In this week’s issue, here’s what we are sniffing out

An interview with Dr. Wendy Asato

Doctor’s Bio:

Wendy Asato has a doctor of veterinary medicine degree (DVM) from Colorado State University, and she’s also an International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) certified veterinary acupuncturist. Over the years, she has worked in private practice with small mammals and small animals in California and Hawaii. Now, she is based in Kailua, HI, and prefers a holistic, eastern+western combined focus. That means she uses the science/evidence based western medicine to treat symptoms as they arise. This is the medicine that patients in the US are more familiar with, such as diagnostics like X-rays, CTs, laboratory testing, and pharmacy medicines. And it means she also uses Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM), which incorporates herbal medicines and treatments that are intended to balance all of the body’s systems to solve health problems, vs treating symptoms as they arise.

What is her area of specialty or interest when it comes to older dogs?

Dr Asato’s area of expertise when working with older dogs is Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, or TCVM.

TCVM consists of 4 main types of treatments:

1. Acupuncture

2. Chinese herbs

3. Tuina massage (pronounced twee-nah)

4. Chinese food therapy

Dr. Asato regularly uses all four treatments in her work. In addition, she also uses a lot of ozone therapy, aromatherapy, and cold laser in her practice.

My experience is that finding a doctor with Dr. Asato’s breadth of knowledge is rare. She helped many of our dogs through some pretty tough diagnoses, often offering TCVM treatments that made a big difference when traditional medicine couldn’t help.

As one example, our senior dog Macy had spondylosis, kidney disease, and vestibular episodes. Acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and supporting/supplementing her diet with specific foods helped her stay as healthy as possible. You may remember that she lived till 16 - until she became sick with cancer, she was doing very well for her age.

What old dog specific conditions respond best to TCVM and holistic medicine?

1. Arthritis

2. Vestibular disease (quick action is key)

3. Disc disease - especially if the dog is also getting rehab therapy and massage.

Also she finds that ozone gas therapy injections can be very beneficial in sore joints and acupuncture points. Ozone therapy is very helpful for cancer, kidney disease and heart disease as well.

What is a greatest success story?

A 19-yr old male Dachshund with chronic kidney failure. He was not eating or moving much by the time the doctor met him, but his owner was not ready to let him go.  She tried using TCVM herbs as a part of his treatment, but he refused them. But she was able to do treatments of ozone therapy using UV light. The little guy made it to his 20th birthday almost a year later, in less pain than he’d been when he came to her at 19.

And of course, we all like to think our own dogs are every doctor’s greatest achievement, so I’ll add that when Uma was diagnosed with ear tip vasculitis at about 4, I was really freaked out. The edges of her ears were literally falling off in small, bloody pieces. The blood vessels at the edges of her ears were rupturing due to inflammation, which lead to death of the skin tissue. In the beginning it looked like a scab from a wound, so I assumed she had hurt her ears somehow. Dr. Asato used a combination of eastern and western medicine approaches to get Uma’s ears healed and to prevent them from flaring up again.

What holistic or natural approaches can a pet owner use at home to help their senior dog with arthritis pain and stiffness?

Learn massage! That’s an easy thing to do at home to help your dog feel relief from achy joints. And learn some rehabilitation therapy exercises. Under the guidance of a certified massage therapist or animal rehab therapist, you can help your dog stay stronger and feel less pain with arthritis as they age.

As a slightly more advanced option, with the right veterinary instruction and support, it is possible for owners to learn to do rectal ozone insufflation if they buy a machine from a reputable company such as O3 Vets.  This treatment can help reduce pain and increase energy and appetite.

What can owners do to help support dogs who are showing signs of dementia?

If you can find a veterinarian who offers them, TCVM herbs, ozone therapy, and essential oil treatments can all help, depending on how the dog responds to each type of therapy.

A LifeWave patch called X39 is supposed to boost stem cells, and it seems some dogs show reduced symptoms of dementia with the patch applied to a collar, bandanna, or harness that they wear.

What are some basic tips for senior dog owners to naturally manage their elderly pet’s overall health?

Diet is the foundation of good health.  If you can start with a good diet while the dog is young that is best; this includes raw diets and home cooked diets.  Use caution in raw diets when starting them with a senior dog; they are higher in protein and fat, and many geriatric patients cannot handle the higher protein (especially if they have liver or kidney issues) - and the higher fat content may trigger pancreatitis.

If you are starting from a kibble diet, then a gradual switch to a balanced, home cooked diet would be best. IF there are kidney/liver issues, the protein would need to be adjusted.  To help balance your dog’s home cooked diet properly, you can use online recipe generating sites such as balance.it. Note that they require veterinary approval for specialty needs such as kidney or liver diets.

Exercise is also very important, but as the pets age and arthritis sets in, knowing their limits is important. Daily walks on flat, even surfaces are great to keep the joints lubricated.

Massage on a daily basis is also a great tool to keep circulation going and help with stiffness. Essential oils can be incorporated into massage routines, but be sure the oils you purchase are tested for purity and content. You can take online courses from veterinary aromatherapists to learn which oils are best for your pet and their health issues.

Ozone rectal treatments should be recommended for every elderly pet, except for those who are actively bleeding, or in cats who have unmanaged hyperthyroidism.

What books or resources do you recommend for support with natural, at-home care for older dogs?

There are so many good books out there, and many incorporate good diets and food therapy as well as other info.  Dr. Asato likes books by Dr. Karen Becker and Dr. Judy Morgan as a good starting place.

How to find a Chinese medicine practitioner near you:

chiu.edu (go to the vet finder tab)

ivas.org (they list active members)

VetFinder – Find a Holistic Veterinarian – AHVMAahvma.org

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Senior Dog Meme of the Week  

How did we do with this week’s newsletter?

• High Paws

• Pooped in the House

To learn more about Angela and her mission to improve the lives of senior dogs, go to: Grey Whiskers