What would it be? Would you work 12 hour days or spend hours in traffic, watching TV or shopping for things that you don’t need?

I invite you to close your eyes and imagine  what would your next  hour, next day or month look  like. Where are you, what are you doing, who are you with?

When I sold my veterinary clinic, people thought it was crazy.  Everyone around me was shocked and asked why I made such a sudden decision.

The answer is simple, I listened to the advice of my dog, Skai

For years, he reluctantly followed me to clinic door hoping that I would change my  mind, turn around and play in the park instead. The truth was I had no time for play.  I was burned out and felt like I was failing. I wanted to teach people how to keep their pets healthy and give them a good life and I could not find balance in my own life.

My dream was  to reach more people, write, teach and engage in a community of likeminded  people with desire to learn more about holistic care, disease prevention and how to save on vet bills.   The problem was, I had no time.

One day, at then end of my 12 hour work shift,  I turned to Skai lying  under my desk and thought, “What  would you, my  dear  friend, want me to do if  anything was possible?

I closed my eyes and floated away into another world.  There I was, inside of  a pitch black box.  I felt the fear and panic of not being able to find the door, trying to push the walls away as they were closing in on me.  Suddenly the box collapsed and I was standing at the top of a huge waterfall.  I was frozen with fear of falling into the depths below.

It felt like I  stood there forever and finally rolled over the edge  – giving up control. Splaaaashhhhh!  I felt the cool water surrounding my body and trying to swim up to  gasp for air.  When I reached the surface and opened my eyes, I could only see light and the blue horizon.  I felt so good.

“Peter,  our computer system is down, can you come and look at  it and the washing machine is leaking, Peter,  there is someone calling with an emergency,  Peter,  can you sign this  check,  Peter,  you have someone holding on the other line..  Peter! Peter! Peter!….”

I was clearly back in my box.

A few months later

My partner Dean and I decided to go for a brief holiday to Maui. It was the first time we were able to take Skai along to Hawaii as they had cancelled the Rabies quarantine and dogs were now allowed.

It was one of the best moments of my life -  running with  Skai on the beach.

Near the end of our trip,  we decided to drive to Hana, a  remote village on the North East end of Maui.  We hiked through a very dense and lush bamboo forest until we reached a magnificent waterfall.  I stood there at the bottom of waterfall with my arms spread, gasping for air  as water rushed over my face.  I   didn’t even notice that Dean took a picture.

The next day, we boarded a Vancouver bound plane.  I opened my laptop and started to browse through our pictures.  There I was standing in the waterfall with Skai  in the forefront, a big smile on his face…

Suddenly, it all connected,  my moment in the clinic, the black  box,  the waterfall, the plunge… and the feeling of freedom ..

I turned to Dean and said:  “ I am selling the clinic.”

2 years later:

I never imagined my life could be so good.  I have opened a small housecall practice in Vancouver and have as many clients as I wish.  I have almost  finished my book on natural food,  I write blogs  and articles and love being part of the fast growing community of holistically oriented animal lovers.

My new company, Dr. Dobias’ Healing Solutions  will be launching an all natural animal supplement  line in a few months.  I also  find enough time to take Skai back to Maui and  run and play with  him on a wild empty stretch of  our favorite beach.

Yes, there is life and challenges to deal with but every day I feel that I am heading in the right direction and feel grateful for the simple gifts of life.

Now when you have  read this story, I ask you to go back to the original question.

What would your animal friend want you to do? Close your eyes, imagine and ay the answer out loud.

Congratulations, you have just  accessed your own subconscious  desire of the life you would love to live.   Do not to throw this opportunity for change away.  Go for it.  Make it happen.  Just don’t forget to take your animal friend along…

Dr. Peter Dobias

This one time… from nelson boles on Vimeo.

Perhaps they reappear because we grow into finding a solution to take the right action that we couldn’t take before.

Generally, I believe that we can influence the world in a more beneficial way if we focus on the positive side of life. Today, I have decided to open the trunk of suppressed memories

Laboratory Mice – September 1982

My first application to veterinary school was rejected and in order to increase the chances of being admitted the next year. I decided to apply for a job as janitor and animal caretaker. My job was to clean boxes full of laboratory mice.
In no time, these pens filled up with a layer of mice feces 2 to 3 inches high and stunk so badly that I can still recall the smell. The mice spend their whole life overcrowded and stressed. Sometimes they became aggressive and started to bite each other so hard that their backs were bleeding and full of scabs.

