The practice of Herbal Medicine at LVSES is based on the theory of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (also known as Eastern Veterinary Medicine).  Eastern medicine is individualized to the patient, not the disease.   This means that even though two pets may both present with anxiety, they may not have the same Chinese Veterinary Medicine diagnosis, nor prescribed the same herbal formulas.  These herbal formulas are based upon Chinese formulas used for hundreds of years, some are even thousands of years old.     

The initial visit starts with a thorough history of your pet’s condition and general information on your pet’s preferences.  Please bring your pet’s medical records including recent tests such as blood work and x-rays.  It is extremely important to let us know all medicines your pet is taking including vitamins, other supplements and topical creams or ointments.  We will not be asking you to stop traditional medicines, but we need to know to prevent possible herb-drug interactions.  We practice truly integrative veterinary medicine, which is a combination of both Eastern and Western approaches to Veterinary Medicine.
     

After obtaining a complete history we will perform a physical examination.  This examination is a bit different from a typical veterinary physical exam, as we will be looking closely at the tongue, feeling pulse character, checking for hot and or cool spots, and monitoring alarm points.  This will help us to derive a Chinese veterinary medicine diagnosis in order to determine the best herbal formula.  Other diagnostics or treatment modalities such as acupuncture may be recommended based upon exam findings. 

Once a diagnosis is obtained an herbal formula treatment plan will be recommended.  It is important to follow the directions on the label closely, as you would for any other drug.  Please call if you have any questions regarding the instructions.  New drugs or supplements should not be started without first consulting us to prevent herb-drug interactions.  

Even though Herbal Medicines are natural, they are not necessarily “safe”.  A concern regarding products from China is whether the herbs are contaminated with heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, drugs or other unsafe additives.  At LVSES we use suppliers of herbs such as Natural Path Herb Company.   We chose this supplier based upon their record of quality control and product safety record.  All the ingredients are regularly reviewed and regarded as safe by the US Food and Drug Administration, the Australia Quarantine and Inspection Service, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.  In addition their herb supplier is the only Chinese herbal manufacturer to achieve certification of their products as organic by the very strict requirements of the US FDA.