Testimonials

This is a story about our cat, Runtashiro. Our 13-year-old boy has always had health problems. At age two he developed severe asthma, which, over the years, we have managed with prednisone tablets. The asthma didn't seem seasonal, so we always took precautions to avoid using things that would put fine particles in the air (candles, perfume, etc.), as well as using more natural cleaning products in our home, and by giving him the healthiest food we could find. It was heartbreaking to watch him flatten himself against the floor like an iguana, coughing out air in order to breathe. Periodically, when he had gone a long stretch without an episode, we would try to lower his dosage of prednisone, but year after year he would need a higher daily amount. Soon after his eleventh birthday, Runtashiro required a sudden and unexpected surgery to remove a benign osteoma that was pressing against his spinal cord, causing paralysis of his back end. The surgery went well, and over time he regained a good amount of his former mobility (his high-jumping days were over, but he could climb stairs and hop onto low objects). Unfortunately he developed hyperaesthesia, and would scratch at the site of the surgery until it became raw and bloody. We had to fashion a little coat for him to wear that protected his hot spot. He learned over time that he could pull it off if he really wanted to—but he kept it on more often than not. On the whole he was okay, with his high doses of prednisone, but the scratching was a major problem. Without warning, our older cat, Jersey—who had always been very healthy—was diagnosed with inoperable cancer, and quickly died. Runtashiro sank into a depression. He wouldn't get up to eat or use the litter box. We had to do everything for him. Our local vet did a blood work-up on him; the numbers seemed to indicate potentially serious problems. Common sense told us he was in mourning, and this was affecting his immune system. We didn't want to put him through invasive testing when he was in such a fragile state, but we wanted to be responsible. I began looking for a holistic vet, who might look at Runtashiro's problems as part of a totality. We chose Riverside and Dr. Raclyn. As part of Runtashiro's new program, Dr. Raclyn suggested acupuncture to help his hyperaesthesia and mobility. After several weeks the scratching bouts began to subside (the coat came off!), and he was more interested and successful in jumping on and off some of the low furniture in our house. But the most remarkable thing was the surprising effect the acupuncture had on his breathing! Since he was doing so well, we decided to try lowering his prednisone again. Every week we cut back a little more, since he seemed to be unaffected by the diminishing dosage. In recent years, he needed at least 5mg of prednisone a day in order to feel normal. Within several months, we took him down to zero. After eleven years of treating his asthma with a drug we didn't want to give him, but was the only thing that helped, we still can't believe he's finally free of it. Thank you, Dr. Raclyn and Dr. Greene, for helping our friend! Runtashiro continues to progress with his mobility, and rarely scratches. He may not be as light-footed as he used to be (who is?), but he's getting more exercise with a new little brother in the house. We are so grateful for all that Riverside has done for him. THANK YOU!!