diagnosed by conventional veterinarians, responds well to probiotics and the
amino acid glutamine—just as it does for humans.
Many consumers also believe that natural therapies are safer for their animal
companions than conventional ones. Consider the first-line conventional treat-
ments for osteo-arthritis, a condition that usually affects older animals and often
manifests as stiffness, limping or difficulty rising or lying down. Vets often prescribe
“Birds are very
corticosteroids and anti-inflammatories. Based on his experience, Messonnier cau-
tions that both can have potentially nasty side effects, such as diabetes, Cushing’s
sensitive and
disease, liver and kidney disease and gastrointestinal ulcers. On the other hand, he
notes, glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin sulfate are research-supported
emotional, so it’s not
and can offer effective and safe natural alternatives for pets, as well as people.
But in opting for alternatives, don’t throw the puppy out with the bathwater.
surprising that up If an animal has been hit by a car or faces some other emergency, conventional
medicine is still your best bet, says Integrative Veterinarian Robert Silver, a doc-
to 80 percent of the
tor of veterinary medicine and founder and medical director of Boulder’s Natural
Animal, in Boulder, Colorado.
health conditions I see
“You determine the most important thing to do first, but then reassess
are behaviorally or
as you go along. Often, that means using conventional treatment to get
through the emergency, and then including natural therapies for long-term
emotionally based,”
support and recovery,” Silver advises. For example, surgery may be required to
repair a fracture or a large laceration, but once the immediate crisis is over, alter-
explains Lankenau,
native treatments, such as acupuncture for pain management or herbs to reduce
inflammation can be effective.
from her veterinary
a Cockatoo named Jaffa
clinic in Colden, New Birds and other more exotic pets can benefit from natural therapies, too. In 1995,
when Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Cynthia Lankenau first met Jaffa, a sulfur-
York. crested cockatoo, she was deeply saddened by the bird’s condition. Jaffa’s grief
over the death of her first human companion had led to serious feather picking and
self-mutilation.
“Birds are very sensitive and emotional, so it’s not surprising that up to 80 per-
cent of the health conditions I see are behaviorally or emotionally based,” explains
Lankenau, from her clinic in Colden, New York.
In Jaffa’s case, too many hours left alone, too many emotional upheavals and
an undetected food allergy had caused the bird to pluck out many of her own
feathers and tear at her flesh, resulting in a crusty sore that covered her entire
chest. Her new caretaker did her best to help, using many conventional treatments,
such as antibiotics and a cone over Jaffa’s head, but all had dismal results.
Lankenau first treated Jaffa with acupuncture (birds respond especially well to
acupuncture, she says) and the
homeopathic remedies Pulsatilla and Natrum muriaticum. Just a few months later,
Jaffa had allowed her feathers to fill in and her chest ulcer had shrunk to the size
of a nickel. Unfortunately, Lankenau didn’t see Jaffa again for nine years. This time,
she was in even worse shape and was scheduled to be put down. Her whole chest
was once again an open sore and she had plucked out all of her vent and flight
feathers.
“Her owner had many emotional traumas in her life and very little time to de-
vote to Jaffa,” Lankenau explains, “so we decided Jaffa should come live with me.”
After more homeopathy, nutritional supplements and dietary changes to ad-
dress her allergy, Jaffa became a brand-new bird, contentedly spending her days ei-
ther riding around on Lankenau’s shoulder during veterinary client visits or chatting
with office staff. “It’s a big commitment to care for one of these birds,” Lankenau
says. “These creatures are worth the effort, though,” she adds. “Even when things
were the worst, Jaffa was always very kind and loving. She gave great bird hugs.
“When I first met Jaffa, I was told she was in her 20s,” Lankenau continues. “Actu-
ally, she was in her 60s. She had a stroke in December 2007 and was really doing an
incredible job of healing, but she was very old and did finally pass on. I am amazed at
how well she did heal, considering her age, and am grateful that during her remaining
26
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New Haven/Middlesex Counties
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