Digestive Success Stories
COCO
In December 2017, Coco was given 3 vaccines by her conventional vet. By Jan 2018, she had bruising and developed what our vet called autoimmune thrombocytopenia, basically low platelets with internal bleeding. This can be caused by a bad reaction to vaccines. Our vet said she may die and put her on anti-cancer meds and heavy steroids. Coco had several reactions from these meds including liver problems. Instead of improving, she was getting worse. A friend recommended Dr Sheppard, and we decided to make an appointment. He immediately lowered her meds and started her on supplements. He kept her on lower dose steroids, gradually weaning her off along with my traditional vet. When I first saw the nutrition response testing, I was skeptical. I heard such good success stories and felt like there was nothing to lose, so we decided to stick with it. As time went by and vitamins were added and subtracted, Coco was improving. After 2 months, we noticed great improvements in Coco. By 4 months, she was back to her playful healthy self. Currently, Coco is 5 years old and doing terrific!!! She is happy and playful. She is not throwing up or having loose stools anymore and just takes a few maintenance supplements. She is happy, healthy and alive…we are extremely grateful!! Our experience has been very great. We use holistic treatment whenever possible (Purification essential oils for flea and tick prevention and no more unnecessary chemicals and treatments) Thank you, Dr. Sheppard and staff!
KEBO
Kebo is now a 10 ½ year-old Sheltie. When he was younger, he struggled with digestive issues and allergies. He had been on steroids several times, but could barely tolerate them. I thought I was feeding him a high-quality food, but he started vomiting, having diarrhea, and would not even go for walks, which were his favorite thing! After going to Sheppard Alternative Animal Care, he started supplements and changed his diet. Before we knew it, Kebo was quickly returning to his normal happy self. He regained his puppy energy and started walking 2-3 miles a day again. He doesn’t itch anymore and his digestive issues cleared up. Now that he is older, I truly do not think he would still be with us if it weren’t for the wonderful care he’s gotten over the years at SAAC!
GOOSE & MAVERICK
Maverick is a 5-year-old fawn Boxer and Goose 3-year-old brindle Boxer. Boxers are known for heart issues and cancer. Knowing this, our goal was to keep our boys as healthy as possible for as long as possible. They both have struggled with seasonal allergies and digestive issues, and Goose has some food allergies. We wanted to learn how to recognize the triggers and get them under control without needing steroids, as we have needed in the past. When we started seeing Dr. Sheppard, we knew we needed to be very open-minded, but I was so desperate to have a Boxer live longer than 8 years that I was willing to try anything. We switched to raw feeding, with the help of Becky Miglio and the Sheppard’s. We have literally stopped making emergency vet visits due to upset stomachs and diarrhea, no more gas, their coats are fantastic and their weight is perfect. We also stopped flea and tick treatments, vaccines (other than the mandated Rabies), and no chemicals in the yard. All of these changes have produced two very healthy, happy Boxers. Maverick and Goose continue to thrive every single day. Maverick just got back his 5-year blood work-up that Dr Sheppard had done, and his numbers are fantastic. One of the biggest things that sticks out in my mind regarding the Sheppard’s is they are so accessible, whether by phone, messaging or in person. They have never made me feel that I was bothering them or wasting their time. We see the success our pups have had, and I'm always sharing what I've learned. I can't stress enough how life-changing SAAC has been for our dogs. These are two of the finest people we've met, and I'm so glad they have shared their knowledge with us all of the years!
COOPER
We got Cooper, a Lab/Australian Cattle Dog Mix, at 9 weeks and we had him almost 13 years. Cooper had pancreatitis three times. It was so sad and awful. We were sent home from the conventional vet with no answers. We were told to give him boiled chicken breast and white rice. It would work for a while, and then it would happen again. We struggled for about three years with these issues. We were willing to try anything with him and got really excited when we heard about Dr. Sheppard (we have since referred several friends to him and they have been so happy with the results). I like the holistic approach and getting to the root of the problem. My husband, Randy was a little bit more skeptical but very willing to try anything for our pup. We never had another bout of pancreatitis after stepping out of Sheppard Animal Care. We immediately changed his diet (chicken was a no-no for him) and stuck to all his supplements. After Cooper passed, we rescued another dog, and we immediately brought him to Sheppard Animal Care. We wanted to start him out of the right path.
We appreciate all that Dr. Sheppard and Nutrition Response Testing have done for us. We got so many more years with Cooper being active and healthy. He was loved and always will be missed.