Vet treatments vs. Home Remedies and my experience and thoughts.

Let me start by saying that I do believe that there is a time and a place for emergency and also vet treatment.  But let me also warn you that while you may want to believe that you have the best vet that truly cares about your pet, you may be lulled into that sense of security because that's just how most of us feel about our Dr.'s and our Vet's.

Just some of my background and food for thought.  First and foremost, Google is your friend.  Use it.  Don't rely solely on what people on message boards say because there are plenty who think they know it all, and those that just talk without any experience to back it up.  Who's to know who should be listened to?

Having currently six cats and five dogs, and not being wealthy, I can't afford to run to the vet every time somebody has a little sneeze or something.  Even if I was a zillionaire, I wouldn't and here's why.

In 2013, I had a 13 1/2 year old dog name Sadie, that died after I took her to the vet for treatment of a flare up of her arthritis that her regular supplements suddenly weren't helping with.  The vet did a laser therapy treatment, prescribed her 'Previcox'  along with an antacid to prevent "tummy troubles" and sent us home.  Three intermittent doses and a long, horrible week later, Sadie was dead and I was beyond grief stricken.  When the vet prescribed the 'Previcox' I had no reason to think that she was prescribing something that could potentially kill my dog.  When I called repeatedly after Sadie's condition continued to decline and was told the vet was out of the office for the day and to just monitor her, I blindly followed that advice.  As I told her later, I would have put Sadie in a cart or just carried her in a sling if I had to before I would have risked her life giving that medicine.  Her response, well she WAS 13 1/2 years old. She also said she had patients that had done very well on it.  So, if five or however many do ok, and one dies, that's ok!?  Besides my anger at my vet for not warning me that death was a possible side effect or doing the blood work beforehand that the manufacturer recommended, I was also angry at myself for not looking up the side effects earlier when Sadie first refused food, which she never, ever did.  Once I did decide to check online and see if that was a common issue with the drug, I was horrified to find literally thousands of heartbreaking stories about how the drug had killed young, otherwise healthy dogs that had gotten just a dose or two of it after having their teeth cleaned or some other minor thing that should not have resulted in death.

I'd taken Sadie in as a puppy after she and her brother, who I also kept, were dumped out at around 8-12 weeks of age.  As Sadie got older, she developed arthritis and I had her on several supplements, trying to make her life as great as possible.  At one point, she developed a cough.  When I took her in, the vet could not find anything to warrant the cough and told me unless I moved, there was nothing other than steroids, she could do.  Not being happy with that visit, I decided to do my own research and found a company that treats ailments with Chinese herbs.  I decided to give them a try.  It took a little tweaking, but at the time of her death, Sadie was nearly cough free, no thanks to my vet who either wanted to let my dog suffer, get dangerous shots or thought moving would solve the issue.  And this was a vet that I had taken pets to successfully before, so I felt she was good at her job.  That's why even though I thought she had dropped the ball on the cough, I gave her another chance with the arthritis flare up Sadie was having.

So after Sadie died, I vowed to warn every person on the planet about that drug so other pet owners would not have to go through the pain and guilt that I and so many others had gone through.  Reading through the stories, it was evident that vets were not warning pet owners about the side effects or doing the blood work to monitor kidney function that the drug manufacturer recommended.  Innocent dogs were being killed in a most horrific and painful way from this drug and yet vets every where didn't seem to care based on the stories of those that had gone through it.  I didn't feel so alone in my suffering but was still angry beyond belief at my vet.  I vowed to never go back.  Whenever anything arose that wasn't an emergency, I'd spend hours, days, weeks finding and trying something safe to treat any of my pets before I'd go to a vet.

At the end of November 2013, a couple of weeks after losing Sadie, Julien, a young yellow and white cat, showed up out of no where one early morning in a tree in my yard.  He was howling like a banshee, so I was worried if he'd respond when I called to him, but to my amazement, as soon as I stopped at the bottom of the tree and shined my flashlight up on him and called him, he quickly and immediately came down to me.  Into the house we went.  For three months we dealt with Julien's almost instantaneous liquid diarrhea after eating, despite many food changes and all kinds of drops, slurries, worming, potions and pills.  Finally, thinking it was something serious I was missing, besides him appearing very healthy, I gave up and took him to a new vet.  She tested him for things and sent me home with her Rx Science Diet food and some clay type stuff and antibiotics I think and something else.  I've forgotten at this point.  It was a pricey bill and it didn't help in any way.  I could tell she was 'old school', set in her ways and what she'd been taught in the 70's in vet school was still her treatment methods, so I decided after that first appointment and after Julien was vaccinated and neutered, that she wasn't going to be our vet.  She wasn't really open to homeopathic treatments and I just didn't get a good feeling about the place or her.

