Holistic Veterinary Services

Bubbles Barker

“From one day to the next she changed from a pathetic and bizarre-behaving animal to a normal pussy cat. It was amazing!”

Bubbles is our cat.  We will never forget her distress, or ours, when at 6 years old she wounded her tail.  It was stitched but didn’t heal properly and half her tail had to be amputated. From the outset Bubbles was very upset by the bandage and worried at it constantly. After the amputation, which was about 2 weeks after the initial injury, she came home but was wild in her misery. We failed to keep the collar on (which in fact was too big) and we didn’t know how we were going to stop her from biting at the bandage and worsening the situation.

I contacted the vet again and he said they’d look after her for a few days. They put on a smaller collar, which she couldn’t wrench off, and kept her in a cage. On her return home she was severely traumatised. Initially she hid in a corner and related to nobody. A more miserable animal would be hard to imagine, but after a day or so she responded to us again. For the next couple of weeks we did our best to give her a chance to recover. We hand fed her with the collar on or took it off and shielded her from the sight of her tail while she was eating. We also groomed her and encouraged her to wash with the collar off. The bandage and stitches were duly removed, but her behaviour continued to be very abnormal. Whenever she glimpsed her tail her eyes took on a strange, wild appearance and she’d either try to attack her tail (we didn’t dare takes our eyes off her while the collar was off) or run away from it. It was as if she thought it was something alien and quite intolerable.
                                                                                           
This was not only devastating for her but also for us. She was needing a lot of care and seeing her in this state was quite unbearable. Her quality of life was so low that we had reached the conclusion that we’d have to have her put to sleep.

It was at this point that we contacted Liza at Holistic vets. Initially Liza prescribed two things: a naturopathic remedy (which didn’t appear to help) and a change in diet (which did help her appetite). However, during our first phone conversation Liza had discussed other types of treatment that we could use if necessary and with Bubbles still in such a low state I rang Liza again and asked if we could try them.

It was a memorable afternoon. Liza worked with Bubbles using a thorough, amazing and completely non-invasive process, enabling Bubbles to heal herself as Bubbles lay on my lap as if nothing particular was happening. We had high hopes of an immediate recovery (along with some scepticism), but Liza warned us that the effects might be delayed or that it might not work at all.

A few days later I gave Liza a rather bleak report, but I remember she asked whether Bubbles had done anything normal at all and I recalled that, just once, she had jumped off my lap and sharpened her claws on a tree stump as if she were free of her nightmare tail. Liza counted this as significant and she was right. A couple of days after that, and five days after the additional treatment, there was a complete and miraculous transformation in Bubbles’ behaviour. From one day to the next she changed from a pathetic and bizarre-behaving animal to a normal pussy cat. It was amazing! From that day on the sight of her tail has no longer upset her and she has led a full and happy life.

Suzanne Barker

Monday Strong

“We have peace of mind knowing that Monday is happy and healthier. Liza gave us security in the knowledge that there are other ways of overcoming health problems”

Liza first came to visit us when one of our goats Monday was most unwell from worm infestation. He had become resistant to conventional drenches and the
conventional veterinary practices had no suggestions as to what to do next. On top of that Monday had other health problems which kept recurring from a
viral pneumonia he had had from birth from the herd that he came from to us.
This was a big worry for us as Monday and our other goats and other animals
are very  important and very close to us.

Liza came with a genuine caring and compassion and utmost commitment to making Monday well. This meant that Liza looked at the whole of Monday and
studied his health history and then treated him clearing Monday's system of deep seated viruses and bacteria that had been there for a long time. There was an instant improvement and other illnesses such as arthritis were also improved.

Liza recommended vitamin and mineral supplements and general nutritional advice as well as advised homoeopathic and other healing which benefited Monday, our other goats and other animals as well as ourselves.  This was something quite amazing that we were also being healed which helped
Monday and the others in their healing. This is something that we would never have received from conventional veterinary practices.

