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Alternatives for Animals
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 9 am - 5 pm
John Q. said: "Dear Dr. Moran, We want to Thank you for our recent visit with you and our dog. I'm sure you know this because you hear it everyday, and as a dog owner you know just how much these wonderful, funny, sometimes aggravating, but always…" read more »
11 reviews for Alternatives for Animals
11 reviews in English
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Review from Karen M.
Walnut Creek, CA
5/22/2012
I'm writing this review for two reasons: one is because this is the most fantastic animal care business I have ever come into contact with, and the other is to combat Lois R.'s negative review that was posted recently.
Dr. Karen Rettig and her office manager Susan have been wonderful partners in the care of my dog Moose. At age 6 Moose was diagnosed with Stage IV bone cancer and was given a very poor diagnosis. Because his cancer was already at Stage IV, the traditional vet oncologist at Encina didn't have any recommended treatment. Thank goodness Moose's primary care vet suggested Dr. Rettig at Alternatives for Animals. Dr. Rettig had lots of treatment ideas, including diet, supplements, acupuncture, and bioresonance therapy. We're now almost three months into holistic treatment and Moose is still hiking with me every day, swimming and adding joy to my family's life. In addition to treating Moose, Dr. Rettig has been available for my husband and me whenever we need some extra explanation about the course of cancer, what we can expect, what we should look out for and how best to help keep Moose comfortable. Have you ever had any type of doctor spent 30 minutes with you just talking? That seems to be standard for Dr. Rettig. You never feel like she's rushing to get to the next patient, but rather like you are the most important patient that day. I honestly can't imagine how much harder this very hard process would have been without the loving care at Alternatives for Animals. -
Review from Lois R.
Lafayette, CA
5/17/2012
I have mulled over the idea of writing a negative review of Alternatives for Animals, and today have decided that there's probably a good reason why all the positive yelp reviews are from dog owners. I brought my critically ill young cat here. She had hepatitis and severe constipation due to an immune system disorder, and I feel that the 'care' she received at Alternatives for Animals only added to her suffering.
1. She hated the acupuncture, screaming and fighting it.
2. The medicines were not even in regular pill form, nor pleasant-tasting liquid.
A. They gave me a liquid to give to my kitty, which just made her throw up and foam at the mouth because of the taste.
B. They gave me powdered herbs to mix in her food which she refused because she didn't like the taste.
At the same time I was also bringing my kitty to a regular vet. He gave me some medicine in little pills, which I put into 'Pill Pockets' (a commercial product I bought at the pet store.) This was an easy way to give her medicine. So I asked Alternatives for Animals why they don't give out their medicine in pills and was told that Pill Pockets contain wheat and can be allergenic. The vet at Alternatives for Animals didn't even know that there's a type of Pill Pocket made of peas and roasted duck, specifically for animals with allergies.
By going to the regular veterinarian, I also learned about Scriptworks Pharmacy in Walnut Creek, which makes up pet medicines with great flavors. When my cat needed to take a medicine in liquid form I took the prescriptions from my regular vet to that pharmacy and my kitty loved her fish-flavored medicine from Scriptworks.
The Alternatives for Animals experience was especially frustrating for me, since I've personally benefitted from chinese herbal medicine which helped me with a digestive problem when western medicine could not. At the time I went to an acupuncturist and was prescribed chinese herbs in little tiny pills which helped my condition.
To their credit, after I spoke with them a few times, Alternatives for Animals finally did order the chinese herbs in little pills for my kitty. She died before the pills arrived, however.
After the acupuncture experience, her regular vet could not touch her any more to give her necessary treatment without major sedation. This repeated sedation, according to the regular vet, is what caused the fatal downturn in her condition. -
Review from Lenore L.
Pleasanton, CA
4/28/2012 2 Check-ins Here
My babies have been under the loving care of Dr. Rettig for over 3 years now. I really can't say enough positive remarks about her. She has never addressed my dogs' health until she spends a minute saying hello, good to see you, ear ruffles and usually a kiss on the nose. For this I may love her most. She listens to me and my concerns. She is fun and conversational, shares a laugh and plenty of smiles. Even when she is incredibly busy, which is usual, she will stop and patiently follow through with answering my concerns, making sure we are on track and don't over vaccinate. Yesterday I respectfully disagreed that my dog was due for the particular vaccine we had been thinking. She did not get a prideful ego over it; she smiled and concentrated on the chart until she figured out the vaccination dates and allowed me time to write it down. Even when I felt bad for taking up too much time and said I would go over my records at home she would not relent. She wants it done right because she truly loves animals.