Part of the research was field trips where we were instructed to spread nets and traps to catch mice and birds. The unfortunate ones were caught and killed in the name of science, brought back to the lab, dissected, their organs chopped in a blender and the organ mix was injected into the bodies of the mice. I can’t even recall how the birds were killed. Perhaps it was a form of disassociation from this traumatic experience.

After a few weeks, the mice were killed by having their heads cut off. It was the most horrible procedure; I remember being so conflicted over this meaningless research; feeling horrified, angry and helpless at the same time. I think I numbed out because I knew that if I said anything, I would not be admitted to the vet school.

An unfortunate horse

I also remember a horse at the same department that was being used for research in Equine Infectious Hemolytic Anemia. This horse was purposefully infected with the disease and locked in small narrow “cell.” I was instructed to feed it, change the bedding and never let it out. I was not supposed to touch it because the virus could be transferred onto the other horses. I remember his sad dark eyes that were clearly asking:
“Why don’t you let me out, why don’t you touch me, why am I locked here in the dark and alone?”

Vaccine production

As a vet student , I witnessed similar situations in dogs that were purposefully infected with parvovirus and distemper for the purpose of vaccine production. They suffered so other dogs could get their annual vaccination.
We were also made to kill frogs, cut off their legs and study the physiology of the muscle function.

Cows in a slaughter house

we visited the slaughterhouse on a regular basis and learned how to examine cows. They were lined up in a row and we practiced on them just before they were slaughtered. All I recall is that I don’t remember any emotions…until now.

Then there were the classes in hygiene of food production and meat inspection. Once again, we had to go to slaughterhouses, witnessed pigs being electrocuted, and cows trying to frantically escape death row. I remember some of the butchers throwing organs and body parts at each other…

Healthy Dogs Euthanized at the Canadian National Veterinary Board Exam

In order to practice in Canada, I had to go through the Canadian National Board examination. When taking the surgery exam, I was instructed to spay a stray dog and then perform euthanasia. I remember asking one of the examiners if I could adopt the beautiful young female dog that I performed the surgery on. I was told not to ask such questions and perform the euthanasia.I did it out of fear that the examiner would fail me if I didn’t. I wish I could go back in time and make a different decision.

One would think that times have changed, but they have not. Many animals continue to be imprisoned and experimented on. Many pharmaceutical, medical and cosmetic companies continue using animals to test their products.
There is another concern that I have a need to share with you.

How  do YOU and I make a difference?

• No matter if you are buying a toothpaste or an anti-wrinkle cream, try to buy natural products that are not tested on animals.

• Reduce the use of vaccines to a minimum and if you need to vaccinate, use products that are made on cultured media instead of live dogs, cats, horses and other animals.

• *If you are not a vegetarian, try to reduce your meat consumption to minimum. It is healthy for you and beneficial for the animals and the environment.

• You may also want to familiarize yourself with a slaughter house environment and production. It may be an eye opening and life altering experience. A good example is a movie called Fast Food Nation that was recommended by my friend Theo. There are also plenty of short clips on youtube searching for “abuse slaughterhouse”

• I know that some of you may wonder why I recommend raw or cooked meat for dogs and cats. Nature intended them to be carnivores and they would not be well if they didn’t eat meat.

• If you buy processed food, it is much more likely that you will support the kind of meat production that I have mentioned above. A better choice is to buy meat of wild or free range animals that are slaughtered humanely.

PS:

SUPPPORT our non-profit organization, Dr. Dobias Healing Foundation

Your donation will be used for further public education and increasing public awareness in the area of:

animal welfare – holistic veterinary medicine studies – variety of animal charitable causes.