In effect there has been a complete holistic healing for Monday and our other animals and ourselves influencing our whole approach to life and caring for our animals, the land and ourselves.

Monday's quality of life is so improved. We now have a goat who is enjoying his life with his goat friends and horse friend Fleur and with us.

We have peace of mind knowing that Monday is happy and healthier. Liza gave us security in the knowledge that there are other ways of overcoming health problems.

We are eternally grateful to Liza and her unique healing powers.

Thank you Liza.

Janice and Craig Strong

Fubu Turner

“I could not have saved my dog without the fantastic service which Holistic Vets gave”

Fubu, my six year old boxer cross became fully paralyzed after a run in with a bank at full speed. (Head first). After several x-rays and examinations from conventional vets the diagnosis was that her spinal core was squashed between several vertebrae in her neck with severe nerve damage and not much hope.

She was very alert and was in no pain whatsoever, but was distressed with her situation. She also had Shiff-Sherrington Syndrome which made her front legs lock up every time she was moved. We were told this would never come right.  Conventional vets told me there was nothing I could do and it was just a matter of time before I would have to make that inevitable decision (to put her down).

I was quite distressed and had many sleepless nights with her as she had no control over her bladder and bowels and was uncomfortable staying on one side for long. A few days passed and a friend hearing my unhappiness with this decision put me on to The Holistic Vets. It had been five days since her accident when I saw Liza and Fubu had given up eating and drinking as she had developed a stomach ulcer due to the drugs she had had.

When I took her to Liza Fubu and I were sleep deprived, stressed out and extremely sad. Liza immediately said that there was a good chance she would walk again but was honest by saying it would just be a very long road to recovery. Eager to do what ever it took to get my baby Fubu back to her happy, nutty self these words were music to my ears. I finally felt as though I wasn’t the mad woman trying to save the unsaveable.

Liza gave Fubu a vitamin c drip to pick her up, expressed her bladder, gave me a chemist full of natural vitamins and minerals to give her the boost she needed, special food and all the tools and advice I needed to care for her myself until our next visit. She also performed some therapy on her which involved my assistance and  helped me to understand what she was doing. It was extremely odd to me at first but it worked extremely quickly and very effectively which encouraged me to continue using this method for further treatment.

Liza suggested we use a hyperbaric chamber for Fubu for ten days to speed up recovery which at first I was skeptical about but after the first few sessions she began to move her legs, which was a burst of hope and later proved to be the best choice I could have made. She began eating, drinking and wagging her tail again. By the end of the chamber sessions she was able to stand for short periods of time on her own and walk a few steps. I was extremely ecstatic. She was well on the road to recovery.

Thanks to the help of Liza and her therapy, Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, natural remedies and wonderful, kind, caring, out of her way service Fubu is now running around as happy as can be with about 95% of her mobility back and still healing.

I could not have saved my dog without the fantastic service which Liza gave. She put up with my distressed phone calls, after hours visits and multiple questions with professionalism and a genuine empathy for Fubu. Her confidence that Fubu would recover made me feel very confident and happy. In my eyes she went beyond what a normal vet does with genuine concern. For that I am truly grateful.

Amy Turner

Puddy Hosking 

“Overall a very nice balance of all options available in a non-judgemental and supportive delivery – we highly recommend Holistic Veterinary Services”

Our family decided to consult Holistic Veterinary Services in regard to the health situation of our 20 year old DSH cat called “Puddy” – she is a trooper who has rumbled along maintaining relatively good health for most of her life. Within the last two years she has had dental surgery and also surgery to remove the tips of her ears due to cancer – unfortunately she was also diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism approximately 1.5 years ago, requiring ongoing medication.  We were concerned with “Puddy’s” quality of life and consulted Holistic Vet Services seeking options to enhance, improve this quality due to the lack of system-support alternatives offered, alongside her medication from our otherwise superb original veterinarian.
                                     
Liza visited us at home which was a great service and thoroughly examined our cat, taking blood samples for lab analysis, and using a range of techniques which we found very interesting and informative giving us an overview of “Puddys” internal and energetic health status as well as balancing and healing on a holistic level.