I came home and spent more hours researching what might be causing Julien's issue.  I finally found an article about food allergies and decided maybe it was the chicken that was in all the food I'd tried with him in some form or another.  After much more research, I found Nature's Logic Rabbit, that has absolutely no chicken of any kind in it.  Within a few days of being on it, Julien was going normally and we haven't looked back since.  The vet didn't even seem to know that the food issue could be a cause.  I enlightened her!  I now rotate him and the others between their two favorite flavors, chicken and rabbit and we have no problems whatsoever.  A new cat just recently was added and he'd been eating intermittently and then dry when the lady whose house he showed up at bothered to feed him, so he had diarrhea after being switched to high quality soft food.  I did a quick search on earthclinic, my go to site for home remedies and gave him some organic canned pumpkin, as was recommended.  Within a day, he was going normal.  I've also successfully treated him for an Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) with 500 mg of Lysine pills crushed twice a day and Apple Cider Vinegar (with the mother), both that can be purchased for under $10 at walmart.  He was back to normal within a week and if what I was doing hadn't worked, I'd have been the first one in the car with him to the vet.  Luckily, he responded well to the home treatment and I didn't have to treat him with antibiotics, which have their own side effects.

A few months ago, in June, I had a cat one day suddenly be lethargic and not eat or drink and because that could be from a number of things, I decided to take him to the emergency vet hospital.  Over $1,700 later, they misdiagnosed him twice with highly fatal diseases, put him through hell and racked up an enormous bill when all he really needed was a start on antibiotics to begin with.  It took me fighting with the Director of the vet hospital about how they told us he "for sure" had a deadly tick borne disease, only to find out the tests were actually deemed inconclusive, but that we were not informed about that until much later and many costly treatments later.  I finally got the bill reduced to $400, which it actually should have been around $150 for an emergency visit $135 and $15 in antibiotics.  I just let those vets run away with their doom and gloom prognosis and my cat and I both paid a hefty price for it.  After that first night, I'd come home and stayed up all night googling the disease they said he had and when I went to see him 15 hours later, I expected him to be near death.  He was about as far from it as possible.  I should have put my foot down right there and said this clearly isn't the disease you think it is or he wouldn't be acting like his old self, because that disease normally killed cats within the first 2-3 days.  Anyway, yet another lesson learned about vets and how they almost bully or intimidate you with what they think is best for your pet, even though it's YOUR pet and you know it better than they ever will.

And finally, this weekend, I had to take one of my senior dogs to the after-hours vet because she was unable to stand up, had defecated on herself and was drooling heavily.  It was $85 for the after-hours visit, but concerned there was something serious going on, I made the appointment and then went to work getting her loaded into the car.  We got her to her feet outside and she was suddenly fine and dandy.  No drooling, no limping, nothing to indicate there was any issue.  I'd already made the appointment and it was a Saturday, so I decided to go ahead and take her in, just in case.  This was one of four or five vets in yet another practice I'd taken my pets to a couple of times since Julien, and had seen a different vet each time.  They seemed competent enough prescribing antibiotics for a fighting injury in a cat (happened late on a Friday night, so I wasn't taking chances over the weekend)  and an eye injury to one of my dogs.

