Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Dr. Jaqueline Gray - A Mobile Vet - Who Saves Lives

Dr. Jaqueline Gray - A Mobile Vet - Who Saves Lives

Dr. Jaqueline Gray is a veterinarian who has been practicing in the Los Angeles area. She’s made L.A. her home since originally coming to the area for a surgery and medicine internship after veterinary school.

Hello Dr. Gray thanks for coming to visit me

Hello Dr. Gray thanks for coming to visit me

Dr. Gray formed a practice with a partner and they had a successful surgery and medicine clinic. When the time came to part ways with her partner she sold her share of the business and made an agreement to not go into “location” competition with her partner by opening another clinic within – miles of their original surgery. This left her with a unique problem, in that she had loyal patients under her care that still needed her and yet she couldn’t open a brick and mortar practice. So she began to go to them and ended up being one of the very few mobile vets in L.A.

Bruno watching Dr. Gray get her supplies

Bruno watching Dr. Gray get her supplies

The positive response she received from the pets and their owners has been so tremendous that she decided to not open a “store front” and instead to render a very unique and old fashioned service whose time has definitely come again - the doctor who makes house calls.

Checking out the hips

Checking out the hips

Benefits of having a mobile vet is that the four legged patient is able to stay in the comfort of their own home. They don’t have to go through what could be the trauma of a automobile ride. Nor do they have to be over stimulated by being kept in a waiting room full of other sick pets. Instead they get to stay home in their familiar surroundings. Equating to less stress and more comfort and ease to a confused pet who already doesn’t feel well.

Dr. Gray practices both traditional western medicine and also alternative medicine such as chiropractic, acupuncture and homeopathy. She has the wisdom and knowledge to be able to have blend both forms of medicine, using them separately or in conjunction with each other depending on what she feels will be of most benefit to her patient.

Looking over prescriptions

Looking over prescriptions

In our case she proved very capable, actually more than capable (what would that word be) to come into a very difficult situation. We had a very sick dog who appeared to be dying. It seemed to be just a matter of time, perhaps days that he had left. Our regular vet had given us a few options. One was doing more tests which he felt in our case would really be futile but wanted to offer them in case it helped us feel better. To give another cortisone shot (an anti-inflammatory medication which helps with pain) which our dog Brun had been on for several months. We could then take Bruno home and let nature take her course. Our vet of course joined us in the hope that the shot would help Bruno to feel better and buy us some more time with him. The last option was if we felt that Bruno was doing poorly enough he could give him a shot and euthanize him.

Standing still to get acupuncture

Standing still to get acupuncture

We weren’t ready to make any drastic choices and felt that Bruno wasn’t in enough pain or discomfort that it would be the most humane thing to do to give him “the shot”. So we agreed that we wanted to give him a chance to get better if he could. We asked the vet to give him the cortisone shot and then took him home for some TLC and hope.

We have been believers in alternative medicine and wanted to see if it would help Bruno. While we were in his office we asked our vet his thoughts on alternative medicines and he was of the opinion that though there wasn’t any thing wrong with trying them out he hadn’t seen them really work. So when we got Bruno home we began a search via the internet for vets who practiced alternative healing.

Inserting needles

Inserting needles

To our delight we found Dr. Gray and not only did she practice regular medicine and alternative therapies but she was also a mobile vet. This was such a relief to us because Brunos last trip to our vet was really rough. He had been in such pain that he wouldn’t sit and would stand until he was exhausted and could hardly keep himself up. On the way to the vet the motion of the car made him stumble and he fell on the floor and was stuck in between the seats. I had to crawl into the back seat help him back up and actually hold him upright. Because of the amount of energy and the difficulty on him we weren’t looking forward to taking him to another vet appointment.

Getting the Chi energy flowing

Getting the Chi energy flowing

We called Dr. Gray and to her credit she was compassionate enough for a pet that was suffering and confident enough in her abilities to come into a situation where a dog might die and it might be too late for her or anyone to do anything about it.

