Pet Health Library
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Verapamil is used to treat high blood pressure and enlarged heart (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy), and to decrease the heart rate. Verapamil decreases the heart's need for blood and oxygen and therefore reduces the amount of work the heart must do. It also helps the heart beat more regularly.
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Vestibular syndrome, or old dog (geriatric) vestibular disease, is often incorrectly termed a "stroke". The characteristic signs are loss of balance, leaning to one side, head tilt and rapid eye movements (nystagmus), sometimes the loss of balance is so severe the dog rolls over and over.
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Acupuncture is one of the oldest treatment methods in the world. It is also probably the most widely recognised form of so-called complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) which also includes homeopathy and herbal medicine.
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The term acupuncture is from the Latin, acus meaning 'needle' and punctura meaning 'to puncture'. Acupuncture, in its simplest sense, is the treatment of conditions or symptoms by the insertion of very fine needles into specific points on the body in order to produce a response.
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The term chiropractic comes from the Greek words cheir which means 'hand' and praxis which means 'practice' or 'done by', and refers to the practice of manipulating the spine to treat disease.
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Herbs are plants that contain constituents with active therapeutic properties. A herb may be used in various forms, including teas, granular extracts (Chinese medicine), fresh herbs, dried herbs, oils or tinctures.
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As a form of physical therapy, massage therapy is the application of specific hand movements on a patient to improve muscle and joint function by relieving tension, spasm, or other restrictions to proper motion. It may be used for warm-up purposes, for relaxing or stimulating muscles in order to prevent injury, or for rehabilitation of a patient after an injury.
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Physiotherapy (a term restricted to human physiotherapists), is also known as physical therapy. It involves the use of specific non-invasive treatments (massage, exercise, light, heat, cold, electricity, ultrasound, laser, magnetic therapy, hydrotherapy, acupuncture etc.) to rehabilitate injured patients.
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Vincristine is a chemotherapeutic drug used to treat cancer in animals. These drugs can cause cancer in humans and should be handled with caution.
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Cats do have a requirement for vitamin A in their diet and deficiency can lead to problems. However, too much vitamin A can also be harmful and this can lead to toxicity.