On this particular visit, the vet just checked her over with his hands, took her temperature, checked her heart and lungs and declared her fine.  He prescribed an "anti-inflammatory" and thought maybe it was a muscle spasm possibly causing the problem because he could not find anything else and didn't want to do x-rays since he was there by himself and felt she'd have to be sedated.  He told me to give her one of the pills when we got home.  He charged me $99 ($85 visit, $14 pills) and we were sent on our way.  When I got home, I googled the pills he'd just sent me home with without any instructions or warnings or pamphlets or anything and it turned out that 'Dermamaxx' is an NSAID and it has killed plenty of dogs via kidney failure.  The painful memory of Sadie throwing up and bloody, tarry diarrhea all over as she hung her head in pain and sadness came flooding back to me.  There was no way I would ever put a dog through even the slightest possibility of that fate again.  Ever.  I called the vet's office yesterday (Monday) to let them know that I'd just got the meds on Saturday, but after doing a google search and finding out a side effect was death and I'd already killed one dog with a similar NSAID, I didn't feel comfortable giving it to my dog and asked for a refund.  She said she'd have to check with the Dr.'s and would call me back.  Today, Tuesday, late afternoon, still not return call.  So I called the office back.  I spoke to another lady who knew who I was and said that they had said since the meds had left the building that they wouldn't take them back.  I didn't argue with her, because arguing isn't my nature.  They, like almost every other vet out there, only cares about themselves and their bottom line at the end of the day.  A caring vet would have addressed my concerns or at least understood where I was coming from having lost a dog to this type of drug and given me my $14 back, especially after the vet and I had discussed Saturday that I had so many animals from people just dumping them out.

So if I post an alternative to treatment other than "RUN TO THE VET NOW!", it's because I have gone to more than one vet with poor and horrible results and I've also treated many things myself (more than I've mentioned above trying to keep this as short as possible) with great results.  I don't take treating my pets' health lightly as they are each a family member and you couldn't give me a million dollars for a single one of them.  When I post something about home treatment, it is because of my experience and my countless hours of research I have done and do to find safe and economical solutions to things that won't do more harm than good.  I have yet to harm or kill a pet from treating them at home and the vet's can't say the same thing, though they will do everything they can to dodge taking any responsibility for any harm to your pet from the medicines they prescribe.  Pills and other medications that I can almost guarantee if you knew the full disclosure on possible side effects, including death, you'd never give it to your trusting pet.

So if you have an emergency, by all means, take your pet to a trusted vet, but please, please ask about possible side effects and do a search on your own before you take any vet at their word on the medications, flea preventatives, vaccines or whatever else they want to give or send you home with before you give it to your pet.  You'd be amazed at how many deaths are caused by a lot of common name brand medicines out there that vet's prescribe like candy.  And it's staggering how much money they make off of prescribing them.  That's a large reason why they don't want you treating your pets at home.  It cuts them out of the equation.  Remember, they don't make money off healthy pets.  But if it isn't an emergency or it's a weekend or you don't have an extra $100 or more for a vet visit, there ARE things out there that you can do to help your pet if you are willing to put in the time and effort.

Again, I'm not here to argue with anyone, I'm just sharing my own personal experience and why I cringe when after someone asks about something that can easily be treated at home with a little research, they are bombarded with home remedy naysayers and/or those whose programmed response is 'GET TO THE VET, NOW!!!'.  Maybe you have had nothing but rosy vet experiences and lucky you if you have, but sometimes that's not an option or in my case, not my first choice because of a few reasons, so I wanted to put my thoughts, experiences and feelings out there to any new people that come along or others that have open minds about pet treatment besides going to the vet and treating what they say as gospel and the only option.  I've had to learn the hard way otherwise.  Just like your money, nobody cares more about your pet than you and only you will have to live with the consequences of the choices or lack of, that you make.

I concur with you although I advise people to consult a holistic expert unless they have previous knowledge in using herbs. My belief is that there is a good blend of Western & Eastern medicine. For myself, I was treated with so many antibiotics, I now have few options. I think that the same could happen to cats. thank you for sharing!

In an ideal world, there'd be more holistic vets around to use safer methods and medicines to treat our pets.  Unfortunately, I don't have that option, so I've had to learn as I go, researching, reading and experimenting with different things until I find what works for the particular animal and ailment.  Sometimes that even includes simple things like a diet change, not a pill, but good luck getting that simple advice from any traditional vet.

