with a hyperlink prompting people to visit www.thepetwhisperer.com and learn about natural health care for their animal buddies. I see this as a wonderful opportunity to spread the gospel according to Saint Dog and Natural Medicine for animals. As always, I owe it all to my animal buddies around the world for making this all happen (I would also like to give the CEO of Natural Balance, Joey Herrick, credit for listening to what the animals whispered into his ear."HIRE THE PET WHISPERER!").
You can learn more about the diet and where to get it by visiting www.naturalbalanceinc.com . My goal is to provide raw diets for dogs and cats, raw bones cut to size for their teeth and natural frozen desserts as well. Good nutrition and avoiding unnecessary vaccines and chemicals are the foundation of longevity and health for all our animal friends.
New Idea Dr. Blake is working on
I hope to be announcing production of a new trademarked idea in the near future to help protect my patients and their caregivers. I will keep you posted when it is available and just what it is when the time is right.
Wonder Case of the month!
It has been my honor to care for a little lady named Jodi, who just happens to be a teenage miniature poodle who came to me a few years ago. She is as tough as nails and as sweet as sugar. This very sad story began many years ago and I would like to share it with you all.
She had been a very healthy dog for most of her life until a few years ago when, after a vaccination, she became extremely ill and had to go the emergency hospital. The doctors did all they could for her and told her parents they were not sure she would make it through the night. When they left her she had an extremely high temperature and was so weak she could not lift her head. As they said good-bye, they both had acceptedthe fact that they would never see their little girl ever again.
Early the next morning they received a call from the emergency hospital telling them the doctor on duty needed to speak with them immediately. They both got on the phone expecting the worst and praying for a miracle. While they waited for the doctor to come on, the silence was deafening and their fears worsened. Finally, when they heard his voice, they knew their prayers had been answered. She had totally recovered during the night and wanted to go home immediately. They were so happy to get the great news and raced to the ER to get their dear friend.
The reunion was joyous and the kisses expressed the gratitude she felt for caregivers for taking such good of her. Over the next few weeks all was well but they noticed that she was no longer jitterbugging with her Dad. This was her way of playing with Dad over the past years and now had stopped. Basically Dad would hold her paws and she would jitterbug to the music they both liked to listen to. For some reason she was favoring her front legs.
She was taken to the veterinarian and they could find nothing wrong with her. Cortisone was prescribed with no results and she was put on Rimadyl. After a short time her condition only degenerated until she was unable to use the right leg at all and could hardly hold herself up on her left.
It was at this point that they found me and asked me to help. When the day came and she presented herself, I was saddened to see a small, very gray little creature that could hardly move. I could see in her eyes that she was in pain and depressed by her degenerative condition. After going over the case, it was clear that the vaccines previous to the first emergency visit had resurfaced and were triggering a degeneration of her front legs and neck area.
I told her Mom and Dad that her condition had deteriorated so far that it was going to be possibly long and difficult struggle for her to recover. They held each other's hands and told me they only wanted to get their little girl back no matter what. That is all I needed to hear and the ideas came flowing out of me faster than I could write them down.
As I told them my ideas I noticed that Jodi had turned her head toward me and a little tail wag presented itself. My feeling was that she was happy we were listening to her and that we were not going to give up on her no matter what.
I have her acupuncture, adjusted her, put her on a regiment of nutritional support, Gemmotherapy and a classical homeopathic prescription. She was very cooperative with all that I did for her. When I set her back down on the floor, she showed some improvement and headed for the car. I told her Mom and Dad that she just said 'thanks and let's go home now.' They laughed and followed her down my sidewalk to their van. Once she reached the curb she turned around and put her left foot forward and then wagged her tail to let me know that she was already feeling the difference at that moment.
As they all drove away I was reminded of my favorite quote: "The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it!" She was the dog to heal and she wanted to make sure I knew it.
Over the next year she became a three-legged dog and, with hydrotherapy, she was getting better flexibility of her right side as well. The problem was that she was stuck. By that I mean, no matter what I did, her left leg would continue contracting back against her side. I was so frustrated that I finally told them that I was not sure there was anything else I could do to help. Her Dad asked me to give it one more try and it was at that moment that I remembered a conversation with one of my MD mentors about a degenerative arthritis case he had years ago in France.
