Integrative Services

We provide high quality, holistic care for the life-long health for your pet. We have an exceptional staff with particular interests in all aspects of animal care. Our team is committed to providing you with state of the art veterinary treatment while maintaining an atmosphere of respect, support, and compassion. 

Kowaliga Veterinary Care is a full service animal hospital and welcomes pet patients in need of holistic treatments as well as routine medical, surgical, and dental care.

Acupuncture

Dr. Battistella, our certified veterinary acupuncturist, inserts tiny needles into precise acupuncture points to treat and prevent a variety of maladies, including pain, nausea and inflammation. This Chinese method of veterinary care has been used all around the globe to help animals heal from injury and illness and to support vitality. 

Chiropractic

Chiropractic is a field of health care that focuses on the preservation and health of the neuro-musculo-skeletal system. Nerves control everything that happens in your animals. Anything adversely affecting the nervous system will have detrimental effects that will resonate throughout the entire body. The command centers of the nervous system are the brain and spinal cord which are protected by the spine. The spine is a complex framework of bones (vertebra), ligaments, muscles and nerves. If the movement and biomechanics of the vertebra become dysfunctional, they can interfere with the performance of the nerves that are branching off of the spinal cord and going to all of the muscles and organs. As this occurs, your animal can lose normal mobility; resulting in stiffness, tension, pain, and even organ dysfunction. Additionally, when normal movement is affected, and left unattended, it will ultimately impact your animal’s entire well being and quality of life.

Trauma, overuse, or underuse may cause the vertebra of the spine to become fixed, and the surrounding muscles and ligaments may become compromised and inflamed. This can directly and dramatically impact your animal’s health. Symptoms of spinal fixation are vast, and may include pain, spasm, sensitivity to touch, lameness, gait abnormalities and postural compromise. These are the symptoms that are the easiest to detect.

The goal of an animal chiropractor is to restore function and mobility to the compromised vertebra in an effort to re-establish neurologic transmissions. This allows the body to perform at its optimum potential. Dr. Battistella will use her hands to identify areas of restriction; and once identified, she applies a precise thrust on the immobile anatomical structures. This treatment restores the normal motion of the vertebra thus removing neurological interference. When the nerves can efficiently communicate with all the structures in your animals’ bodies, they will begin to heal from within. Chiropractic is an effective and valuable means of restoring and maintaining your pet's strength, vigor and well-being. And by exploring and treating the root causes of your animal’s aches, pains, and illnesses, we can ensure maximum improvement, top performance, and an exceptional quality of life for the animal companions you love.

Chinese Herbs

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been used in China for over 2000 years to maintain health in humans and animals. TCM includes herbs, acupuncture, and massage. Herbal therapy and acupuncture are typically used together, as the combined effect is greater than using one of them alone.

The herbs used in our formulations are from the same companies as those used to treat humans. They have been tested for purity and quality. TCM herbs are safe and effective and can be used for long periods of time with minimal to no side effects when prescribed and used appropriately.

Chinese herbs can be used to treat most conditions recognized by conventional medicine. They can be used alone or combined with other therapies for an enhanced effect. Often a TCM herbal and a conventional prescription will be used together. TCM herbs are especially helpful in the treatment of chronic diseases, and diseases of the geriatric animal. They can be used to relieve pain, help improve and restore organ function, strengthen and support the immune system, and more. Dr. Battistella's herbal prescriptions are custom made, based on the needs of the individual patient.

In general, TCM herbal prescriptions must be given for longer periods of time than pharmaceutical drugs, but the benefit lies in their natural ability to gradually return the body to a state of balance and health, without side-effects. Herbal medications come in a variety of formulations, most commonly powders or liquids. The formulation used depends on the type of condition treated and the species of animal. Clinical results from TCM herbs can be seen in 3 days to 2 weeks depending on the formulation, full effect can take longer.

Laser Therapy

Laser therapy is quick, painless, drug-free and highly effective in reducing pain, improving mobility and speeding healing following surgery or injury. The process involves the use of a small, handheld device that emits an intense beam of light. The laser targets areas of the body that are experiencing pain or stiffness, or that have suffered some type of trauma. When the laser reaches the area in question, it causes a cellular response which triggers the body’s natural pain relief and healing mechanisms. 

Autosanginous

The word ‘auto’ means ‘self’, and ‘sanguinous’ is an adjective meaning ‘pertaining to blood’.

All together this means using your pet’s own blood to cure disease. In auto-sanguinous therapy, instead of directly injecting the blood back to the pet, we mix it with sterile homeopathic preparations specific to the disease. The injections are given in acupuncture points.

Homeopathy

Homeopathic remedies work alone or as a complement to conventional medicines to treat disease. These remedies are safer than many prescription drugs and typically do not produce any side-effects. Homeopathy is a natural, nontoxic therapeutic system of healing that supports the inherent ability of the body to heal itself.

Premium Natural Diets

We offer a variety of premium low carb and grain free diets for your pets, plus organic frozen meals.

  • Darwin's Natural Selections (frozen raw food)

  • Primal (frozen raw food)

  • Sojo's (freeze dried raw food)

  • The Honest Kitchen (dehydrated raw food)

  • Wellness Complete Health

  • Wellness Core

  • Canidae

Nutrition Response Testing

Nutrition Response Testing is a study of how the different points on the surface of the body relate to the state of health; and to the flow of energy in every organ and function of the body. In Nutrition Response Testing I do not diagnose or treat disease. I use designed clinical nutrition to address the causes of the problem, so that the body can heal and support itself.

The analysis portion is performed simply by using your pet's muscles, in combination with acupressure points, to determine where the underlying weakness is in the body. Then using the same technique, we design a natural health improvement program for your pet. The analysis is done through testing the body's neurological reflexes and acupuncture points. The neurological reflexes are derived from the part of the nervous system whose job is to regulate the functions of each and organ. Each reflex represents a specific organ, tissue, or function, and indicates the effect that energy is having on the body. 

If I were to hook your pet up to an EKG machine and take a reading, that would make perfect sense right? During the procedure, electrical energy from the heart is running over the wires. This electrical energy makes the EKG record the energy pattern in the form of a graph or chart. In NRT instead of connecting electrodes to the specific points being tested, I contact these points with my own hand. With the other hand, I will test the muscles of your pet's extended leg. If the reflex being contacted is active, the nervous system will respond by reducing energy and the leg will weaken and drop. This drop signifies underlying stress or dysfunction, which may be affecting your pet's health.

Let's say the liver or kidney reflexes are active, then what? My next step is to test specific high quality nutritional supplements against those weak areas to find which ones bring the reflexes back to strength. By following the program as precisely as possible, your pet is well on it's way to restoring normal function and improving his/her health. A complete NRT analysis can be done on each animal on each subsequent visit, thereby revealing the next layers of dysfunction so these can also be addressed and supported. Very much like opening a combination lock, you must use the right sequence and in the right direction at the right time - then the lock opens. With this analysis I can determine the correct food supplements for your pet that is designed to give his/her body the best possible chance of getting well and staying well.

Once I accept your case, you can count on me to do everything in my ability to help you achieve your pet's health objective and to help your pet achieve a healthier, happier life.

- Dr. Mary Battistella