Unfortunately, if a vet kills your pet, you have really no option but to take it as a learning lesson and move on.  They sure won't admit fault and neither will the manufacturer.  You have to hit them where it hurts by not using traditional vets that only want to prescribe these dangerous meds and doing it without warning us!  Twice now, vets have sent me home with meds that have deadly and nearly irreversible side effects and neither one mentioned that to me or told me to monitor my dog for anything unusual.  It's like they don't care.  If they kill one pet, they know you'll probably get another and hopefully be dumb enough to not realize that they gave you the medicine that did it, blaming the death on anything and everything else like their age, or an underlying condition, or anything else they think they can pass over on you.  Then they'll start their routine all over again with your new pet recommending and/or scaring you to give yearly vaccinations, year round flea, tick, heartworm treatment, etc., etc., etc. that are mostly unnecessary and poison.  And people wonder why pets have cancer and other major health issues nowadays?  It truly is a vicious money cycle. 

People Dr's are doing the same thing, but there are lawsuits for when you are killed or injured by the meds sold for people.  Notice how they always warn you of the side effects on the commercials?  Notice how a lot of times the side effects are worse than the initial problem?  And you think that is different for pet meds?  Sometimes the risks can be worth it, if say, the possible side effect is vomiting.  Where I have the problem is when death is a side effect and it's knowingly withheld to sell the product. 

After this most recent vet visit, I am more determined than ever to help educate pet owners about the dangers of just blindly going to the vet for every ailment and relying on what they give or tell you without your own research.  Luckily, having learned the hard way, I knew to google the medicine before I administered it, but if I had not, and had just gone by what the vet told me, I very well could have killed another dog.  Now that he has told me he thinks it's possibly a cramp causing the issue, I will do an extensive search to see if that really seems reasonable given her symptoms, and if there is anything that I can give her naturally to help her or prevent it from happening again.  I have books, newsletters I'm subscribed to and website resources that I use to research and find the best treatment for my pets.  If I got paid minimum wage for all the hours I've spent trying to find the best cure for whatever ailment one of my pets has had over the years, I wouldn't need my website or my day job to afford to take in and care for all these animals.  I take their lives and health THAT seriously. 

While I agree we tend to run to the vet (and doctors) for prescriptions that are often not needed, I do not lump all vets into the same category as unfeeling, money hungry quacks. Yes, just like human doctors, there are some who should not be practicing. It is our responsibility as owners to be informed and the voice for our pets.

I am fortunate that the vet I use will listen to me. He knows that I am a retired breeder and do treat minor things at home. His staff told me that when I call they know it is because the pet needs to be seen. We have had disagreements about things, but he was open to listen to my opinion, and then it turned out I was right when he ran the test I asked for. Just like human medicine we need to be aware of things, not just blindly follow the advice.

While I agree that MINOR things can be taken care of at home, there are things the lay person should not try to deal with. Sometimes you don't have days to research a problem to find an answer, it could just be a matter of hours.  If in doubt go to a vet that you trust.

Did you know that the suicide rate for vets is very high? I believe it is because they care to much and can't do anything to help. They are frustrated with dealing with people who neglect or consider pets disposable.  Most vets are not rolling in money either. These are the days of the consolidated vet hospitals like VCA and Baniff, The companies make the money and the vet is on salary. I feel that the overhead is the reason why these companies are growing - medical equipment is not cheap and neither is insurance.

Again, I am not saying all vets are good. It is our responsibility to be our pets voice and we know our animal better than anyone so if something is off  with them speak up! Don't be afraid of confrontation - would you hold back if the patient was a human and there was something wrong with the diagnosis?

As for home remedies, yes sometime they work. Then there are times they can cause more problems - just because they are natural doesn't mean they are safe. Make sure it is appropriate for the species (cats are highly sensitive to some things in particular). For the record antibiotics for an URI are usually prescribed to limit the possibility of a secondary bacterial infection. Most URI are viral - which is why the lysine seemed to work.

Education is the key.

I have found over the years that like everything else in life, you learn what works through experience. I treat most of my animal's wounds, illnesses, etc, at home because I have learned what works and what doesn't. Some from going to a vet and then having the same thing crop up later. ALL medications have some kind of side effects. A med can help in one situation, but throw in a different genetic makeup or a misdiagnosis and it can kill in another. Antibiotics are invaluable for abscesses and bacterial infections, but worthless for viral and can cause worse problems then what it is used for if overused or misused, like C-Diff and super resistant strains of bacteria. Every anesthesia can kill, every surgical procedure can too. Even simple aspirin can be deadly.  