Most doctors of people and animals, in my experience, get annoyed if you have done your research and offer suggestions or considerations. She is engages in the conversation with me every time. she readily admits when she is not sure of an answer, which is rare, and will do the research. The one time she discouraged me from researching was when I was getting very stressed and she firmly, kindly and graciously explained the vast amounts of misinformation on the subject and said to leave it to her. It was pretty complicated. Yet she still explained answers to my questions at our next visit, when clearly I had continued just a bit more research. She shook her head, but respected my wish to know, and gave me the answers.
She is an honorable and respectful woman who loves our babies. She is fair and reasonably priced for the excellent services she provides. I feel incredibly blessed that I found her right from the start, and have never had to deal with the sad stories I read other reviewers had with vets before meeting her.
One last thing, I started out skeptical of acupuncture at first. She was not offended. But when Esther slammed her shoulder into my solid ottoman while chasing her brother, and still limped the next morning Dr. Rettig recommended it. Still skeptical, but having built up so much trust in her, I agreed. Esther, who is an extremely hyper puppy, was sound asleep in my lap in two minutes. I think she left the needles in about 20 minutes. Esther never limped again. I'm a believer. -
Review from Lisa Z.
Oakland, CA
1/19/2011
Do you like cold, sterile veterinary offices with long waits, endless expensive tests, worst case scenarios, over-medication and advice that makes you cry all the way home?
If so, then don't go to Dr. Rettig. Dr. Rettig and her staff are friendly, compassionate, patient and optimistic. Her office is warm, relaxing and it feels like you and your pet could be healed just by simply sitting in her office. I took my 11 year old dog Rosie in for a second opinion after leaving my regular vet with $500 spent on various tests that were inconclusive, a subscription for enough medications to get us through the next war, a scolding for giving her Chinese herbs ( I am an acupuncturist) and a very gloomy prognosis that left me crying for 3 days. Rosie had either hepatitis, pancreatitis, cancer or something else. All we really knew was that Rosie's liver was in serious trouble. I left with the usual feelings I have after visiting the vet: sad, hopeless,overwhelmed and anxious as hell.
Today Rosie and I met a woman who understands us. She speaks our language. She really listens. She looks at the whole picture. Yes, she still looks at the lab tests( I like that she is western trained but treats as holistically as possible) but she also looks at environment, nutrition, emotional well-being,what's going on with the owner as well as the Chinese Medicine diagnosis.
Dr. Rettig had us both at" hello" . We swooned when she called Rosie "Pumpkin Pie". Rosie got treatment. I got peace of mind and a flicker of hope. My only regret is that I did not switch vets sooner. Sometimes you learn the hard way. Rosie and I are never looking back. -
Review from Carol N.
Oakland, CA
8/7/2010
Dr. Rettig is a healer! My 13-year-old German Shepherd, once the most athletic dog imaginable, suffered a collapsed disk about five years ago. Surgery got him back on his feet, miraculously. But we knew that he had two other compromised disks, so constantly worried. When he started going down in back again, I feared the worst. Many people I trusted recommended acupuncture and I was very fortunate to get tipped off to Dr. Rettig's amazing skill and knowledge. With acupuncture and herbs, he is still able to motor around quite well, protecting me from squirrels in the back yard when I'm working out there. As for how he feels about Dr. Rettig, you would never know that he is normally as aloof as is called for in the breed standard. As soon as he sees her, he gets the "love ears" and gives her kisses. She's kept by buddy more upright and strong than I would have ever hoped for.
And a final word. The office is beautiful. Open, airy, light. Very comfortable for an animal who has to relax with acupuncture needles doing their thing. -
Review from Marcey D.
Pleasanton, CA
9/15/2011
Amazing vet, cutting edge treatments. Karen is fantastic and helped identify an illness with a pet that had gone undiagnosed with another vet. I have seen her help so many animals... she is fantastic!
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Review from Zaha S.
Walnut Creek, CA
12/10/2008
My corgi boy was suffering terribly from allergies so I brought him to Dr. Karen Rettig, DVM for "alternative" treatments when nothing else worked. Dr. Rettig is a vet who went holistic and does accupuncture and chinese herbal treatments. A consultation costs around $225 and lasts for at least 2 hours. The woman is thorough-she will talk about and examine every inch of your baby. It took a few months, but it worked. If your pet suffers from allergies, arthritis, or other chronic conditions, I highly recommend you see Dr. Rettig.
UPDATE: Dr. R just opened her new office. State of the art animal wellness center. Beautiful place. I wish I was a dog- you will too once you see this wonderful setting. -
Review from Carlet A.
