Photo Credit: Jeanette Johnston
When Dr. Paul McCutcheon, DVM, opened his veterinary clinic in Toronto 48 years ago — right out of vet school — he began to explore additional ways to assess and treat pets in his clinic.
“I always felt that there was something missing in the whole outlook on medicine and wellness and illness. And I was very conventional for the first 10 or 15 years,” explains Dr. McCutcheon. “Then I started getting interested in stress and I talked about stress as being one of the things that differentiated wellness from illness.”
Dr. McCutcheon co-authored The New Holistic Way for Dogs & Cats: The Stress-Health Connection. He was inspired by the research of the “father of the stress field,” Dr. Hans Selye, CC, MD, PhD, D.Sc. Dr. Selye wrote more than 1700 papers and 39 books on the subject of stress that can also be applied to our pets.
“Behind every illness, there is some negative stress that triggers the problems and it’s understanding that negative stress — to me it is the secret to wellness. If you understand what’s causing those disturbances, the reason for those disturbances will unfold — that’s the idea.”
Using a sore knee as an example, Dr. McCutcheon explains that the conventional approach to treating the pain would most likely involve the recommendation of anti-inflammatory medication or steroids to mask and treat the pain.
“But wait a minute, there’s something that caused the pain, and so often because we’ve covered up the problem we never find out what caused the pain. Now, why is that important?” Dr. McCutcheon poses the question and then answers: “The holistic approach is saying, well the pain is not the problem — it’s what’s causing the pain and unless we understand what’s causing the pain we’re really not going to get ourselves better. And that’s the whole difference in the philosophy: we have to find out what’s causing the symptoms not just treat the symptoms.”
Dr. McCutcheon explains that the inflammatory issue could manifest in other parts of the body, like the heart or other tissues for example, if the root of the problem is not uncovered.
“This is important because people are really getting the wrong concept of what holistic medicine is about and I tried to illustrate this in the book. It isn’t the modalities, it isn’t the treatment methods that we’re really talking about here; the holistic approach to things is really a philosophy, it’s the way you look at illness, the way you look at wellness,” explains Dr. McCutcheon.
He refers to the word “SEAM” as a general guide for what pet owners should be on high alert for when observing their pets’ behaviour and analyzing how they function as a whole.
S is for sleeping habits; E represents energy; A is appetite and weight; and M stands for mood or behaviour. “So, I mean, these are the logical things, these are the non-specific things that are so important for people to understand what’s going on in the body.”
Some Stressors Facing Our Pets
What are some known stressors for our pets that affect their health and longevity? Dr. McCutcheon explains that stressors can begin in the genetic code, which he refers to as genetic or neonatal stress. He explains that genetic defects can result from poor breeding practices that affect the litters at birth.
“I mean the inherited defects we see in our dogs in particular, but sometimes in our cats as well, are tremendous — there are volumes written on this,” says Dr. McCutcheon.
According to Dr. McCutcheon, there are also emotional stress factors in the critical stages of development and birth that can influence future disease in the animals. Distressed mothers will produce distressed offspring, he says. And a lack of nurturing early in life by their mothers or caregivers can set the stage for a very unstable life.
“If they don’t get properly handled early in life, they are very prone to disturbed immune systems and problems that eventually will manifest itself in stressors. So there are a lot of problems that are created because of many stress factors in the mother as she’s producing these puppies and kittens.”
Once under the care of a veterinarian, Dr. McCutcheon refers to this potential stressor as iatrogenic — medically induced — and he refers specifically to pet vaccines and flea prevention treatments.
“They [vaccines] are way overdone. Too many of them are given and they’re given in too big of numbers. So you have too many vaccines given at once, for instance, but also too many, too frequently, so you have those problems. And then you have drugs that are used — drugs that I think are detrimental for a little puppy or kitten and even in later life. With insecticides, for instance, the systemic insecticides: drugs that are used to prevent fleas and stuff like that are way overdone, so we pollute them [our pets] with drugs.”
