Dr. Alfred Plechner, DVM

8/13/13 - The research needed to understand what was going on with Shasta was quite an undertaking. That is the main reason I'm writing this blog just as Reo's mom Lynn did...to help others take the right steps as quickly as possible and weed out some of the trials and tribulations that we went through. Dr. Plechner was not only a light of hope, which mainstream, close minded vets will argue as false hope..., but he was also brilliant. His website hold more material and then some to become an expert in adrenal exhaustion, hormone imbalances, and overall health, but like I said, time is of the essence so at least get the blood work done then take the week to ponder the theory and protocol if you must. I contacted Dr. Plechner directly and his sincerity was profound. He explained things so I could understand them and didn't seem to mind repeating them as I took notes. He suggested I get the blood panel done asap and to let him know what the results from the Ophthalmalogist are as soon as I got home from the appointment. I got in to see my vet and gave her all the information on Dr. Plechner and what I wanted to do and she was overwhelmed. She agreed to do the blood work, but wanted to wait for the results from the Ophthalmalogist before prescribing anything to Shasta. I agreed, but luckily I was able to move up her appt by a few days. Before I got off the phone with Dr. P., he told me about phytoestrogens in dog food. More to come on this later... He also told me to get KriaXanthin (Krill Oil) and start Shasta on it right away to protect her retinas. So I did. He also suggested Montmillinite Clay and discussed all of its benefit, so I got that too! Dr. P. told me that when the lab tests came back they would show that her total estrogen levels are high and her IgA would be low. He explained the what the EI-1 panel tests for and why vets do not find the same results. Further explanation on this in an upcoming post or you can refer to Dr. P's website. 8/16/13 - The results from her Ophthalmalogist appoint were that Shasta had no menace, the ERG showed a flatline, but the overall health of her eyes was good. The doctor said there was retinal thinning showing that she said whe normally wouldn't see until approx 6 months after SARDS onset. The diagnosis was SARDS. I then provided my general vet the test results and we were still waiting for the EI-1 panel results to come back. I think my vet felt that after the eye exams that I would accept the fact that Shasta was blind and start helping her to adapt...WRONG. I provided her with all the information I collected over that week and she was reluctant to accept Plechner's theories, but admitted she was not an expert in this area. She suggested that I meet with an internist before moving forward with Dr. P.'s protocol...so I did. I got into the internist right away and had them do an ultrasound to rule out tumors anywhere in her body. You may be wondering how much all this has cost and I won't lie, it was about $1500 with all the tests and consults included. The good news is that after you learn how to treat your dog for SARDS you will see that those tests were the most expensive part and the diet and prescriptions are not very expensive especially if you have a smaller dog it will be a fraction of the cost of my dog's treatment. The internists spent a lot of time talking to me about steroids, hormones, and the tests they do for Cushings disease, but like I said, I had done my research before this appt and therefore knew what she was going to say and also knew that she was full of it. So I kindly thanked her for Shasta's test results, she had no tumors by the way, paid her a hefty fee and called Dr. P.