Your Pet’s Story

Riley’s Story

Our journey to a quality life of health and wellness for our seven year old black lab, Riley, began the day we made a heart broken phone call to Dr. Becker at Natural Pet.

Prior to meeting and following Dr. Becker’s protocol, Riley was trapped in the prednisone (for food allergies) and antibiotics (for ear and skin infections) cycle.  As time went on, the cycles lasted longer and became more intense.  Riley had been on prednisone for about eight months when in November of 2005 he tore an ACL.  He was taken off the prednisone so an orthopedic surgeon could make the repair to his knee.  The surgery went well and we were able to bring Riley home the next day to begin his recovery.  Riley was now OFF his prednisone and his allergies were intense and he was miserable.  Our ‘Regular Vet’ had us give him five Benadryl tablets three times a day to settle down his allergies.  Unfortunately, Riley totally settled down to the point where we had to encourage him to get up and just move around, let alone any recovery exercises for his knee surgery.

As it was now January of 2006 and I was sharing our tragic Riley Story with our dentist, he asked if we were swimming Riley at Natural Healing Hydrotherapy.  We made the phone call immediately and began swimming Riley there the next week.  Riley’s knee recovered nicely from the swimming, but his overall health continued to be poor.  It was suggested to us by the owner of Natural Healing Hydrotherapy that Riley be detoxified, fed a raw diet, and (most importantly) be seen by her ‘holistic vet’, Dr. Karen Becker.  So, once again, we rushed home to make the appointment for Riley to be seen by Dr. Becker.  For this suggestion, we will be forever grateful.

But before we could attend this scheduled appointment, we awoke on a Saturday morning to find Riley very ill.  We rushed him into our Regular Vet who started him immediately on IV fluid therapy.  He was diagnosed with Addison’s disease and subjected to some tests to confirm the diagnosis.   We came home and researched Addison’s disease in canines as our regular vet had explained to us that Riley would need to be treated the rest of his life for this disease with a monthly injection (about $250.00 per injection) and a daily intake of prednisone.  We were devastated and felt hopeless.

On Monday morning, we called the manufacturer of the drug that would need to be given monthly to inquire about the side effects as we had read that it had been taken off the market for human usage, but not for veterinarian usage.  We were told the manufacturer had not kept records on the side effects for veterinarian usage, only for human usage.  We immediately called Dr. Becker’s office to inform them of Riley’s condition and diagnosis and to inquire if Dr. Becker could possibly see Riley any sooner than his scheduled appointment.  We were able to be seen by Dr. Becker the next morning.

So, when our Regular Vet called late on Monday afternoon to confirm the diagnosis and suggest we bring Riley in immediately to receive his first injection, we shared our negative feelings and knowledge of the treatment plan.  We just COULD NOT subject Riley to anymore of this….even if that meant losing him!  So, we brought Riley up to bed with us that evening, snuggled him in between us and prayed that he made it through the night in order to see if this ‘Dr. Becker’ could bring us hope of a better treatment plan.

We were not only given the hope of a better treatment plan that day, but also the knowledge and empowerment to provide Riley with all the tools to live a life of great quality.  Riley is still being treated for Addison’s disease with Dr. Becker’s protocol of nutraceuticals and natural supplements to support his adrenal functions.  We now feed a complete and balanced diet of homemade raw food which, after two and a half years, Riley still does a happy dance over as we prepare each meal.  He is back to daily walks, running free through the forests and his favorite activity of swimming.  We even have to reprimand Riley (of course with a huge smile) every once in a while for being a goofy seven year old lab.  We remember all too clearly during Riley’s sickest time when his tail no longer wagged.  Now we can barely walk by him and his tail is wagging in full circles.

And so, Dr. Becker, we thank you from the very bottom of our hearts for giving us back the gift of our beloved Riley.  We have been so richly blessed by this experience, and to be able to call you ‘Our Idolistic Vet’.

Thank you and God Bless,

John and Diane Bergmann

4.5 years ago, at the age of 12, our dog Rudy became very ill. Blood tests, x-rays and an ultrasound revealed elevated liver enzymes and an enlarged liver. Rudy, though very hungry, could not retain any food or even ice cubes we tried to give him. Three vets we consulted with gave us no hope for any treatment or progress.