She was a piano teacher who developed degenerative arthritis in her hands to the point that she could not even hold a pencil, let alone dance on the keys of her piano. The treatment was with Oligostim trace mineral supplementation. The Oligostim for this particular condition was Copper, Gold and Silver. I instructed her to take one per day until she saw improvement and then call me. As she left I said a short prayer that Jodi would improve and that she would jitterbug once again.
On a side note, I forgot to mention that after the first 6 months of care, this 13-year-old gray-haired pup changed color. She went back to a richer color coat than she had as a puppy. This had happened as we cleared her system of toxins and supported her nutritionally.
Three days after we started the Oligostim, a call came in on my answering machine that I needed to call Jodi's Mom immediately. As the phone rang, I held my breath, hoping that it was not an emergency and that she was back in the emergency. When her Mom came on the phone she was so excited that she could hardly contain herself. "She is walking on all four legs and running around chasing the ball!"
I could not believe my ears. It had only been three days and we were seeing improvement that had not come from any of the other modalities I had tried. This was the only thing I had done different and she was better than ever.
When she arrived at my home office for a follow-up visit a month later, I could hardly wait to see if she was still doing well. My dreams were answered when I saw her running up my sidewalk to the front door ahead of her Mom and Dad. It was not perfect, but she was so happy she couldn't wait to show off for me. The smile on her face and the excited wag of her tail were all I needed to see.
Her Mom and Dad were ecstatic with their good news. The rest of the visit was the best we had had over the past year and I was so relieved to see her not digressing.
It has been over 10 months since that wonderful day and she is now 14 years old going on 15 and doing just fine. She has not yet jitterbugged, but then again, she is only 14 years old, and we have at least another 10 years to get the jitterbug back in her dance routine.
Tip for the Month, By Dr. Christian Blake
As you can see I finally got an assistant and he is 1 1/2 years old. My grandson Christian has shown an aptitude for being the little Dr. Blake and has passed these pearls of wisdom on to you. Thanks for listening.
What is the most frustrating situation you have with your dog? I am sure you all have a story to tell but one of my common complaints is separation anxiety. The following is a generic approach I use on all cases and then individualize the case based on the specific needs of the patient.
First of all, the main focus is communicating with your pup. How many times have you told your dog you will be back in a few hours? In case you guys have a dog who wears a watch, and for that matter can tell time, you might as well be talking Greek to him.
All animals tell time by the moon and sun. The point I am making is that our dog understands time when you say, " I will be back when the sun goes down." What is actually happening is that you are visualizing the sun going down and you walking back into your home with your dog greeting you with licks and tail wags. What you think is what he sees.
Now he or she knows exactly when you are coming home. My advice is, always tell him you will be back later than you will actually be coming back, so you are always lucky. This way you are always the hero and home early.
The next part of the formula is using Rescue Remedy in the water and Mimulus (Bach Flower used for known fears, i.e., afraid you will not be coming back). I dose at 4 drops of Rescue and 2 drops of Mimulus in the drinking water and orally before they are left for any length of time until they show no anxiety and then just the Rescue remedy alone.
Topically I massage Release (a blend of essential oils from the essential oils page on my website www.thepetwhisperer.com ) on top of their head between their ears. I usually just use a couple of drops on my fingers and massage it in 5 minutes before I leave. This blend helps the animals release their anxiety and negative emotions. By doing so this allows their natural instincts to prevail which are not to worry about you returning and trusting that you will. Do this each time until there are no signs of fear and then only repeat if necessary. If they panic when you leave, add two drops of Rock Rose directly into their mouths to help prevent panic attacks when you leave them.
By doing these simple procedures you will often help your dog cure itself of its phobia of being left alone. If you have any specific questions you would like to ask Dr. Christian Blake, please email him at DrBlakeaway@aol.com, subject question of the month for Dr. Christian, and he will select one question and answer it in the next newsletter.
Thank you all for your prayers and donations in helping us to get back home. Make today a great day.
OAO,
Dr. Stephen Blake
|
