Emergency Animal Hospital | Veterinary Neurology | Holistic Medicine | Veterinary Ultrasound
Critical care is a recent specialty within veterinary medicine, recognized in 1989 as the American College of Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care. Critical care evolved as an adjunct specialty to aid the needs of very ill or potentially ill surgical, medical, or emergent veterinary patients. The critical care specialist is trained to monitor for, recognize, prevent, and treat disease, disease complications, or potential complications in patients with potentially life-threatening problems. Education of the critical care specialist involves training in the specialty areas of critical care, internal medicine and its various subspecialties, surgery, anesthesia, ophthalmology, nutrition, clinical pathology, toxicology, and diagnostic imaging.
Critical care involves the frequent monitoring of patient’s whose clinical condition can change from minute to minute. The use of serial physical examination, diagnostic testing, and physiologic monitoring devices allow the critical care specialist to tailor a therapeutic plan that provides optimum support and treatment for the patient’s clinical condition.
The goal of critical care is to diagnose any primary or secondary disease conditions, anticipate complications and prevent or treat them, initiate and continue treatment of these problems, and support and monitor these patients until the patient is well enough for follow-up by a general practitioner, internist, or surgeon.
Technology is important for the critical care specialist to perform optimally. Many patient abnormalities are not readily detectable on physical examination or changes in the status of vital parameters may not be perceptible by examination alone. Monitoring of electrolyte and blood glucose status, acid-base status, coagulation ability, cardiac function, ventilation and pulmonary function, vascular volume, hydration, renal function, immune status, as well as other vital parameters are improved through the use of monitoring devices.
A critical care specialist has training in the use of blood gas analysis, capnography, pulse oximetry, electrocardiography, abdominal ultrasound, echocardiography, use and interpretation of laboratory analysis among their many skills. Technology can also play a vital role in the therapy of the critical patient. For example, the use of external ventilatory support may provide a patient with compromised ventilatory or pulmonary capacity sufficient time until normal ability is regained.
Specialists in other areas of veterinary medicine are vital for a critical care specialist to perform optimally. Using a team-oriented approach, critical care specialists consult with other specialists to plan and implement diagnostic and treatment plans. These other specialists may or may not be involved in the continuing care of the critical care patient once the patient’s condition improves.
Many patients present to the general practicing veterinarian or emergency veterinarian with disease processes or traumatic injuries that may benefit from continuous monitoring, ongoing diagnostic procedures, and ongoing therapy.
These patients may require 24-hour care and monitoring, blood and blood component transfusions, enteral and/or parenteral nutritional support, surgical intervention, post-surgical care, specialized anesthetic protocols for high-risk patients, or advanced diagnostic testing and therapies that may not be available in the general practice setting.
Not all critical care patients are ill at the time of presentation to the general or emergency veterinarian. Exposure to certain toxic substances may not produce clinical signs for several hours to days after the exposure; the critical care specialist can treat the patient to prevent clinical consequences and/or monitor the patient for the earliest signs of toxicity and initiate therapy prior to the development of catastrophic consequences.
Anesthesia for high-risk surgical patients can be tailored to minimize detrimental effects of anesthesia and can be extensively monitored during and after the anesthetic event for potential complications of the anesthesia and surgical procedure.
The doctors and staff at Veterinary Care Specialists have the experience and training to provide for these critically ill patients. Please contact us if you have any questions about critical care or if you may require assistance for one of your valued patients.
The goal of the integrative medicine service is to provide ‘unconventional’ or alternative treatment options to pets and their owners that are integrative with conventional or western-type medicine. On this service there is a team approach with multiple individuals meeting and assessing the patient’s health care needs in a thoughtful organized manner and then applying unconventional therapeutic options that compliment the standard veterinary care being provided at VCS or by the referring veterinarian.
We strongly encourage referring veterinarians to consider working with our team. Patients can be evaluated and have treatment plans constructed that will compliment the continued care of the patient at the referring veterinarians office.
At this time we offer acupuncture, please see the information regarding our acupuncturist, and Reike, please review the information regarding this service and the Reike Master that supplies the therapies. We hope to add additional services as they come available.
Since integrative medicine and unconventional medical therapies are new services to veterinary medicine it is helpful to offer some definitions:
- Alternative Medicine – Treatments used instead of traditional medicine.
- Complementary or Integrative Medicine - Non-traditional Therapies used with conventional treatment.
- Holistic care – Medical care that focuses on treating the whole person, addressing social, physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
- Naturopathy - Form on medicine based on the belief that the body has a natural ability to heal in a healthy environment. It relies on natural remedies such as sunlight, air, water and supplements, as well as massage and acupuncture.
- Homeopathy – Form of complementary or alternative medicine that believes the body can heal itself and tries to stimulate self-healing with small, sometimes highly diluted plant, animal and mineral substances.
Reiki is an ancient healing technique. It was discovered by Sensei Dr. Makao Usui in 1914 Tokyo, Japan, where he opened a clinic. Thru the years it has become a more widely accepted complimentary practice to western medicine. Reiki is practiced throughout the world including over 300 major hospitals and medical centers in the U.S. Until recently Reiki was made available only to people but an increasing number of practitioners are establishing practices exclusively for animals.
Reiki comes from the Japanese words “Rei” which means Gods wisdom of Higher Power and “Ki” which means life force energy. Roughly translated the term reiki means spiritual guided life energy. In principle, this energy, “universal life energy” is in everything, surrounding us and within us. When the energy flow becomes blocked, the disease process begins. Reiki does remove the variety of blockages in a gentle and effective way, allowing the life force energy to flow freely enabling our bodies to heal, maintain balance and well being. As a healing system, Reiki is simple, non-invasive, stress free and highly effective. Though Reiki is spiritual in nature, it is not a religion. There is no dogma or nothing you must believe in to benefit or use reiki.
Reiki heals on all levels; mental, physical as well s the emotional and spiritual. Though reiki has been primarily used on people to facilitate healing in conjunction with western medicine, animals can benefit from reiki as well.
Reiki can expedite the healing process due to traumatic injury and surgical procedures. A session can offer relief from debilitating diseases. It can also have a calming effect of the highstrung and hyperactive Animal. Most importantly, reiki can relieve stress that any animal may have , at home or in the hospital environment. Lastly, these sessions can help relieve pain and anxiety associated with the ‘transition process’ that the animal and their owner go through during the time of passing.
The Original Reiki Ideals
The secret art of inviting happiness
The miraculous medicine of all diseases
Just for today, do not be angry
Do not worry and be filled with gratitude
Devote yourself to your work and be kind to people
Every morning and evening join hands in prayer,
Pray these words to your heart, and chant these words with your mouth
USUI Reiki Tretment for the improvement of body and mind.
Dr. Usui Mika
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