Devastated with this news we went on a last resort search for some other possible treatment. Finding the name of Dr, Karen Becker through a website listing we made an appointment hoping for an alternative to our hopeless prognosis. My wife and I, who have been struggling with our own health issues, were greeted by a doctor who, after reviewing Rudy’s records, to our surprise informed us that not only was Rudy’s “time not up” but that he had an excellent chance, through changing his diet and correct supplementation, to live several more years! Today Rudy continues to amaze us. His new “lease on life” through his naturally managed care has opened up a whole new world of healthy possibilities for all of us. Thank you so much!

Jim and Monica Slayman

Our German Shorthair Pointer, Gretchen, began leaking urine wherever she lay. I was constantly putting towels under her. My vet recommended I take her to see a specialist in that field. The specialist said surgery would be possible to tighten the muscle but there was only a 40% chance it would work. We opted against it.

On Christmas eve I was talking to an acquaintance and she suggested I take Gretchen to see Dr. Becker. At that point I was running out of options. I stopped by the office and explained what we had already tried. At the appointment Dr. Becker examined Gretchen’s spine and said, “she needs to see a special chiropractor.” Her alignment was very off and it was causing her to leak urine.

I was skeptical, nonetheless, I took her to see the chiropractor and by the second visit she was cured! We still see the chiropractor every 3 months to keep her pelvis aligned, but I can’t tell you the relief of knowing what was wrong and how to fix it. I thank Dr. Becker from the bottom of my heart.

J. Hroma, Chicago, IL

Lilly is a 6 year old Lab/Beagle mix and I adore her.  There is nothing I wouldn’t do for her as she has sent me on a quest for knowledge of alternatives to conventional veterinarian medicine.  Let me explain…when I took Lilly in as a puppy, I wanted to provide the best for her.  I immediately started feeding her Eukanuba puppy food thinking that it was the best money could buy.  Looking back now, I should have seen the signs.  She had dry flaky skin so bad that I started to put liquid Vitamin E directly on her skin in hopes that it would help.  When I asked my vet about it, she said that her coat looked great and I shouldn’t worry.  Fall came and the itching started.  She chewed her paws raw and couldn’t sleep through the night.  When I asked my vet about it, she said that she probably had allergies and that I should switch her food.  On the advice of my pet sitter, I switched to Flint River Ranch, a premium dry kibble only available via mail.  Lilly of course loved it, but I really didn’t see much of an improvement.  Winter came and the itching subsided, everything seemed o.k. 

February came and Lilly was 1 ½ years old.  We were playing one night when she squealed in pain and started limping.  The next morning I rushed her to my vet only to be told that she had a luxating patella (her knee cap slips in and out of place) that could only be corrected with surgery.  I was also told that it was congenital, meaning that she was born with it and there was nothing else I could do.   Of course I would do the surgery if that meant Lilly would get better.  I found the best surgeon in Chicago, and scheduled the $1500 surgery.  People thought I was nuts to spend that much on a dog…they obviously didn’t get it…she’s my world.  I can honestly say I wasn’t prepared for what was coming.  Lilly had to stay overnight for the surgery and when I picked her up the next morning, my heart ripped open and I began to cry…I had never seen an animal in so much pain.  She had tears in her eyes and you could tell she had been crying all night.  Her leg was completely shaved and bloody/bruised.  She had a zipper of stitches running up and down her leg.  I was beside myself.  She turned her head away and wouldn’t look at me.  I couldn’t believe that I did this to my baby.  The whole ride home I cried hysterically and had an overwhelming sense of guilt.  I would never wish the experience upon anyone.  It took 6 months before Lilly would start using her leg again, and all I could do was hope that her second knee (which also had a mild luxating patella) would remain stable as to avoid the experience again.

Fall returned and so did the itching.  I went to my vet again and this time she prescribed Prednisone, a steroid to suppress the symptoms.  It had terrible side effects, but I didn’t know what else to do…Lilly was miserable.  April came and the real ball dropped…Lilly started limping on her second knee.  Dreading the words that were to come, I took her to the vet again.  I remember it like it was yesterday; she looked at me very coldly and said that it was her patella and she needed surgery.  I asked if there were any other options available.  Visibly agitated with me, she repeated that it was congenital, she was born with it and surgery is the ONLY way to fix it.  At that moment I made a decision.   I told my vet “well that’s not good enough for me”.  I turned around, left, and never went back.

