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March 2023
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for many chronic conditions that plague pets. Although Dr. Lamb said that she had experienced more recoveries from the holistic approach than those she had ex- perienced practicing traditional veterinary care, she added that her practice would be quick to refer certain issues to veterinary specialists, as in the case of frac- tures or cancerous tumors.
Hex departed the exam room. It wasn’t easy to get him out of the building’s exit as two new pa- tients, a cat, and a dog, had set- tled into the waiting room, and they were ready to visit. After a brief final conversation with Dr. Lamb, I left. As I walked to my pick-up truck, I could see that Hex was sitting in the driver’s seat of his owner’s car. His ears were perked, and his tail wagged; he looked like he was hoping to have another exam!
Dr. Lamb has been a practicing veterinarian for thirty-four years. She worked as a traditional prac- titioner for fourteen years with her then-husband Brad Kuehi, a large animal vet, until his tragic death in a car accident. Three children, now adults, were the legacy of that marriage. Kim is currently married to Tom Lamb, who brought his child to their blended family.
Dr. Lamb has a large prac- tice. We discussed some of her patients’ infirmities and how ho- listic techniques were employed to help them when a car pulled into the parking lot. The pas- senger side door opened, and a four-legged passenger jumped to the lot’s surface. He was a grey-coated male, built close to the ground, and all muscle. Kim identified him as an Amer- ican Bully Pit Bull. His name was Hex. He approached the building, moving all of his 60+ pounds with an assertive wad- dling-like motion. To me, he was somewhat comedic in a lovable way. If you likened him to a ve- hicle, it would have to be a bull- dozer.
The interview ended quickly so Dr. Lamb could attend to her patient. Hex entered the exam room somewhat warily, but Dr. Lamb’s reassuring voice helped him relax. Using the essential oil, Peace and Calming, was unnec- essary to relax him. A key to ho- listic medicine is to reduce stress in the patient. Dr. Lamb, aware that Hex preferred not to have his physical on the exam table, afforded his preference for an exam on the floor. Kim Lamb’s agility was noticeable as she crouched, knelt, and at times, lay prone on the floor to get differing perspectives of her patient. The hands of a holistic practitioner are an essential diagnostic tool. Dr. Lamb was gloveless through- out the exam as she rubbed, stroked, and probed Hex, his neck, back, leg pits, groin, ears, and tummy. Her training and special sensitivity would signal problems. She searched for tem- perature differences, “energy blocks,” and unusual surface bumps or internal lumps. Hex was suffering from a distracting skin irritation. Kim took special note of the irritation’s appear-
ance and asked Hex’s owner numerous questions about its history, his diet, and Hex’s prox- imity to suspected environmental causes. She groomed Hex’s coat with a special comb designed to reveal parasites. Next, Dr. Lamb examined Hex’s tongue. The ho- listic veterinarian is aware that the tongue has different areas of appearance and sensitivity re- lated to specific body organs. It was clear that the 40-minute ex- ercise assessed the four domains of the holistic practitioner’s con- cerns...body, mind, spirit, and emotions. Hex had been playful and evidently happy during the exam. It was time to prescribe remediation.
Dr. Lamb’s main focus was not on the original cause of the irritation but that it persisted and worsened. She discussed essential lifestyle adaptations with Hex’s owner. A premise in holistic veterinary care is the
necessary symbiotic relationship between owner and pet in the healing process. Hex received an injection to reduce the visible inflammation. (Dr. Lamb uses injections when indicated, in- cluding the relief by euthanasia of an old pet in distress or who no longer enjoys a life with qual- ity.) Hex was to begin taking a powdered
A herbal curative called Ces- sorex, derived from plants in the bupleurum family, is commonly used in Chinese medicine to re- duce stress and help any dishar- mony in the body. I’m sure he would be placed on a real meat diet, to Hex’s great joy. Before leaving the exam room, a topi- cal ointment was applied to the areas of irritation.
My time with Dr. Lamb taught me that holistic care is not intended to replace the tra- ditional veterinarian. Instead, it is an alternative form of care
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