Links

• CARE Veterinary Center

  CARE Veterinary Center is a leading specialty and emergency service facility located in Frederick, Maryland and serving the tri-state area.
  

• Mountainview Animal Emergency

  We are here to provide emergency services and urgent care on nights, weekends, and holidays...
  

• Chesapeake Veterinary Cardiology Associates

  CVCA is an established leader in veterinary cardiology comprised of a team of certified cat and dog cardiologists.
  

• Bush Veterinary Neorology Services

  Improving the health and comfort of pets with neurologic disease...
  

• Bedford County Humane Society

  The Bedford County Humane Society is a nonprofit animal welfare organization located in South-Central PA.
  

• Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter

  The mission of the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter is to protect, shelter, and adopt homeless animals....
  

• Antietam Humane Society, Inc.

  Support adoption and rescue, adopt a pet in Waynesboro, PA.  Search and see photos of adoptable pets.
  

• Pennsylvania Dog Laws and Licensing

  What are the Pennsylvania Dog Laws?  What is the Pennsylvania Dog Licensing requirements?  Click this link for Dog License Forms.

• American Heartworm Society

  Our mission is to lead the Veterinary Profession and the public in the understanding of Heartworm disease.  Preventing Heartworm disease is easy.  Treating it, sadly, is anything but.  Heartworm disease has been reported in all 50 states.

• Carecredit Healthcare Credit Card

  The convenient healthcare financing solution. Click here to learn more or apply.

• Remindmypet.com

  Helping clients to remember to give their pet's medications on time!  Now has a mobile app available!

• HomeAgain Microchip

  Ten million pets get lost every year, and without identification, 90% of them never return home. 

• PA Dog Licenses

  Don't forget to get your dog license!  It's the law! Dogs 3 months or older must be licensed by Jan. 1st of  each year.  www.licenseyourdogPA.com                     

  Owners of non-licensed dogs can be cited with a maximum fine of $300 per dog plus court costs.  Dog wardens randomly patrol areas to ensure all dogs are licensed. 

  Licensing fees help the millions of dogs in Pennsylvania by funding the Dog Law Enforcement Office.

  Dog Law Enforcement Office  (717) 787-3062 or (877) DOG-TIP1

• AnimalEO: Essential Oils for Animals

  Veterinarian created, screened for quality, formulated for animals.

  Dr. Melissa Shelton knew from a young age that she wanted to be a veterinarian.  At 3 years old, she reported she was going to be a doctor.  A well-intending by-stander said "oh, maybe you'll be a nurse...." as it was less common for women to become doctors at that time.  If you know Melissa, you'll know she's a tad on the stubborn side.  So, in response to this statement, she clearly said, "NO!  I will be a doctor... a doctor for ANIMALS!"

  
  

  Quite possibly that stubborn streak has resulted in Melissa's drive and curiosity in regards to essential oils.  Being told something "can't" be done, with no clear reason why...has never sat well with her.  Essential oils continue to be a bit of a black sheep in the holistic medical world.  So many reports exist of the dangers of their use with animals, especially with cats and birds.  However, Dr. Shelton has clearly witnessed clinical benefits to the use of essential oils.    

  How Dr. Shelton was introduced to essential oils:
  

  
  

  I knew about essential oils for many years really.  However, sometimes life does not present the right circumstances to initiate the desire to fully use something you know is a good thing.  Many of us may recognize that regular exercise is a really good thing for our health, but dedicating the time and commitment to doing it - well, that can take some years before we get wise enough to truly enact it as a regular habit.  I turned 40 before realizing that I really did need to work out on a regular basis.  Once I committed to that, it took a few months before it became a habit for me.  And now, I can't imagine not keeping fit and healthy, and recognize the time (and even financial commitment) required to do so.

  
  

  So, it took a little "kick in the butt" for me to recognize that essential oils were pretty darn amazing, and I really needed to use them more often.  My kick in the butt happened to be my human children.  Naturally, I will do anything for my children.  When my children were born, it became clear that I would have to keep diets in tip top shape, avoid artificial food dyes, chemicals, artificial sweeteners, and basically most things that are added to processed foods, over-the-counter medications (kid cough syrup), and even chewing gum.  We would see clear responses to these "unhealthy chemicals" in the forms of skin eruptions and behavioral concerns.  Some might call it ADD or ADHD, or even Autism - but to me - it was a clear response to the items that were going into my kids' mouths.  Even the overload of white sugars in Jelly - would affect my kids.
  

  
  

  In 2008, I saw an advertisement for a community education class featuring some natural remedies for coughs, colds, flus, etc...  I love learning, so paid my $10 for the hour long class - which turned out to be on essential oils....and the rest, as they say, is history.  When I walked into the classroom, it smelled fabulous.  A diffuser was running, and the essential oils in the air did not smell "perfumey" nor did they give me a headache or sore throat.  At first, I only thought of using the essential oils as a replacement for the toxic air fresheners used in many homes.  We had started to document clear problems in animals coming from homes using plug-in air fresheners, spray air fresheners, odor eliminating sprays, perfumes, fabric softeners, and toxic cleaners.  Seizures, kidney value elevations, liver value elevations, feather picking, skin problems, and even ear infections resolved as the use of these products was eliminated.  By seeing this, we had stopped using any sort of odor control in our veterinary clinic as well - however, this can result in one stinky clinic!  Our vet clinic is located within our home, so odor control can be a bit more on your mind when you are hospitalizing a Parvo puppy with insanely stinky diarrhea!
  

  
  

  I had to make sure that the essential oils would also be safe for use in animal homes.  Especially if my intent was to replace these toxic products with a healthier alternative.  There was not a lot of great information out there.  Most of what you read on the internet, and even in the veterinary community is a huge warning about using essential oils around animals.  Danger, danger, danger...was the theme.  Especially where cats and birds were concerned.  However, I am not one to just "believe blindly" - as the very odor-eliminating sprays that I KNEW were causing some of my patients problems, were "guaranteed" by the vet community to be safe and non-toxic as well.  So, a guarantee that essential oils were toxic, without much scientific data behind it, did not satisfy my cause and effect brain.

  
  

  Meanwhile, in our human life, I started using essential oils first for everything from a scraped knee, upset stomach, or headache before reaching for any sort of "traditional" treatment.  I was seeing pretty great results, and wanted to learn more.  As I went to every class that I could find on the use of essential oils, it was inevitable that people would find out that I was a veterinarian.  And, as typical when someone finds out you are a vet...they MUST share an animal story with you!  Since we were at essential oil classes, naturally the story of the animal would usually include essential oils!  I became a little bit intrigued.  How were hundreds of these people that I had met, using essential oils on their animals (some quite aggressively), and not killing them?  Especially if the internet reports were true?
  

  
  

  This is really what set me down my road of exploration.  I could not understand why there could be so much bad press out there on essential oil use and animals, however there were still some people who clearly had some pretty amazing results.  I started to diffuse for my own animals in our home.  I drew blood and urine samples prior to introducing essential oils into our home, and continued to monitor them afterward.  I watched their behaviors, respiratory rates, and even responses when they had a health concern.  Everything that I could document, indicated that the essential oils were helpful, not harmful.

  
  

  To be continued...