I find it interesting how solutions to problems can be right in front of you all along, but you choose not to see them until desperation sets in.  That was me.  Lilly’s pet sitter (also a friend of mine) had been trying to talk to me about raw food diets.  I wanted no part of it…I thought she had certainly lost her mind.  Well, let me tell you that when I walked out of that vet’s office, she was the first person I called.  “Talk to me”, I said.  What she told me sounded absurd, but I didn’t care…all I wanted was to help Lilly.  I was fortunate that she referred me to a holistic vet (Dr. Karen Becker - who I think the world revolves around) and a magical chiropractor.  I couldn’t get an appointment with either right away, so I started reading my first book on raw food diets:  Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy Schultze.  You should have seen the look on my husband’s face when I told him I was going to feed Lilly raw chicken necks.  “Absolutely not”, he said (well, those weren’t his exact words).  I convinced him that we had nothing to lose and that we should at least try it…at least for a little while, and if there was no improvement, I’d submit to the surgery. 

The concept behind Lilly’s recovery was very simple:  reduce inflammation in the knee, tighten the tendons that hold the knee cap in place and strengthen the muscles around the knee to keep everything tight.  Inflammation is exacerbated by grain, so the raw food was perfect being that it is grain free; we also eliminated all grain based treats from her diet.  Lilly also took supplements such as Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM to help build joint cartilage, joint fluid and reduce inflammation.   Dr. Carl adjusted Lilly regularly to guarantee proper energy flow throughout the body.  This part was important in promoting muscle development around the knee and to insure proper body alignment.  Finally, Lilly did hydrotherapy (swimming) a couple of times a week to build muscle mass.  Three weeks went by and Lilly seemed to be improving, but she still wasn’t using her knee.  I made a consultation appointment with the surgeon and decided to put Lilly’s fate in his hands; if he said she needed surgery, then that’s what we’d do.  The day of the appointment, I was terrified.  I explained at great length what we’d been doing and begged for him to be honest with me.  When he examined her knee, he tilted his head in bewilderment and said, “what ever you are doing with her, keep doing it, because she’s not a candidate for surgery at this time”.  Wow.  Immediately, I started to cry…this time is was good.  We ran out of there as fast as we could and never looked back…imagine that…surgery WASN’T the only option. 

As Lilly’s knee progressively got better, so did her allergies.  She lost her old, dull coat and grew in the most beautiful, silky fur that I’d ever seen.  I didn’t realize how unhealthy she was until I saw how healthy she had become.  Dr. Becker has been truly amazing.  She is the reason that Lilly is so healthy.  Her guidance and passion has been priceless.  We will never, ever go to another vet…Lilly wouldn’t hear of it…she thinks the world revolves around Dr. Becker too.

Sheila Spitza – Bartlett, IL

Dr. Karen Becker’s name was given to us by the groomer who has taken care of our two westies for years. Our female, Cleo, was diagnosed with Cushings disease by a local vet that wanted to treat her with drugs that had potentially dangerous side effects. We wanted to seek another opinion and were referred to Dr. Becker. With patience and a new diet, plus minerals and specific extracts, Cleo made a full recovery and is a beautiful, strong and healthy Westie. Her brother, Mac, has skin issues and also a shoulder problem which has been taken care of with Dr wonderful tinctures which she mixes up for us. His skin condition is fine and we are working with a chiropractor that works with Dr. Becker. All is well with our dogs and we can’t say enough about the wonderful things Dr. Karen Becker, her staff and family has done for us. We have learned so much about the proper diets for our dogs and also being for careful about our own eating habits. Thanks for always being there for us. Your people have helped so many types of pets. Never know what might be in the small box next to you in the office. I love it! No animal is ever turned away. Making a family happy is her business and when people leave their appointment with her they feel satisfied that she has is doing everything possible for their pet. We are lucky to have her and only wish she didn’t have to put in the hours she does. We’ll have to find an assistant for her!

