Underwater Treadmills, Pet Acupuncture and So Much More

Meet Dr. Jeffrey Sands D.V.M.

Along with assistant rehabilitation therapist, Cyndi Harkins, he is one of a handful of holistic vets who offer underwater treadmill therapy for animals.

From his Heron Lakes Animal Hospital location he treats all creatures great and small and furry, in a variety of creative ways, following the philosophies of Traditional Chinese Medicine, alternative medicine and integrative medicine.

He’s South Florida’s very own Holistic Pet Vet. And he is a visionary, a leader in the industry and a practitioner of what he preaches from the threads of his cotton scrubs to the technology in his office.

Heron Lakes Animal Hospital is a full veterinary medical and surgical center, also offering rehabilitation and general wellness programs, six days a week.

He performs bloodless surgery and “cutting edge” ancient techniques.

What this means is that instead of knives he uses lasers. In fact, Dr Sands has trained more than 85 veterinarians throughout the country on Laser Surgery.

But he prefers acupuncture, because, as proponents of TCM know, it offers so many benefits to the patient, like a quick recovery time, improved circulation and general wellness.

In fact recently, Dr. Sands was featured on WSVN 7 for his work on “Belly Button,” a dog whose owners were told would never walk again unless he had a $7000 surgery, and still then there were no guarantees. Sands performed acupuncture on Belly Button, who can now walk, for one-fifth of the price.

But his coup de grace is the underwater treadmill. He is only one of handful of vets who use this in the country. This rectangular tank defies gravity through buoyancy, reducing pressure on the dog’s legs while allowing him to get a great rehabilitative workout. The underwater treadmill’s water height is adjusted to accomodate animals of different sizes and weights. It provides resistance throughout the range of motion, enabling dogs with stiff joints to lengthen their stride and increase the benefits of exercise while minimizing pain.

In all, he offers six alternative medicine therapies, including the above and pet massage and hydrotherapy. He also takes digital photographs, videos and DVDs of your pet’s recovery so you won’t miss a thing.

Your pet will adore his office, swathed in fountains and aromatherapy. With soothing new age music to relax your pet, it’s more like a day at a pet spa.