Liza also supplied vitamin and mineral supplementation and recommended dietary changes to support her organs and general health.  At a later stage we utilized homeopathic remedies, which were easily administered and effective.

Both my husband and I were really impressed with Liza’s caring, genuine demeanour, at the home visit and also in ongoing communications – she was attentive and discussed health and reality issues for our elderly much-loved feline in an honest but gentle manner – taking our wishes of quality of life, not quantity for our cat to heart and supporting us in finding the best mix of options – both conventional and alternative, we happily report “Puddy” enjoys continued good health and life enjoyment today.

Overall a very nice balance of all options available in a non-judgemental and supportive delivery – we highly recommend Holistic Veterinary Services – well done Liza, keep up the good work.

Thank you and regards

Sarah and Rich Hosking
Rotorua
27.9.06

Pippi Rolfe

“I recommend Holistic Veterinary Services with the knowledge that your animals health will be in very special hands, and that if there is a way to help then they are the best people to find it for you and your pet!”

Late in 2004 my pony Pippi became critically ill and despite the best efforts from my local vet no treatments worked. There was no indication of exactly what was wrong other than some kind of infection. Pippi was just hanging in there, he had a temperature of over 40 degrees and we were giving him IV fluids through a drip. I decided to discontinue some of the treatment my local vet prescribed because the side-effects were causing him to deteriorate even further, he was severely dehydrated, could barely stand and I was very close to having him put down.

During this time I was fortunate enough to be put in touch with Dr. Liza Schneider from Holistic Vet Services who was the driving force behind Pippi recovering a great deal of his health through the application of nutritional supplements, herbs and homeopathic detoxification. Slowly but steadily Pippi grew stronger and began eating once more. A matter of months later we reached the final diagnosis of pancreatic insufficiency, Pip couldn't make enough digestive hormones or insulin from his pancreas, effectively making him a Type 1 Diabetic. Even without the use of insulin Pip has recovered to a nearly normal weight and is a cheeky and curious pony once more.

As I am based in Australia this has been no mean feat, Holistic Vet Services have worked in conjunction with myself and my local vet to provide Pippi with a comprehensive treatment regime. Liza in particular has been instrumental in the whole process and there is no doubt without her knowledge of complementary therapies Pippi would not still be here with me two years later. Liza has shown not only a great understanding of the underlying processes that cause disease (rather than just treating symptoms with drugs) but has also shown an enormous amount of compassion and understanding when I was at risk of losing my beloved Pip. The heartache of seeing an animal you love so ill is incredibly distressing and the support I received helped me as much as Pip.

I recommend Holistic Veterinary Services with the knowledge that your animals health will be in very special hands, and that if there is a way to help then they are the best people to find it for you and your pet!

Sincerely,
Melissa Rolfe
Melbourne, Australia  

Coco Bohm

“So from being "terminal" Coco was given a new lease on life… Coco the dog who took ages to haul himself up onto his feet (and most usually with my help) actually LEAPT up when he saw Liza arrive and rushed as fast as unstable legs could get him  to her side for the usual love and cuddles and pats”

My much loved dog Coco developed an incurable spine condition, developed arthritis, and collapsed pasterns, had fatty lipomas and when getting really "down" for the first time ever in his life got infested with FLEAS - badly. For too long he had been fed too many chemically laden foods (the normal ones that are purported to be so good) - but on realizing how bad they were for him, I changed his diet to fresh meats, and grated raw veggies.

When he got so bad as to finding it hard to walk, and falling over and in obvious pain, the vets I was taking him to suggested it might be time to "put him down" but I knew that I had not got everything done for him that could be - and so when I found out about Holistic Vet Services I phoned.
 
Liza came and saw Coco at our home for the first visit and in fact for most visits thereafter. Firstly Liza gave him a thorough examination and then we talked the whole issue of treatments available for Coco - and those that I was comfortable with were used. I was even encouraged to give him some injections myself along with the new tablets and drops- keeping to the most "natural" we could.