Caroline and Ron Leban (and Cleo and Mac, the happy, spoiled Westies)

Last August my male boxer, Smokey, was diagnosed by my regular veterinarian as having a degenerative nerve disease that I can’t even pronounce. His mother also had the disease 6 years ago. I had to watch, helplessly, as she lost her ability to walk. I was unable to do anything for her.

When Smokey was diagnosed with this disease, I was determined to do all I could to prolong his quality of life. I had read about Dr. Becker’s work with acupuncture and holistic medicine in a June 2004 article in the STAR newspaper. I decided to call her and asked her to help Smokey. She told me that she could help slow down the progression of the disease. We became her patient in August, 2004 and Dr. Becker treated Smokey with both acupuncture and holistic medicine. In addition, she recommended we also have chiropractic and aquatic hydrotherapy.

I strongly believe that the treatment Smokey received gave him an additional 6 months of quality time with me. Smokey maintained his spirits, appetite and was able to continue to walk with the aid of a “wraparound.” Unfortunately, my best friend lost control of his other bodily functions and I had to say goodbye to him on June 3, 2005. Smokey and I enjoyed six months of additional life together thanks to Dr. Becker’s help and encouragement.

T. Michelmore, Homewood, IL

I have a pug and for years I was told he had “allergies” because he chewed his feet, scratched his face bloody and had chronic ear and anal gland infections, etc. He was constantly prescribed steroids (as usual vets do L) which made him fat, pee all over and cause chronic skin infections! My vet at the time did not even tell me to wean him off the prednisone!

NOW he’s 11 years old and extremely healthy. He has been going to Dr. Becker for over 6 years and is on no allergy medication, has no ear infections, no anal gland issues. His last bloodwork was perfect!  She changed his diet. He is raw fed. This is amazing that’s all it took! Working in the pet industry myself for over 10 years, I always thought I knew what was best for my pets! Thanks Dr. Becker!

A. Sautkus

Natural Pet and Dr. Becker have been an awakening to the Wilson family. We have spent a vast amount of money over the years on vet bills. We did everything and anything that our vets had suggested. We found out that we loved our dogs to death.

The shots and chemicals that we were subjecting our dogs to were doing nothing but putting them to a slow death. Allergies/hotspots/vomiting were all a constant issue.  Dr. Becker educated my family about a natural lifestyle, including natural foods, care, reducing environmental chemicals and lawn treatments. An entire new world, a healthier world for my pets.

We have seen skin issues and allergies virtually vanish. Digestive issues vanish. Overall health improved drastically. We wish we would have found Natural Pet Animal Hospital a long time ago.

We tell any animal lover that will listen about all we have learned. We are truly indebted to Dr. Becker for all her teaching and care.

The Wilson Family, Munster, IN

Our precious Golden, Tristan, was diagnosed with lymphosarcoma at the onset of his 9^th birthday. He is an angel today and battled this horrid disease with grace and much dignity for 71/2 months.

For those of you that my not be familiar personally with canine cancer (hope you never are), lymphosarcoma is the third most common cancer diagnosed in dogs. After 8 hours of testing at a university school, it was told to us that chemotherapy is the mainstay of treatment for this type of cancer. We reluctantly did one round of chemo and the reaction was toxic and so hard on Tristan. He was never that sick, and why would we induce this on him! They staged Tristan at a stage 3, with a survival time of 3-6 months without chemo and maybe 12 months with chemo and no quality of life as Tristan could not even tolerate one round. As it was, we were not just devastated with this news of our Golden having cancer, what next?! My personal “pity party” lasted very minimally and got us as educated on this disease as I could.

Being introduced to Dr. Becker and Natural Pet Animal Hospital was the beginning of an incredible, comforting and totally supportive journey for our Tristan! Without this step of holistic treatment Tristan would have never been as content, comfortable and made it as long as he did without pain or ANY level of discomfort . We wanted a quality of life for Tristan and that is exactly what Dr. Becker offered him. He loved her and he responded to her caring, intuitive ways and it made this cancer journey an educational one. The supplementation of approximately 12-13 various items, cooked beef and pumpkin, worked for Tristan like a miracle! He enjoyed it all and never split one pill out. His true spirit never left us and he didn’t suffer one bit!

