I used to go to her house every Saturday morning. I remember this treasured ritual of driving there. I would always go very early to miss the LA traffic. I would put on my favorite music or audiobook. And I loved seeing Debra and all the babies every week! I imagined this must have been what it felt like to be a family doctor on the way to a house call back in the day.
Your doctor knew everything about your family and took care of multiple generations.
They knew the family history, and they were emotionally bonded with each member.
I knock on their door and could hear all the dogs excitedly barking and as soon as the door was opened, they ran out to greet me!
Sophie would be getting acupuncture, and so would her brother Lukey and her sister Allie.
I popped Sophie up on the kitchen counter, our makeshift “vet table.”
Over the past 15 years, I have seen all of Debra’s dogs 🐩🐕🐕🦺
When Sammy, her first dog I cared for, had back pain issues, we began acupuncture treatment with remarkable results!
When Allie’s skin was terribly itchy, we put her on herbal therapy and fresh food diet to help. We used acupuncture and integrative therapy to manage her chronic inflammatory bowel disease so she did not have to take medicine.
When Lukey started having neurological episodes, we dug in deeper to find the true underlying issue. Rather than the seizures that they were first thought to be, we discovered he had hormonal issues (Cushing’s disease).
I remember that one day – I ran my hand across Sophie’s silky fur. Her lymph nodes were swollen.
“I’d like to run a few tests,” I told Debra.
She agreed. Debra had always trusted me. 🩷
A few days later – My heart fell when I saw the results. Lymphoma.
Sophie had cancer 🥺
The good news–we caught it early!
We had some options and begin to get Sophie on treatments.
I think about this because many pets in clinic have diseases diagnosed really late – when they are already sick for a while.
This must be the greatest benefit of having a vet who sees your pet so frequently…They’re able to get out ahead of most things with preventative testing, and when something does come up we catch it early and treat it with all we’ve got.
It doesn’t mean we’re always successful but it gives us a much better shot!
Nothing matters more to the pet parents I serve than making sure their fur baby is okay 💜 It’s an honor to serve them in this way. 🫶
Over the years, I have really discovered the key for more health and longevity for pets! It’s in the preventive care – finding triggers and working with the body to reduce the inflammation (because all diseases start with inflammation). It is about finding problems before they cause clinical symptoms. It is about not simply masking the problems with drugs.
If this resonates with you, the idea is to pay very close attention to the body and know that the best way to cure diseases is prevention.
If you’d like a full list of the 15 preventative tests your pet needs, which includes both conventional veterinary and cutting edge integrative medicine tests, just reply to this email, and we’ll send it to you. 💖
Your Unicorn Vet,
Dr. Lily Chen
Starlight Stories
And we want to start creating free resources that help you solve challenges as a pet parent.
Maybe it’s making an informed decision about vaccinations, finding solutions to cases considered ‘incurable’, or finding the best probiotic for your pet.
Whatever it is, we have a team with a wide range of expertise waiting in the wings to help you find the answers you’re looking for.
No problem is too ‘impossible’!✨
So hit reply and tell us what you’re struggling with…
We can’t wait to hear from you! And if we feel a number of our pet parents could benefit from your question, we’ll turn it into a free resource for you.
– Starlight
Dr. Lily, Dr. Gaby, Dr. Trina, Dr. Stephen, Dr. Rachel, Dianne, Karina, Lindsey, Liz, Maria, Shannon, Mickie 🦄