There are some uncaring, overworked vets out there, but there are also some wonderful, caring, super intelligent ones that are very good at what they do and it is up to us to find them. I have learned to treat almost all of my injuries and illnesses here at home, but there is always that time when only a vet will do, especially for traumatic injuries and those which I have absolutely no idea what is going on. I have a wonderful one here in this little town in Nebraska, after leaving one that I picked up on that wasn't fond of cats at all. I have had my vet come to my house when we had that outbreak of Distemper within our feral population, he didn't even charge me for the visit, and also didn't charge me for many of the vaccinations. He also cried when one of the kittens died, and he didn't even know her! He also explains every med he prescribes, what he hopes for in an outcome, and what the worst could be. He always gives me two or three ways to go on testing, always starting with the least expensive and least invasive, and then goes from there.  I learned to trust his judgment.

It is up to us to research and learn about any treatments performed on any family member we love, human or animal. Doctors are human, they make mistakes, they are not infallible. They have different personalities and different outlooks on life. You don't have to blindly follow what they prescribe, but use it as a building block in your cache of experiences.  Find on that matches yours and go from there.  

Wow, @Di and Bob, I'm so jealous of your vet!  Would your vet be interested in relocating???  lol    You are very fortunate to have one so caring.  None of mine have demonstrated that attitude towards my pets.  As a matter of fact, the vet that prescribed the meds that killed Sadie, sent me a bill for over $300 for the treatment they gave her for 24 hours before she died.  All while never admitting any fault or showing any remorse, instead, telling me "Well she WAS 13 1/2 years old" and other things to just make it sound like it wasn't the medicine that directly caused it, when I know that it was.  It breaks my heart to think that that vet is still sending people home with it and not warning them of the dangers so they can decide if they want to take that chance or not.  What compassionate, caring vet would ever send a patient out the door with a medicine that could kill them without any warning at all about it?  I've had two that have done exactly that.  A couple others when I took my pet in, didn't check their eyes, ears, mouth or anything other than just looked at whatever the issue was and prescribed the pills and out the door we went.  None of these vets ever had a waiting room full of people, either, so too busy to do a thorough and full exam doesn't apply.  And this was one of the best reviewed clinics around!

When I took Cooper to the vet hospital that night a couple of months ago, they came at him like he had the most awful disease ever when I tried repeatedly to tell them I didn't feel that was correct based on what I knew about my cat and where we live and the disease.  It was the equivalent of going in for a headache and the Dr. treating you aggressively for a brain tumor when all you really had was a sinus infection.  It was also disheartening when I was told my cat had a disease that only had a 60% survival rate and when I wanted to add a supplement to the treatment plan that had been given to other cats that had survived the disease, they didn't want it to interfere with what they were doing.  So even though my cat only had a 60% chance of living and maybe this supplement (I had done research on the disease and the alternative treatments) could help boost that number, they weren't willing to try to educate themselves on it first, before telling me No?  If that's anybody's idea of compassionate and caring, I feel for their pets.  Add that even though his demeanor was not matching with either of the diseases they tried to claim he had, they kept pumping him full of all kinds of medicines that were very expensive and made him sick, which required more meds so he wouldn't throw them up.  Did I get a call or discussion about any of this and my input on it?  Nope.  They were just treating away, letting me believe that the blood test they did had showed he had something odd, probably one of these two diseases, never mentioning that for every test they did, or medicine they administered, the bill was getting closer and closer to $2,000.  Final diagnosis:  No idea.  The more advanced tests were returned (after their lab lost them and then found them and sent them off) 2 to 2 1/2 weeks after I was told they'd be in and after treatment periods had commenced.  Both were negative for the diseases they had been treating him for.

Having had so many of these bad and very costly experiences, I decided to share with others that it's OK to not run to the vet for every little thing that arises.  Because maybe you are lucky and have the greatest vet imaginable, and also have plenty of money to spend on unlimited vet care, but that's not what I gather from most people.  It also never seems to be at a good time when issues arise.  Sure, take your pet to the vet as soon as they are open or your appointment is scheduled, or you can afford it, but in the meantime, your poor pet doesn't have to suffer because you think the only treatment for them can come from the vet.  And once you get to the vet, ask questions about the medication prescribed, including "What are the side effects?",  then go home and look them up yourself so you are educated about them and can decide if you are willing to take the risk and if so, at least know what to watch for in case your pet does have a bad reaction.