Coco just got better and better and better for the most part - when something new was tried I monitored the effects and if I was not happy they were stopped. At a time when he was going "downhill" again- I wanted to try something that I had read about so I started using that product and Liza was supportive and advised to use complimentary products to that as well.  So from being "terminal" Coco was given a new lease on life and enjoyment in that life.

All the way through Liza was fully supportive, always endeavored to help not only Coco, but me as well to be strong for him and happy in myself about him - so in and through all this I got a lot more quality time with him. He had been so bad his ears had usually been held down tight against his head and his tail hanging low all due to the considerable pain he was in, but progressively and sometimes almost immediate changes were evident after various new treatments introduced - his ears came back up straight and held high, and even his tail was lifted up and wagged from side to side - this he had not been able to do for quite some time.

It was unfortunate that I had not learned a lot earlier in his life all about natural ways for dogs - the same for humans! - then Coco would not have suffered that way. When finally his spine condition worsened and his immune system collapsed I just knew on a certain day that he was losing the battle - I phoned Liza. NOTHING seemed like it was too much trouble for her, and she came at the time best for us, and Coco's life was ended in the front garden with him having spent the whole day  there with me, with the neighbors having come to say their goodbyes. When Liza came she was kind not only to Coco but to Gordon and me as well, making what could have been a truly traumatic time into a bearable one.

However - I feel the greatest testimony to Liza's care for animals is that Coco the dog who took ages to haul himself up onto his feet (and most usually with my help) actually LEAPT up when he saw Liza arrive and rushed as fast as unstable legs could get him  to her side for the usual love and cuddles and pats - he LOVED this vet to pieces. And for me? Liza very much included me in the planning and managing the health of my dog - which meant a relaxed owner - which meant a more relaxed dog. I highly recommend the services of Liza and the Holistic Vets to all owners of animals.

Charlie, Gina and Jasper Booth

“Charlie, I am now proud to say is 7 kilos, glossy black coat, slender, beautiful and full of mischief, with not a bit of urinary problems in sight and his teeth are clean and white. I have been given my beautiful cat back through knowledgeable care and attention…

One week after these drops had been finished I noticed that the limp had gone and the bump on Gina’s back had reduced to almost nothing… 

Thanks to Holistic Vets I now have peace of mind with my cats, so if your animals aren’t leaping around full of mischief go and see Liza, you won’t regret it”

I have three cats Charlie, Gina and Jasper.

Charlie was overweight, I knew it and every one else did too and didn’t hesitate to tell me often. He was 11 kilos. Having said that, he is a very long legged cat with a very large skull, so many a vet nurse has told me whilst holding his head to do this that and the other!

A few years ago he spent a week in a veterinary clinic with a urinary problem that most people thought was a battle he would loose. I would visit him twice a day and such love and trust did he have in me that when he saw me, he would cry. (The nurse told me this is rare but some cats weep) Of course my heart was breaking.  Needless to say the vets did a wonderful job and pulled him through, and I am forever thankful for this.

Over a period of time the same symptoms came back and I was told he needed to go on a single diet of cat biscuits for this problem and nothing else.  This did not go down well with me.  One man made food preparation cannot give any living thing all its nutritional needs no matter how clever the scientist and how good the advertising is! And I would not like to eat the same food every day myself, so why would I subject the cat in my care who depends on me for most of his food to that? (I have studied a great deal about food for humans over the years. The cleaner greener nearest to nature’s intention and less messed about with is always best)

Then I was introduced to Holistic Veterinary Services. The bit that caught my eye was “Holistic veterinary services and home visits”. When you have three cats it can be traumatic for every one going to the vet. Any vet coming to the home environment is much better as the vet can see the whole situation.  So I called.

I was delighted to find a friendly welcoming voice at the end of the phone. (Phone manners are often lacking today and can give you doubts about the rest of the service).  An appointment was made with ease and my confidence lifted. I just might be in good hands here.

