Home Forums Birds & Dogs Hunting Dogs Holistic Veterinary Care

Anyone use/familiar with it?

Edit – The reason I’m asking is - Since I have no interest in breeding, showing or competition, I’ve been poking around on the various GSP rescue sites. Out of the blue I finally find one given up because her owner transferred overseas. A beautiful, young (1yo), slim, long legged spayed female that looks like she could run the mountain all day. So I contact the group and start asking. A few days later I’m up at my place on the mountain stacking wood and I get a call from them. The conversation, paraphrased, is one-way from a very well-spoken lady from suburban Maryland explaining to me that they are a holistic organization and will only adopt their dogs to people who will fall in line with their line of thinking.

When I finally got a chance to talk, I told her that the mountains of SW VA were a lot different than suburban MD, and for example I was stacking wood, covered from head to toe in 90% deet, and the ticks were dropping off me like rain. This had no sway on the conversation.

It bothers me that this perfect girl will probably spend her life in someone's fenced backyard getting sprayed with vinegar or some other form of internet quackery every day:



Instead of eating a Bravecto once every 3 months and doing this the rest of the time.



Now - all my ranting aside, I'm not closed minded to the holistic solutions, so I'm looking for some honest feedback. Does it work?

What a fine looking shorthair and I know them as a field trial gunner and judge. I think you missed the boat when you should have assured the nutcase that you would raise the dog their way. No it does not work as far as I'm concerned. How many people that you know tried it and are still alive? Sadly, I put these people in the same boat as witch doctors. Darn fine looking Shorthair going to waste. Sorry for the rant but been there and seen that.

That's exactly what my buddy said. Actually his sentence started with "you effing idiot...." I've had dogs long before the meds were available and it was a constant battle. Nothing worked for long if it worked at all.

Google holistic vet care and read for about a minute. Call them back and tell them that you have researched the topic and can see their point. Get the dog and do as you see fit. Same nuts probably don't vaccinate their kids.

I tend to agree here. I'm on my third GSP and have a 4th arriving on Memorial Day. These dogs are happiest in the fields, in the woods or in the lakes. With Lyme's disease and canine flu all over the place, you would have to be batshit crazy not to vaccinate your dogs.

Mind sharing the rescue that has her? I would like to vet through my GSP group and get their feedback.

Seems to me like someone needs to rescue the poor dog from the rescuers.

Idiots!!!!

Not at all.

"New Beginnings German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue" And her name (the dog) is Piper.

The first thing I noticed on their web site that should have caused me to back away was:

"Although German Shorthairs are historically a hunting breed, our primary focus is to place dogs as indoor family members."

Lol - there's nothing "historical' about it - that's their entire purpose in life!!!

I'm still racking my brain over this. I've seriously thought about Oznog's (and others) suggestion, but a quick call to my vet - which all rescues do - would torpedo that story.

I was so pizzed off when that lady called me I never got a chance to ask her - what about heartworm meds? Rabies vaccine? Distemper, Parvo, K9 Influenza, Bordatella, Hep, Lepto, etc., etc., At what point you finally draw the line in holistic care??

Since they're holistic, why do they require this?

"-Vet Check: We will contact your veterinarian in regards to your pets history with routine health care and overall responsibility with pet ownership. In some cases, your veterinarian will require your permission to release the information that we need. Please call them ahead of time to give your permission for them to speak with us."

Maybe you need to speak with another member and happened upon a loose screw?

What fugging morons. Most GSP's wind up as rescue dogs because their original owners tried the same thing.

As said before, say anything they want to hear. That girl needs to hunt.

The problem with going to a rescue for a hunting dog is they have no idea how the dog was treated before they ended up in the rescue. Many times backyard breeders and "hunters" drop their dogs off because "they won't hunt". Probably has more to do with piss poor training techniques than it does with the dog but some dogs dont have the strong prey drive or are noise averse and can't handle the sounds of gunfire. If you pick one up to be a hiking companion you're probably hitting it out of the ballpark as you'll get a dog who loves to run and explore without the pressure to hunt. Not saying rescue dogs can't be hunters, just giving some fair warning that it would be a lot to expect them to be. Their history is simply not always known.

rlott I posted your scenario to the GSP group I am part of. I will keep you posted with what I find.

If you're on FB you can see where they stand without doing too much digging.

https://www.facebook.com/new.gsprescue?fref=ts

Thanks, I appreciate that.