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Visit www.peterdobias.com

One of the highlights of my day is going for an evening  walk with  Skai .  It is  my reward after a day of  working with  clients,  writing, teaching  or  working on one of my many projects.  Sometimes I have a clear idea where I want to go and  other times, I just “let me surprise me…”

First I though I would pick up Millie;  a dog that  we  fostered when  Skai  was  growing up. She is a  wild girl and Skai and her  a great time together running  in the woods.  However, my friends Christen  and Mike had just come  back from a walk and Millie was tired, so  we jumped in the car and decided to go for a walk in the East part of North Vancouver.  As soon  as we drove out of  the back lane,  an ambulance sped by so  I  turned my  car around and  avoided getting stuck in miles of  highway congestion.  We started heading for the other bridge towards Stanley park, our  other  favorite place.  The line up of cars for the Lions  Gate Bridge was longer  than ever.

I looked at  Skai, asking him jokingly for an answer.  “Do you want to go  to  Capilano Canyon? What shall we do Skai? Shall we go to Capilano Canyon? “ He cocked his head  from  side to side trying  to understand what  I was saying.  I took  it  as  a  yes, turned  around one more time and headed for Capilano Canyon, a place where the city feels miles and miles  away.

Suddenly,  I was  very  grateful  that I didn’t  need to drive a long distance and wondered  did I even  think of going elsewere.  It  seemed like everything  was perfect, the air, the temperature,  and Skai was all charged up for a set of  tricks that  he loves to perform along the way. He loooves jumping  on the logs, running through a hollow tree tunnels and drink from the crystal clear  streams.

We often pause in the middle of  our  favorite forest – one of those  places where time doesn’t  matter and the presence of  huge trees, fallen logs, ferns and moss make it all  look and feel just right.  (No  surprise that film  companies so often choose this part of the forest for  filming.)

It was almost  dark and I  decided to  take  a path  that  led to an ancient fir;  a giant,  that  was  here long before George Vancouver discovered  his promised land that he,  likely under the influence of his ego,  named  after himself.

As  I was  admiring the incredible  site for the thousandth  time,  a lady with  her German Shepherd  crossed our  path. She appeared  so  quickly that it  felt like she came from another dimension.

”Hi, “ I said,  hearing my “little voice” in the back of my mind: “You should gently tell  her  that  her dog  is  too heavy and that  he will end up in trouble  if  he doesn’t loose  weight.  He is a German Shepherd and you  know how often  they get paralized.”  “Come on, I  am on a  walk and people are not interested in being lectured,” I argued.   “But  you could make a difference” my little voice got back at me.  “Do you care more about  what people say  about  you than a dog that can’t speak for himself… ? “Too late,  I am  sorry , she is  gone,”  I  replied  regretfully and  almost  out loud.

We started to  head for  the car  when only about 100 meters ahead, there they were again,  the lady and  her dog.

“Hi, nice dog.”” I  said with  shyness.  “Thank  you” she  smiled.  “How  old  is  he?”  I  asked, to enter the conversation. “ He  is  two and a half but  people  think he is older because he is a little chunky. He will eat  anything so the vet put him  on a  special diet  for weight loss. He gets tons of  exercise  but  he is still not  loosing  any  weight.   It is frustrating.”

We  chatted  for a few  minutes and then I suggested home  made raw  diet.  “Your dog would be much slimmer  without  the grain and other carbs.  Just try it.”

“But  my vet  told me that  raw diet  is not  good for my dog; or is it? “

“Well  it depends  on who  you talk to. I  always  ask nature for  the answer when people can’t agree.  What do you think  a dog  would do in a  field of  wheat;  eat the grain  or chase the rabbit?”

“I happen to be a vet too and I used to believe the same “processed food story” years  ago.   I saw that  most of my  patients were heavy and not  exactly a  picture of health and I  decided to try real food. I could not  believe the difference.

“Oh ,  you are  a vet?  I am  Lorri and this  is Eddie,”  her  hesitation  seemed to have melted away.  “This is Eddie’s   favorite walk,”  she smiled, “Is it ok if I  ask  you a question?”

“We  have just had a challenging time  with Eddie,  he has  come down with urinary incontinence. He is  just 2  years  old. We had  4  different people  look at  him.  We have done  blood   and urine tests, an ultrasound, X  rays and no one  can find  anything.  Now  they are saying that we should consider  exploratory  surgery.  I  am worried” ,  Lorri said sounding very concerned.