My personal goal is to continue to carry my education as I learned from Dr. Becker and Natural Pet and help others by referring them to her. We have also 3 other Goldens and our goal is to improve their immune systems with a natural diet and supplements in their life now. Dr. Becker and her holistic treatment is the only veterinary medicine I would ever consider! Thank you, Dr. Becker, and know we are always going to be grateful “head to tail” for meeting you!

In memory of Angel Tristan

5-10-2005

9/4/04 my dog Libby was given 6 weeks to live after the doctor indicated her cancer was so wrapped around the muscle mass of her right front leg that it was inoperable. Amputation was also not an option. It is now  1 year since we started with you and your clinic. The old dog is now 10 ½ years old and still kicking her heals up (a bit slower). The mass has grown but thankfully outward. Her gait in the front has not been impacted. The inevitable slowing of our walks is due to as much the back legs as her front.  So, after  one more year, several short vacations and walks with my friend, we both say thank you for the extra year!

Don R.,                    

Chicago, IL

I have a 12 year old Rott that was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in the hind leg. They wanted to cut her leg off. Thanks to Natural Pet she is running 1 year later. She is running, playing and having a great time, limp-free. Thank you Natural Pet!!

M. Anglin

Olympia Fields, IL

Our mixed breed, Kodi (Kodiak Bear because that’s what he looked like as a puppy), was, at 12, beginning to stumble up the stairs. He had difficulty playing with our other dog, Shadow. He would no longer run. While he still remained our daughter’s protector and slept in her bed every night, he had a hard time getting on and off her bed. He seemed so old. It would bring tears to my eyes daily because we saw the quality of his life diminish. My mom urged me to see Dr. Becker

I don’t think it was more than a month after our first visit when we saw an absolute transformation in Kodi. No more tripping up the stairs. Playtime with Shadow began to increase. Kodi actually chased Shadow around the pool multiple times. I won’t say he isn’t a little stiff at times, but he doesn’t turn down the opportunity to play with 3 year old Shadow and can still get the best of her at times. He comes running when you call and doesn’t need time to get off of Courtney’s bed in the morning.

Kodi deserves all we can give him. He has protected my 11 year old daughter from the day she was born. He barked whenever she left her yard, even to play next door when she was little. He stands by my side every time I answer the door or a stranger comes into our home. He sleeps with my daughter so that she feels safe every night.

Not only did our dog come back to life again, but I feel as though you have given him back his dignity. He can still do all of the things he did when he was young. Dr. Becker, you are truly a gift from God. Thank you,

D. Marin

"Brutis” is a 9 year old rottweiler diagnosed with soft tissue sarcoma of his ankle via a biopsy at a referral hospital in May.  Options were amputation and/or chemotherapy with a prognosis of 4 months. He was also diagnosed with a severe ulcerative skin condition which was found to be marked histiocytosis on biopsy. He was given high doses of steroids and antibiotics for many weeks with no improvement.  “Brutis” saw Dr. Becker June 6. His diet was changed and he was put on potent immunostimulants and specific natural anti-neoplastic remedies.  His first recheck was a month later and the tumor had shrunk almost 50%. Over the next several months the tumor continued to shrink and is now non-existent.  We just had his 6 month recheck with the specialist, who could not believe how great “Brutis” was doing and confirmed the tumor was gone. We were also able to resolve his skin condition naturally, without the use of steroids. We are very pleased with our choice of options and the results we have seen.

Kathy I.,

Burr Ridge, IL

Our beloved 8 year old Old English Sheepdog, Dudley, became very ill in the fall of 2004. He was suffering from extremely itchy skin which flaked constantly and was very bothersome to him. Additionally, he developed sore on his belly and very red, inflamed areas in his armpits and groin area that he constantly licked, aggravating it even more. He was generally miserable. We bathed him in coal tar shampoo, took him to the groomer for oatmeal baths and combed him to try to alleviate the discomfort, all of which seemed to give him very temporary relief.

After some time, Dudley developed rectal bleeding upon defecation. Every time we took him out he and he“pooped”he would bleed. We immediately took him to the vet. During the next month our vet took several blood tests, x-rays, and did numerous physical examinations and everything appeared normal, however, Dudley was still bleeding and itching. The vet kept prescribing antibiotics and steroids all of which did nothing except seem to make the condition worse. He also gave us numerous different lotions and shampoos to use on him.  Nothing was helping and the bleeding continued. It got so bad that after we took him out we had to put on a makeshift diaper on him for about a hour to stop the blood.