Thanks everyone for your comments.  I wasn't trying to demonize all vets because I know, that like all vocations, there are good and bad of everything.  My perspective may be a bit different from those that have commented since I actually killed one of my beloved animals by trusting a vet that I thought would warn me before sending me home with a potentially fatal drug.  I very easily could have done it again this week if I hadn't been through what I have and knew to check out the drug first before administering it.  Having read many, many heartbreaking stories of others with similar experiences, it's clearly not just my two vets that just prescribe dangerous meds and then send their trusting patients out the door to unknowingly gamble with the side effects.  We can agree to disagree about home remedies, etc., but at least this discussion is out there to give others something to think about and hopefully learn from. 

I was not trying to contradict you. I believe that home remedies can work and we can treat some things at home, but I was afraid that the less experienced cat  (or dog) owner might be encouraged to try to treat a serious condition without vet care. I can and do treat the things I can at home - I am not made of money nor do I have the desire to spend my time off in a vets office.  The difference is KNOWING my limits and what I can treat. Yes there are side effects to prescribed medications, just as there are with herbal remedies. I can attest to that since I got deathly ill from an herbal cold medicine. I agree wit hat you said - research and ask questions. Disagree with the vet if you need too - it is your anima and they are not all knowingl. I also suggest that if there are multiple vets in a practice and you don't care for one of them, tell the staff when you call that you will not see that vet. I have done this after a certain vet misdiagnosed one of my girls as having cancer - she wanted to put her to sleep right then, I refused and took her to another vet for a second opinion. The cat had pyometra and was fine after she was spayed. I made sure that the first vet got a copy of the vet report. This goes along with what I was trying to get across rather poorly I guess) is that we are our animals voice.

posiepurrs said:

 
I was not trying to contradict you. I believe that home remedies can work and we can treat some things at home, but I was afraid that the less experienced cat  (or dog) owner might be encouraged to try to treat a serious condition without vet care.

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No worries, @posiepurrs.  I know what you mean and I'm certainly not advocating avoiding the vet, especially if lethargy or a fever or blood of any kind is present, but for fleas, sneezing, diarrhea or runny eyes, there ARE things you can do at home UNTIL you can afford to go to the vet, or until the appointment.  Honestly, several years ago, I really wouldn't have known to look at home remedies as an option for treating my pets.  It's only as my current ones have gotten older and started having age related issues, my vet visits being poor and the influx of new rescues that have come along with issues that I've really had to step up my game to get or keep them all healthy. 

I just wanted to warn others of going to the vet and not questioning anything they say or prescribe in the belief (like I once had) that they would be ethical and/or informed enough about the medications they were prescribing to not do more harm than good.  I also wanted to let others know that there are home remedies that can and do work for sick cats (and dogs) if going to the vet immediately isn't an option or the issue isn't serious like involving blood from an orifice, an eyeball falling out, continuous vomiting and other things that raise red flags for serious health problems.   

I have read online and talked to plenty of people, that just let their pets suffer because they just don't know any better, aren't computer savvy enough to research and look things up, can't afford the vet or pricey treatments, or the sick/injured animal comes into their life or happens at 10pm on a Saturday night and they are panicking.  I also see how these poor people just want to do what is best for this sick or injured animal they have, however they came to have it, and all they get is "TAKE IT TO THE VET IMMEDIATELY".  That's not just from this site, but all over the web.  Sure, if you have or find a sick animal, that's always your first thought, usually followed by "I don't have the money for an expensive vet visit." or "The vet is closed until/my appointment isn't until ___."  It's frustrating and makes you feel like a bad person because you can't just up and run to the vet, so you try to get help in any other way possible.  I can understand that feeling because I've had it myself, so I will always encourage those people to at least try to help the animal in some way, especially if I've had my own personal experience with dealing with that particular issue.  It's been my experience, that it's hardly ever a life or death situation that you can't help or cure in some way by treating at home.  That's just my opinion of course, but I've taken in several animals, that I had absolutely no idea what their history was, and any issues they had, I was able to treat on my own, and in a couple of cases, AFTER the vet couldn't figure out the problem.  And for the most part, I did it very cheaply. 

Again, just food for thought.