“Does he swim or  jump” I asked.  “What does  he  like to do?”  I inquired  wondering if he had  injured or strained his  lumbar  area.

“Oh yeah,  he loves to  leap  in the  water down  by the river.  He was doing a lot of  that  when  the incontinence  started.  Wait….  Could it be…?”

I was relieved that  she was getting  my  point.  “Yes ,  Laurie,  it could be and most likely  is the cause of his incontinence.   I have seen this  many  times before.”

Laurie  still  looked   a little  puzzled.

I  continued  with  the explanation:  “Imagine the bladder; it  gets its nerve  supply from the lumbar spine,  just in front of the  hips.  Dogs that are incontinent,  have often sprained, strained or injured the muscles and joints along the lumbar spine.”

“What happens  is that the nerves  have to  pass through the tight and inflamed  muscles  and get  constricted or pinched.  The more severe this is the  less nerve  impulses  reach the bladder sphincter which  simply  “numbs  out.” It makes sense that Eddie leaks  especially after  strenuous  activity.

“This  makes total  sense  because it  usually   happens after he  leaps in the water!”  Laurie points out with excitement.

“Does  that  mean that  I could  avoid  surgery?”  her  eyes  light up.

“I can’t   promise  anything  for  certain but  it is highly  probable.”  I replied.  “Here is my  contact,  just  send me an  email  and  I would love to tell you what  to do.”

We said  goodbye  to  each  other.  “I was  glad  I listened  to  you” I  said  to my  inner  voice.  “You sometimes bug  me  so  much  but  often, you have  a point.”

“Just  make  sure, that  your  ego  doesn’t grow  too big.  There are still many things that  you don’t  know,” the cheeky bugger  replied.

“I have to write a blog  about incontinence.”  I thought  as  I was hopping  over  the speed bumps on the park road.   “I  am sure that  there are more dogs  like Eddie in the world.”

How did I figure this  out?

It  was Cass,   a lovely female Ridgeback cross  who brought me a deeper insight into this common problem.

Cass  was frequently incontinent  and her owner , Pat  and I struggled with her condition for months.   It was back in 2001.  I rarely give up in a search for a solution.  Because Cass usually leaked urine right after her exercise, I suggested to Pat that  we  go  for  a walk together.   This way  I could  observe exactly what happened.   There I  learned that she  was a ball  addict and she would chase it  in the park  for  30 – 45 minutes until she was totally exhausted.  The fast  sprints  and stops put a lot of stress  on the lumbar  region  and  there it  dawned  on  me  that her incontinence may be related to her exercise.

I gave Cass a homeopathic  remedy that I knew worked well in releasing the muscle  tightness. We  also rested Cass with  no ball play for a few  days.

Like a miracle, she  stopped leaking!

Since then,  I have  treated  many dogs  with incontinence and learned that more than 80 % of dogs respond  with the reliability of a Japanese  train.   Of course we have to first  ensure that there is no  urinary infection, stones or other common  problems.

The  dogs that  do not  respond,  appear to have more chronic changes  or  true  hormonal  imbalance but these  situations are much  less common.

What can we  learn from this  story?

1. Urinary  incontinence doesn’t  always need to be  treated with hormones  and  is often  related to  overextension and  injury of lumbar muscles and  the back.
2. Because these muscles become tight,  the nerves originating at the spine and supplying the bladder sphincter get  constricted.
3. The bladder  numbs  out  in a very similar way  as your  arm does  when you sleep on it and wake  up  in the morning not  being able to lift it for a  few  minutes.
4. Numbed  out sphincter turns  into a leaky faucet and the circle is  closed.

Three steps to treat incontinence:

1. Prevent  your dog from any activity that puts excessive  stress on his or  her  back.
2. Massage the lumbar area with Zoom Groom  or another massage  brush.
3. Administer 1 dose of  Incontia (homeopathic  formula for incontinence ) and repeat another dose  in 2  weeks.
4. Repeat a dose  as needed  but  not  more  frequently than once a week.
5. Eventually the need for this treatment  will reduce to once every several months or years.
6. And don’t   forget  to tell  others and make a difference.  One dog  at a time.