Dr. McCutcheon refers to the whole animal as a “living terrain” composed of molecules, cells, tissues, organs and systems. He says that the flow of these elements and their relationship to each other is the holistic way. Incorporating one or more modalities such as homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal remedies and nutritional therapy on a case-by-case basis, he strives to create homeostasis in his patients. As a trained conventional vet, he also draws from conventional treatment when appropriate.
“Whether we’re talking about using Chinese herbs or whether we’re talking about prednisone, it doesn’t matter. I use prednisone. I use antibiotics. I use all these things, but I use them with the holistic philosophy behind it rather than using them to cover up symptoms,” explains Dr. McCutcheon.
To help nourish our pets and provide optimal sustenance, Dr. McCutcheon believes that, in most cases, both dogs and cats thrive on unprocessed food such as raw meat — which some pet stores sell — or home-cooked food, both of which require proper guidance from a vet.
“Admittedly, some of the pet food manufacturers are doing a better and better job at putting better ingredients into these things and lessening some of the unnecessary items, so there is an improvement going on in the commercial pet food line, no doubt about it. But, you know, when it gets down to basics you still have a compromised product once you start packaging it in a processed fashion.”
Three Supplements Dr. McCutcheon Recommends to Maintain Healthy Pets
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Dr. McCutcheon recommends this supplement for both cats and dogs of all ages. Although vegetable sources are acceptable for dogs, cats require Omega-3 supplements from a fish source, according to Dr. McCutcheon.
“The problem with cats is that they need it from a primitive source, if you will, so fish sources are the only options.”
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for brain function, but also keep internal organs running smoothly and maintain healthy and vibrant skin in humans; Omega-3s provide the same critical benefits for the internal organs of our pets and for their fur. Given that pets require the same supplement, Dr. McCutcheon says it is okay to give human brands of Omega-3s to our cats and dogs.
Probiotics
“One of the problems with antibiotic use, you see a lot of our pets get too many antibiotics and so their digestive flora gets screwed up with lack of good bacteria. A lot of dogs and cats that don’t get a good start [in life] have the same problem,” says Dr. McCutcheon. He adds that probiotics are not required for pets who have healthy digestive tracts.
There are probiotics created for pets and those created for humans. So which form is best? Dr. McCutcheon says the critical factor is not whether the product is marketed for pets or for people, but rather the most important element is the quality of the ingredients. He recommends that people get professional advice on which brand is best and remember that the cheap brands are probably of poor quality.
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
CoQ10 is found in the human body in the mitochondria — the part of the cell responsible for energy production. This antioxidant protects our organs, especially the brain and the heart. This wonder supplement is also produced in animals. But as we age, and as our pets age, the production of this critical nutrient decreases. According to Dr. McCutcheon this supplement is invaluable for our aging pets.
“It’s an element that has to do with aging of all the tissues, so it’s particularly beneficial, for instance, for the heart but it’s also good for the gums and the eyes and all sorts of things. It’s an antioxidant that has universal use,” he explains.
About Dr. Paul McCutcheon
Photo Credit: Jay Robinson
Born and raised in Toronto, Dr. McCutcheon stayed in the city and opened his veterinary practice in East York 48 years ago. Over the years, Dr. McCutcheon has been involved with some exciting ventures.
After producing a radio show on pets in the 1970s, Dr. McCutcheon took the show to television.
“I produced and directed a television series at TVOntario called, Perfect Pet People. We did 26 shows, 26 half-hour shows, but it ran forever — it ran for ten years actually on re-runs,” Dr. McCutcheon explains.
He was the director of the Human-Animal Bond Association of Canada and the director of the American Holistic Veterinarian Association for two years and later became the ex-officio director for the American Holistic Veterinarian Association for many years.
“I was ex-officio because I was probably the only Canadian around; I kind of represented Canada there,” he explains.
He has provided information through his “As the Vet” column at Chatelaine and wrote for several publications including Canadian Veterinary Journal, and the Journal of the International Institute of Stress.
Dr. McCutcheon lives north of Stouffville, Ontario, where the air is fresh and the water is clean; he and his wife Jean have two cats, Rex and Tommy, who enjoy the county air, fresh water and a stress-free life.
He would not have it any other way.