Cats are clever creatures and with care and attention you get to know their ways. And I know mine! One of my little darlings the only girl Gina (all are moggies and all have landed on my doorstep in a state of much misery) decided to sit right by the door. When she realized she couldn’t get out, she kept looking at me to say why would I stop her doing that? So out came the brush, her favourite thing and she was happy.  Charlie decided he was going to push the door open that leads to the cat door he nearly managed it! Meanwhile my big placid boy Jasper sat back looking at all of this with a great deal of amusement!

Liza is clever, she new that I needed her to come in quickly and gently and with admirable attention to detail she blocked the front door with her case while stepping through the tiny space, stopping the eruption of three cats escaping! Beautifully executed!

As soon as I turned my real attention to Liza I was delighted to find an intelligent friendly and compassionate person. (My opinion has not changed over the time I have known her.)

What Liza offers is high standard of traditional veterinary care plus the advantage of holistic training, which means if there is a better way to achieve what needs to be done, she will find it by looking at both sides of the equation.

With Charlie she used standard veterinary stuff first. (It does have a place) and then for long term it was all about diet and Homeopathics. She also had an analysis done on Charlie to test for things that couldn’t be seen.  This proved amazingly valuable as it picked out things that would never have been spotted.
4 months later on a diet of fresh meat that I buy from the pet shop in Greerton (no more biscuits) and a product called My Beau, Charlie, I am now proud to say is 7 kilos, glossy black coat, slender, beautiful and full of mischief, with not a bit of urinary problems in sight and his teeth are clean and white. I have been given my beautiful cat back through knowledgeable care and attention.  Thankyou Liza.

Gina who loves Charlie to bits (Charlie brought her home. She was full of ringworm, malnourished and had very bad teeth. She was very tiny and was only about 2 months old and sadly is still very frightened of strangers) She was a challenge which Liza rose to beautifully.  I needed her to get to know Gina before she even touched her, so over a period, at each of Lizas visits to see Charlie she would greet Gina but never touch her until Gina got used to her being there. Then one day they made friends. Gina had had a bad limp that the vets I had seen, had not been able to diagnose. This bothered me as it was getting slowly worse. Although Liza may have had an idea, she wanted to do an analysis for Gina.

The news was not great but the way it was handled was marvellous. She had rheumatoid arthritis and cancer cells in very early stage of growth. Liza organised the homeopathic drops to be given to Gina over a period of one week. Charlie had been a breeze to give them too but he has always been easy to give things to. Gina is the complete opposite! I see you all have a picture in your head of me looking at the curtains in shreds while Gina sits somewhere out of reach! But it was a lot easier than I expected and certainly a lot easier than any tablet.

One week after these drops had been finished I noticed that the limp had gone and the bump on her back had reduced to almost nothing.  I was thrilled because one of the side effects of this problem had been an inability to jump up onto any furniture so she would drag herself up, now she just leaps up with no problem.  As for the food she is certainly much glossier, but she still does have too much skin for her skeleton!

As for Jasper, well other than dirty ears he really wasn’t in trouble, we had a check over and an ear clean and the new diet of fresh raw meat has given his coat a lovely sheen.

Now you may say, good all is well with him, but alas a few weeks later he seemed very drowsy and after another analyses the result came back that he had been exposed to weed killer. I refuse to use this but sadly neighbours who haven’t thought the whole thing through still do. All it takes is a little walk through a patch that has been sprayed and the cat cleans itself and voila. He is coming right but please, don’t spray!

So to Holistic veterinary services and Liza, I highly recommend them, I can’t recommend them enough; they have given me confidence in the food I am giving my cats. I feel more confident that no nasty diseases are lurking in the background and I know that the quality of life for each of them is far better than if I had not made that first appointment with Liza.

Thanks to Liza I now have peace of mind with my cats, so if your animals aren’t leaping around full of mischief go and see Liza, you won’t regret it.

Thanks Liza
Joanne Booth

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