Yours,

Peter Dobias, DVM

When I feel down my dog comes to ask: “Is everything alright?”

When I go for a swim, he jumps in the lake just in case help was needed

Where do dogs learn to be so wonderful, selfless and caring?

What school did they go to? Did we  humans skip the class?

If you want to be my friend, treat me like my dog does.

I will take you out often and with joy,

I will take you for trips and won’t leave you behind,

I will make you delicious dinners,

I will care for you when you fall ill,

I will pet you or give you a massage,

I will comb your hair if you have any,

I will play with you to your hearts content,

I will accept your flaws with a smile,

I will tuck you in when falling asleep,

I will praise you for all you have done right,

I will love you the way you are,

I will do whatever you wish.

Just be there and ask : ”Is everything alright?”

Just  jump in the lake  if  help was needed.

One  day, on a beach run,  I realized  I  was  missing my  car  keys.  I knew that they  had fallen out of my  pocket.

I was standing on the beach thinking,  hmm,  I  am really  curious  to see how this  will turn out and started running  two miles  back to my  car.  The ocean  washed out any traces of my  footprints,  I was hopelessly  scanning  the waves  and  sand with no  keys in sight.

As I  was running , I thought,  I have to look for a message telling me where they are… and  a thought came to mind  ” They are close to the car.”  My  curiosity grew.  ”Tell  me  more, ” I asked the voice ” I  need more details.”  ”Just forget your keys  and don’t worry..” was the answer

I  got back to  the car and found the car door   unlocked   even though I  remembered that  I had  locked  it… The wallet  and my cell  phone  were still  in the glove  box.   At least this was  some  good news.  It looked like  someone opened the car with the key…    I asked  people around and looked with no luck.

Disappointed,   I  sat down on the beach and  watched a  group  of   teens  body surfing, playing like  a bunch  of  rowdy  dolphins in the waves.  I lost  my  keys,  I thought,   what  a drag…  I wondered  if the Universe would send me  another signal.

Suddenly, a heard a dog barking to my right. I  quickly  turned  following the bark  and there they were, about 10 meters away,  my keys hanging on a root of a tree.

I was amazed. A dog had helped me find my  keys!!!

What  is the moral of this story? If you keep your ears and eyes opens, the Universe will tell you what the next step is…

Do you remember  your last visit with your doctor, veterinarian  or other medical  practitioner?  After the visit did you  feel like you really didn’t  get a real chance to say everything  you  wanted? Did it seem like you were on a ‘patient conveyer belt’ that made you fly by the practitioner  with no time for true connection or the opportunity to address what  really mattered? 

When I had my full-time veterinary practice, one of the most challenging  aspects of my work  was that  I seldom  had  enough time to share everything that I felt  was important.  I tried to add more  time to each visit, and, as a result, my consultations   were twice as long than in other practices. The truth is,  I never  felt  like there was  enough time. 

During my dog walks with Skai,  I frequently saw dogs that needed help.   One would be  limping, another had been scalded harshly  by his less than aware human, the next one was  on the verge of exhaustion chasing  a ball, and  another suffered with a skin condition, that was, to  the surprise of many,  related to the dog’s back injury.

Sometimes,  I politely informed  the unaware and often well-meaning human,  but sometimes  I  have just walked by trying to tell myself : ” Peter,  this is not  your business.” However, that  never  felt  right.   Back at the clinic I could  only attend to one patient  at  a time, and the total number of people I could see in one day was relatively low.  In my veterinary practice, I tried to teach, see patients, write and manage the business, and, one day, I realized that  I needed to make a change. I decided to  sell my clinic.

After months of preparations of my new company, Dr. Dobias Healing Solutions,  our website has finally been launched.  My dream is to make a difference on a much larger scale, and to reach as many people as possible. I hope that together with YOU, we can  transform the current medical care into a healing system , that emphasizes natural, non-invasive methods and prevention.

I am looking forward to our chats and conversations,  and I am eager to learn more  about what you would like to know and do.

 I trust that together  we will be able to create a large community of people who love and respect all  animals, help each other, educate the public,  create plans,  dream and envision the future. I wish for you to spend many more  unforgettable moments with your animal friend.

With gratitude,

Dr. Peter Dobias