When my 1.5 year old Chinese Shar-pei, Ruffles, began to have steadily elevating kidney values, we knew something had to change. Some Shar-pei have a hereditary disease called Familial Shar-pei Fever, which attacks the liver and kidneys, leading to a shortened lifespan. Unfortunately, that included our pei-by, Ruffles. Having dealt with kidney issues in our family, we knew there were alternatives. After getting the same answers from local veterinarians, we expanded our search for an experienced, open-minded doctor that leveraged holistic and conventional medicine to optimize health. That lead us to Dr. Moorehead and the dedicated and caring team at Main Street Veterinarians.
From the start, Dr. Moorehead’s approach of using Nutritional Response Therapy and energy testing made a world of difference. We had not tried holistic medicine on ourselves, but we were game to try with our pup. Within two months, Ruffles SDMA (kidney health marker) had decreased to normal levels and remained steady for a long time. Whenever Ruffles has had a health issue, Dr. Moorehead tweaks his “program” and any issues have always cleared up within days. This includes everything from not eating, lethargy, bowel issues, fever frequency, eye and ear infections, incontinence, etc. One of the many things we’ve learned is that everything in the body (animals and humans) is linked, so fixing the current “main” issue can clear up residual, less pressing health concerns, too! (Example: Ruffles developed incontinence. It was determined he had a food sensitivity to poultry. Eliminating that fixed the issue AND he became less itchy, too! Go figure!?!)
An approach using holistic medicines, vitamins and high-quality food has worked best for Ruffles. Dr. Moorehead and the team always work with us to make sure the latest program tweaks not only work for the patient, but importantly, also the parents and pocketbook, too! While Ruffles health issues required dedication, I have spoken with many clients there and everyone’s plan is different and tailored to the animal. I’ve seen zillions of rare breed dogs and cats there with people that travel from different cities and states to see him, too. Rest assured; you won’t be alone wondering if you’re crazy to travel this far for your fur baby. 😊
Dr. Moorehead’s personal attention has meant the world to us, especially when Ruffles has had to go to the ER for urgent concerns out of town, etc. He and the team follow-up after hours to make sure everyone is on the mend and doing okay.
Ruffles hereditary disease has progressed to the point that we recently called in a euthanasia service over the holiday. We thought he had hurt his leg and did not take him to the vet (just rest, etc.), knowing we had an appointment in a week. Unfortunately, we were very wrong.
His adrenals had crashed and began to cause Ruffles immense pain and suffering. He was crying and could not be touched. It was awful. Out of respect, we wanted to tell Dr. Moorehead of our plans ahead of time. So glad we did! His guidance literally saved Ruffles life and put him out of pain almost immediately. After seeing us early the next morning, we devised a new plan to hopefully get Ruffles quality of life back soon. In less than 24 hours we were seeing improvements and continue to see them. While we are cautiously optimistic and know we cannot beat this hereditary kidney disease for too much longer, we have no doubt Ruffles life has been vastly improved thanks to Dr. Moorehead and team. In fact, no one believes he has stage 4 renal disease because he looks so good and generally has great energy. That is not the norm.
Further, Dr. Moorehead also practices his approach on people and I can say first-hand it has eliminated my aches and pains. I continue to giggle about sharing the same doctor, but once you get over that part and realize it’s not only effective, but more efficient time-wise, you’ll be on your way to feeling great with less doctor visits and prescription meds. My better half is a physician himself and has not been a believer for a long time. “Impossible” he always said. That is until he started going to appointments and became fascinated and curious himself, amazed at the consistent results that happen at Main Street. We will never see another vet!