Along with her assistant Candace, Dr. Gray drove up to Bruno’s house. This turned out to be one of the first blessings she brought with her. The others were her gentle kindness and tremendous healing capabilities.

Bruno had been in great pain from his hips and his lower back. He walked around like a drunken sailor, leaning to the left and seemed to not be in complete control of his body. Stumbling and sometimes falling for no reason. He would be standing and it looked as if he wanted to move, was thinking about moving but just couldn’t convince his body to obey his head. He’d do things like back himself into a corner and stand there like he didn’t know where he was. Sometimes it seemed he get into a tight spot and couldn’t back up or turn around because of the pain. He’d run into his water dish and not be able to maneuver past it so he would just stop and stand there until someone would move it for him. He would lean his head against a corner in his dog house or on a wall and just stand there dazzed. He wouldn’t sit down even though he was dead tired and had to be either coaxed or sometimes helped to eventually lie down.

Un-retouched photo of Dr. Gray working her magic

Un-retouched photo of Dr. Gray working her magic

Dr. Gray came and she took some blood to see if we could find out what was going on with him. She did some chiropractic work on him which he reported was just like getting a good rub. And some acupuncture which he says he didn’t mind the needles couldn’t really feel them but he wasn’t so crazy about not being able to walk around so they wouldn’t fall out. Although he really didn’t feel like walking around it was just the idea of it all. Oh and he really didn’t like getting the blood work taken he so could have done without that!

So far Dr. Gray has come to see Bruno twice. For several days after the first visit we noticed him perking up more and more. He was getting up out of his dog house to take himself on walks. He was moving without falling and his walking was straightening out. He climbed the porch stairs trying to get into the house to get away from the sound of the gardener and his weed blower. He went down the porch stairs without falling. He even trotted a couple of times on his walks. These improvements were very exciting and gave us great hope.

The healing begins

The healing begins

On Dr. Gray's second visit he was feeling so much better than when she started but the healing seemed to have slowed down a little. She came and gave him a B12 shot and some more chiropractic and acupuncture. This time Bruno visibly perked up while the needles were still in him. He had more energy immediately and began to move as if the pain was much less. For that and the next day he got up easier and moved much better. He no longer seems so dazed and confused. He is moving around very well he gets up to say hi to people as they come into the yard. He can turn around easily and his ears are up and tail he has been wagging his tail. As I sat here writing this I looked out the window and he got up and took himself out for a walk. I can’t say how happy we are to have him doing so well. We truly thought we would be burying him and know it appears we are going to have to be chasing after him.

Oh those healing hands

Oh those healing hands

Bruno is still having Dr. Gray come out and see him and we will be giving updates as he continues to feel better and become his old self.

UPDATE –

Bruno has now had Dr. Gray visit him 4 times. After the third visit he seemed to decline. There were a few days where he barely ate and wouldn’t get up to visit with us and it seemed to take a vast amount of energy to even blink his eyes. We began to prepare to have him leave us. We spoke to Dr. Gray who said that he was at a critical point and because he had just had an acupuncture treatment, if she were to come up that day and give him another course of acupuncture without waiting at least three days he could go two ways. It could help him feel better or because of his condition, (his depleted Chi) it could have the opposite effect and help him peacefully pass on.

We decided to wait out the three days and give him a chance to improve, if that was possible. We spent a lot of time sitting beside him, giving him love, hoping and waiting. To our delight he was able to hang on and even improve before Dr. Gray’s next visit. Then Dr. Gray came out again and gave him another treatment. This one seemed to have the magic in it. Since that treatment Bruno has made a complete turn around. I haven’t seen him feel this good for months. He isn’t just walking around he is trotting. He no longer leans to the left, stumbling around like a drunken sailor. He desires companionship and comes around begging for treats. He is vocal and happy and if you were to ask him I am sure he would tell you he feels like his old self again. The consensus of those who love him is that Dr. Gray saved his life.

Dr. Jaqueline Gray

Medicine, Surgery, Acupuncture

Homeopathy, Spinal Manipulation,

Holisitic/Alternative medicine consults

818 766 7197

email: rileavet@aol.com


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