Alternative Medicine

In addition to our advanced surgical, dental, dermatology, internal medicine, and emergency services, LePar Animal Hospital offers alternative medical and therapeutic options for your pet.  Dr. Joe Whalen, Dr. Elizabeth Cutright , Dr. Tricia Stimac and our support staff offer several alternative healing modalities including acupuncture, veterinary chiropractic treatments, chinese herbal medicine, nutritional supplementation, Reiki, massage and  veterinary rehabilitation (through Chicago Animal Rehab). With all new clients, it’s very important that you fill out our online new client form and have your records faxed, sent or e-mailed to us prior to your visit.  This allows us to review your pet’s medical history before your visit and spend more time during the exam discussing therapeutic options and prognosis. If x-rays are important to your pet’s condition, please bring them with you at the time of your visit.  If you’re coming from a referring veterinarian, we will fax them our records within 1 week of your visit.

Integrative medicine consultations with Dr. Stimac include a thorough exam and assessment of current conditions of your pet as is done with all of our patients.  In addition to the exam, Dr Stimac will be utilizing her alternative knowledge base of current herbal and Chinese medicine to assist your pet.   She will provide you with alternative dietary and supplemental guidelines.  In some cases, further diagnostics will be recommended.  As you will hear us repeat in this informational handout, many integrative therapeutics take time to assist the body. Therefore, we ask your patience with these regiments and recheck exams. Every patient is different, but we initially recommend 2 and 4 week follow up exams for most pets.

Nutrition Response Testing (sm) is an assessment of neurological reflexes of your pet’s body to determine the usage of nutritional supplementation which reduce or eliminate stressors on your pet’s body.   Most stressors are identified as toxins, food allergens, or infections.  These stressors have been clinically shown to interfere with the body’s ability to heal itself.  Whole food based supplements will be used in conjunction with other modalities to relieve these stressors.  In some cases, we use a homeopathic cold laser to treat electrical interference by select scars causing stress. In others, we may cross refer for chiropractic adjustments to help enhance electrical flow, hence healing. Our protocol for nutrition response testing patients is combining a conventional exam with a nutrition response exam.  They are performed by Dr. Cutright as a drop-off procedure appointment.  A consultation is made in the afternoon at the time of pick up to review initial nutritional and lifestyle recommendations for your pet.  It takes 3 to 4 months, at minimum, for an organ to repair and rebuild once we identify and eliminate a stress and provide specific organ nutrition. So again, we ask for your patience with the process. Fortunately in some cases, we can have results in 6 – 8 weeks.  Initially, weekly or bimonthly rechecks are necessary until all your pet’s levels of imbalances are discovered for a maintenance program to be established. In general, problems that have been present for longer periods require a more extensive period of healing nutrition and more frequent rechecks. There are cases where an animal’s system is so debilitated that it can no longer respond to nutritional supplementation.  We make every effort to identify these cases and review expectations before we embark on a recommended program.  Generally, we will incorporate other therapies after 4 months if we are not receiving the desired results.  Ideally, a maintenance nutritional program is continued throughout the pet’s life, with 1 to 4 visits recommended annually.

Nutrition Response Testing  is a more cost effective alternative, delivering a higher success rate to rule out pet allergies.  Nutrition Response Testing utilizes applied kinisiology, acupressure points, and food samples/imprints to determine a patients possible allergies.  By pinpointing specific ingredients before a food trial is started, we have a higher success rate than with the food trial.  Still, we cannot guarantee 100% success, since there is no way to test for all the variations of ingredients that exist in pet foods.  For example, chicken protein can vary depending on how it was produced (i.e.. organically, pasture raised, pellet fed traditional).  We have made every attempt to include as many versions of these different ingredients as possible.  Currently, we are testing for grains, sugars, dairy, vegetables and meat.  We also encourage clients to bring in foods for us to test that they are using at home or may plan to use.  If your pet doesn’t achieve improved health through this process, we will recommend other integrated modalities.

Acupuncture patients are seen approximately once a week for three or four weeks of treatments.  Young pets, or those with acute injuries, may not need additional treatments. For geriatric or chronic disease patients, the treatment interval is extended to the greatest time period that the patient’s clinical signs remain controlled (4-8) weeks.  Acupuncture is an invaluable tool in healing.  Stimulation of nerves and the reduction of pain and inflammation are the most obvious immediate benefits.  Most pets are relaxed during their treatments and many fall asleep. When deciding on acupuncture points to use, Dr. Whalen takes into consideration your pet’s previous medical history, age, environment and constitution.  By doing this, in addition to treating the primary problem, we often see beneficial “side effects” such as improved sleep and elimination patterns, improved appetite and an overall happier pet.

Veterinary Chiropractic Treatments are a foundation for maintaining and achieving optimum health in your pet and are used in almost all of our pets with previous back & neck problems and those involved in rehabilitation.  Adjustments facilitate normal movement in the spinal column, limbs and pelvis. These treatments are crucial to preventing injuries in athletic dogs and for reducing pain and inflammation in injured pets. Most chronic patients are seen initially, then 2 weeks after, then 2 months later and then as needed.

Massage Therapy improves circulation, flexibility and joint mobility.  Like all of us, pets love to be messaged.  Our certified staff can be scheduled for pet massages either on a drop off basis or on certain days of the week.

Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of healing that can relieve pain, boost the immune system, relieve acute problems and help with chronic illness. With most pets, Reiki is combined with massage to incorporate the benefits of both.

We have a separate facility dedicated to Rehabilitation in conjunction with some of the same therapies offered above, called Chicago Animal Rehab (CARE).  Dr. Whalen heads up CARE, located just ten minutes away in Chicago Ridge.  Physical Therapy and therapeutic exercises have been a very important part of human rehabilitative medicine for a long time. They are valuable tools in the treatment of conservatively or surgically managed orthopedic injuries, neurological problems, illness, trauma, arthritis, obesity, and other problems. We use similar techniques to help animals recover from many of the same conditions.

There are a number of therapies that can be utilized. Among them are acupuncture, chiropractic, medications, supplements, underwater treadmill, laser therapy, electric stimulation therapy, ultrasound therapy, massage, Reiki, and therapeutic exercise. Using agility techniques, theraband limb work, exercise balls and balance and proprioception equipment, we can work with the animal and owner to design a Home Therapeutic Exercise Prescription that will work best for them.

An initial Rehab exam can either be scheduled at LePar Animal Hospital or Chicago Animal Rehab.  Dr. Whalen will review your pet’s medical history and perform a thorough exam. If indicated, a veterinary Chiropractic treatment and Acupuncture will then be performed.  Also, if recommended, an underwater treadmill will be included.  If scheduled well in advance at Chicago Animal Rehab, an underwater treadmill treatment can be performed immediately, following the initial exam.  This treatment can also be scheduled for another time.  For services not described in our above handout, (ie. Underwater Treadmill, Ultrasound, or Laser therapy) please ask our staff for a CARE handout or visit the CARE website listed above.