Berkeley, CA
My dog is 15 years old and has had some problems, in April he couldn't move, our regular vet couldn't tell if it was a stroke or a herniated disc so he just gave him meds to calm him down and muscle relaxers. My poor dog was in a daze all day and wasn't really getting better. That is when a friend suggested we visit Alternatives for Animals. There after the intake exam and full analysis, Dr. Rettig deduced it was a herniated disc issue stemming from something else that could be treated with acupuncture along with Chinese herbs and standard process products. That same day my dog was feeling better and acting normal and he fully recovered. She really tries to get to the root of the problem in order to come up with a solution and help the dog recover. She listens attentively to everything you might think is important regarding the dog's symptoms, behavior, food, surroundings and activities. Our other dog also visits Dr. Rettig and Dr. Luna for biocom sessions. He is a very energetic dog and the sessions take time so he gets impatient but with the calm environment, their gentleness and patience he now has the routine down and doesn't fuss.
Recently, the older dog had a seizure and we really thought that that was it. We had to take him to emergency but they could not do much for him since they would have to do many many tests and we did not want to put him through that, they gave us some meds but again it just was a patch to fix the problem. So as soon as we could we took him to Dr. Rettig. Again, my dog got acupuncture, some herbs and std process and again, that same night he was his normal agile and alert self. I highly recommend Dr. Rettig and Alternatives for Animals because her ability to grasp the whole picture to then determine what the actual cause of the problem is. I call her the "House-but with good manners" of animals. -
Review from Christina P.
Livermore, CA
8/5/2010
This place really is as good as it gets.
I have been taking my German Shepard Heather to see Dr. Rettig for several years now. Gosh, guess it's been 7 years or so....? I have followed Dr. Karen Rettig as she has moved about and started her own private practice. The new location in Lafayette is WONDERFUL. It is comfortable, warm, friendly and it just plain feels good to be there. My dog is always excited to go to Alternatives for Animals.
I first discovered Dr. Rettig when Heather-dog became seriously ill after jumping the fence and taking herself for a walk. The vet we were going to at the time didn't do anything to actually help Heather, although I did pay obscene amounts of money. I looked around and found Dr. Rettig. Through Dr. Rettig's skillful, thorough and HIGHLY effective treatments my dog became healthy again.
When Heather started to get arthiritus, Dr. Rettig to the rescue again. By receiving treatments my 12-year old Shepard literally got around better and could outrun many Shepard's half her age. Seriously.
When Heather had a stroke and couldn't walk or stand up or even sit up straight and was suffering serious vertigo and I thought SURELY this was the end of my Heather dog, I brought her to Dr. Rettig. That was truly amazing. My dog was so excited to see Karen. It was as if Heather knew she would help her. As soon as Dr. Rettig put the needles in Heather her eyes became steadier, and she she sat up straight. After her treatment she stood up and tried to walk to the car. She was still wobbly, but she couldn't even sit up before I brought her to Alternatives for Animals. Heather has now recovered I'd say 98% from her doggie stroke and gets around quite well. She still enjoys camping, walks, the beach and her quality of life is excellent. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that if it wasn't for Dr. Rettig's treatments and her excellent dietary guidance my dog would have died a long time ago either on her own or I would've euthinized her because she would've been miserable and unable to walk. I literally get all choked up thinking about it and how grateful I am to have found Dr. Rettig to support my animals in living long, healthy, happy lives.
I could go on and on and on about all the times Dr. Rettig has helped my animals. For example, my other dog, Augie a pit-bull mix partially tore a ligament in his knee from playing too rough. It was healed through acupuncture and herbs.
Okay, this review is long enough!
I HIGHLY HIGHLY reccomend Alternatives for Animals. I think everyone should have their animals checked out by Dr. Rettig. Using Chinese Medicine techniques she can even help to prevent diseases and issues by really supporting your animal in having optimum health and educating you on how to best care for your animal. The rest of the staff, Melissa and Susan are incredible and caring as well. Melissa really has a way with critters!
Just freaking GO already! The mix of integrity, professionalism, genuine caring, attention, thoroughness, and amazing RESULTS you will get at Alternatives for Animals is freaking PRICELESS. -
Review from Michael P.
El Sobrante, CA
Updated - 8/17/2010
Triscuit has been getting better and better..... we LOVE Dr Rettig and the staff, Susan and Melissa. And they've put in yoga mats for those elderly or mobile-unstable animals. wooHOO! Thanks, always, for the excellent treatment and clean environment. Triscuit really likes coming there, as do I. I'm glad we were referred to you.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/1/2010
We have a nearly 14 year old Wheaten Terrier that has suffered from back trouble for several years… Read more »
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Review from teresa t.
Clayton, CA
8/3/2009
I cant recommend Dr Rettig enough. She is one of the most caring and knowledgable doctors I have ever met. I started coming to Dr Rettig for care for my arthritic pitbull about a year ago and I am positive she is the only reason my dog is as happy and healthy as he is now- her acupuncture probably saved his life. I have been to several other holistic veterinarians before I found Dr Rettig and no other doctor has been so wonderful to me and my family, and I can be difficult to deal with. If you are looking for a holistic veterinarian, you must see Dr Rettig!