We were all in great distress thinking we were going to lose Dudley. A very good friend suggested we take him to Dr. Karen Becker, a holistic veterinarian. We had heard of her from other friends, therefore, we made an appointment.

We took Dudley to see Dr. Becker on a Tuesday. She listened to us closely about Dudley’s history and the current problems he was experiencing. She immediately identified that Dudley was suffering from a food allergy. Also, after taking a skin scraping and looking at it under the microscope, she said Dudley had yeast overgrowth on his skin and that all of the antibiotics he had received were contributing to the yeast problem. Additionally, Dr, Becker said that Dudley’s bleeding problem was an irritated colon from some of the other drugs he had been given.

Dr. Becker gave us several supplements to take home and we began giving them to Dudley. She also changed his food to a balanced raw food turkey diet, which Dudley still loves and eats today!

By Thursday of that same week, Dudley’s bleeding stopped! After about a week, his flaking skin had subsided and the sores were looking better. After two weeks, Dudley was as good as new! Dr. Becker, after one visit, knew exactly what Dudley was suffering from and without drug medications, made him all better. Our other vet was treating Dudley for months, never really diagnosing what was wrong, and in fact, made the condition worse. We have her to thank, we believe, for saving his life! Dudley in now 9 years old, still very active and very happy thanks to Dr. Becker.

We have a new Sheepdog puppy named Ozzie and we wouldn’t think of taking our dogs to anyone but Dr. Becker

Today, I went through old things and found Coqui, my 9-lb Bichon Frise’s old doggy clothes (6 onesie outfits cut to fit) and the plastic collar that I had to place him in during the first three years I owned him to prevent him from chewing himself until he bled while I was at work. I want to thank Dr. Becker of Natural Pet Animal Hospital for saving his life and giving me peace of mind.

I purchased Coqui, my dog, in Oct, 2002 from a pet store. He had a pretty rough history before I bought him having seen a vet 10 times during the first two months between the breeder and pet shop (hindsight, now when I’m smart enough to review his medical history). Of course, I had no idea what I was getting into as I had never owned a dog. During the first three years I owned Coqui, I went to 6 vets and four different clinics. I would have spent any sum of money to cure his itching and stomach problems and as a fact, I did spend around three thousand those first few years. I tried the Z/D Ultra Canine food to stop the itching and vomiting; I used special cortisone shampoos to stop itching; I gave him Metoclopramide to ease his stomach; he had Metoclopramide and Cimetidine injections for his stomach; I went through lots of ear and eye infections; I was told he needed a $1200 knee surgery; I gave him low-residue cans of Eukanuba dog food for his stomach; he went on fluid therapy and had CBC blood tests; he was given Amoxicillin, Amoxi, and Metronidazole for his stomach; he was x-rayed with no results for stomach problems; and it goes on and on with me missing work to try to help my tiny Bichon. I remember one point in November, 2004 when I slept with Coqui for three nights in a row while he got up every two hours to vomit bile, because I was afraid he would die while I was sleeping. The vet told me we might lose him because they could not figure out what was wrong and did not know what was triggering all the vomiting (or the itching until he bled each time in a new place).

I first saw Dr. Becker in June, 2005 and that is when Coqui’s life started changing. Dr. Becker placed him on herbs and a raw food diet supplemented with raw veggies. She told me to have him titered instead of continuing needless vaccinations. In a month, he was much better, Now, he is a happy, non-self-chewing dog with no visible signs of allergies. His "hot spots" are gone! His eyes and ears are clear and his stomach which used to have red rash circles and pimples is beautifully white. My prior vet is in amazement at Coqui’s physical health. He no longer licks the sheets, stays up all night itching, or vomits!!!!. I no longer fear for gagging noisese because his stomach is fine. His fur has thickened. He runs around well without knee surgery. Such a load has been lifted from my shoulder’s because of Dr. Becker's expertise (not to mention money and time saved on emergency appts). I used to dread the weekend because I feared he would get sick on a Sat/Sunday. I can now stop worrying!

Dr. Becker, I want to thank you for your talent, enthusiasm, and willingness to strike out of the established ways of doing things. You are one of a kind. Thank you!