Des Plaines business help dogs recover, relax

The client thoroughly enjoyed his Reiki massage, given to him in a dimly lit room decorated with stone-filled vases.

A framed quotation about peace hung on the wall. Relaxing music played softly.

When the treatment was over, the client crawled under the massage table and chewed on a clear quartz crystal rock he found.

They've come to expect this behavior in the holistic therapy room at the Alex Brooks Canine Center in Des Plaines, where the clients are all four-legged and furry.

The center, at 1300 Rand Road, primarily focuses on doggy day care but recently started offering holistic treatments, including aromatherapy and massage.

Administered by specially trained staff members, the holistic therapies are used to treat everything from arthritis to kidney problems. A few pet owners do it solely as a treat for their dogs.

"It feels good. It's that simple," said Marcy Brooks, who co-owns the center with her husband, Alex. "We'll bring them in here and spend some time with them, and it makes a difference."

Many people are skeptical of holistic medical practices for dogs, questioning both the benefit and cost. (The Essential Oil Raindrop Therapy is $70 per session. Six sessions of myotherapy, where pressure is applied to key body spots, go for $300.)

"Some clients say, 'I'd rather have that for myself than for the dog,'" admits Rick Hartke, the canine center's dog trainer, behaviorist and one of its three Reiki and myotherapy specialists. "It's just a way to treat your dog without all the medicine."

The American Veterinary Medical Association, based in Schaumburg, does not endorse or dismiss the practice. However, Hartke and Brooks both say they've witnessed changes in animals who've received treatments. Dogs with arthritis or hip problems will have more mobility and reduced pain after Trigger Point Myotherapy or Reiki massages, they say. Hyper or traumatized dogs might calm down after aromatherapy, where a drop of lavender is strategically rubbed between their foot pads. A dog with cancer can have a brief respite from pain with a relaxing massage.

"It's the same reaction you or I would have," Brooks said. "But, like humans, some respond to it and some don't."

Some treatments last for an hour, and some for only for 10 minutes, depending on the dog's comfort level. They had one dog stay for hours, Brooks said.

Holistic therapy for pets is nothing new, although it's not widely practiced.

Des Plaines veterinarian Chris Serpico estimates that only 5 percent of Chicago area vets use these practices, and he's one of them.

After going through expensive and time-consuming training at places like the Chi Institute and the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society, Serpico now offers alternative, holistic practices as well as traditional Western medicine for the animals he treats at his Rising Sun Veterinary Clinic (formerly the Des Plaines Animal Hospital).

While he doesn't recommend holistic medicine as a last resort for dying animals, he does think it should be part of a pet's general wellness care. For example, he had a dog come in for vomiting. He gave the dog an injection to stop the vomiting, but administered the shot at a specific acupuncture point that would best benefit the animal (at no extra charge).

Serpico admits he was skeptical of holistic practices at first, but has seen them work on animals with chronic problems like seizures, epilepsy and arthritis.

"All my friends laugh behind my back, because it's hard for an academic mind to understand," he said. "People will say, 'My dog has cancer. What can I do?' This gives you more options."

Serpico dislikes the word holistic, because he thinks it conjures up imagines of voodoo medicine.

"A better word is 'integrative,'" Serpico said. "You look at the whole picture. The dog, the environment, the food, the ethnic background ... you want to combine traditional Western practices with alternative eastern practices."

Brooks agrees, saying that her center's holistic practices should complement veterinary care, not replace it.

"It's all about how you believe and what you believe," she said.