25 Years of Glenbrae

With a fantastic celebration last Saturday of 25 years of Glenbrae’s existence, I thought it a good time to reflect on the last 25 years and how Glenbrae, and the service it now provides, came into being.

Just over 25 years ago I was working in a mixed practice in Northern Ireland, my second job after graduating and a short stint in Australia.  I had always wanted to run my own practice and 7 years after graduating, with a lot of experience gained, I felt the time was right.  After 2 unsuccessful attempts at purchasing practices, I secured the lease on a unit at Baljaffray.   My husband and I did most of the work in setting up and a lot of the initial furniture and equipment were second-hand, some from a local hospital that was closing down.  We painted the interior, set up the rooms and opened the doors-to very few clients.  I began by doing all my own reception work, nursing duties,  the lot.  This was in the days before most practices had veterinary nurses, however in May 1990 Tracy joined me as a trainee and as most of you know, is still nursing in the clinic to this day.

This industry relies heavily on recommendation so gaining new clients is slow at first.  However I engaged with as many animal charities, groomers and other pet people as possible to get myself known.  At first the clinic did small animal and horse work which grew steadily busier, and after 3 years I took on a part-time vet to assist.

With the birth of my son in 1995, I  then had another full time vet and we continued to grow in size. When the next door unit in Baljaffray became vacant I decided to go for expansion and I hope a lot of you will remember those exciting times.

During most of the 90’s I handled all the "out of hours" work myself which at times was truly exhausting and when the first emergency provider in Glasgow opened, I signed up and ended any horse work in the clinic;  times change!!

It slowly became obvious that even the extended premises in Baljaffray was not going to be large enough for our continued growth and several years were spent looking for a new site, which thankfully popped up locally in Stockiemuir Avenue - our current home.

It has been a roller coaster ride, at times-fighting with banks to keep financing the business, taking on new staff and making the whole thing work.  I have always been passionate about good personal service and with my interest in holistic work, the overall ethos has been one of individualised care and empathy for you and your pet.

With our most recent expansion into the adjacent unit (I am going to stop doing this soon!!!) we will now offer even more integrated care with physiotherapy and holistic support.

If I could turn the clock back, would I do it again?  Answer - a resounding 'YES' and although it has been a challenging life, it has been an exceptionally rewarding one as I have been privileged to meet so many wonderful people and their pets and I hope the legacy that is 'Glenbrae', will still be here in another 25 years.

Thanks to all who have been involved with the journey.

Raisin's story

"I'm sorry but the news is not good".  This is always the most difficult of conversations to have with any owner but worse when it is unexpected.

Raisin was an 11 year old Beagle, who up until June 2014 had been very healthy.  Unfortunately, in June Raisin had a couple of bouts of unexplained lethargy with a fever and when he again fell ill early July, an abdominal scan revealed a bulging bleeding tumour in his spleen.  Due to the risk of fatal haemorrhage, Raisin was admitted for a splenectomy (removal of his spleen), an organ he could live without.  He made an uneventful recovery but the pathology report from the tumour did not make good reading.   This was an aggressive sarcoma with a poor prognosis and a median survival time of approximately 3 months.  

Following a discussion with one of the Oncology team at Glasgow Vet School,  who felt that chemotherapy would not extend Raisin's survival time, it was the moment to discuss with Raisin's owners what options, if any, they had available.

This was where a holistic approach came in. Realistically there was no more that conventional medicine could do to aid Raisin, however having attended a number of holistic conferences in USA over the last few years, I am treating more and more terminal cancer cases with a mix of diet, supplements and my own speciality Homeopathy.

Most cancer cases benefit from a change of diet, even if it is just trying to increase the digestibility and the quality of the ingredients, but in the main to reduce the carbohydrate levels (that includes treats also) as cancer cells rely on carbohydrates as fuel to multiply .  That is one of the reasons why Cancer is the scourge of the developed world - we all eat too many carbs!

Depending on the type of cancer, I use various supplements including anti-oxidants, omega 3's and other immune stimulating herbs.  Care must be taken however with supplements as some can act against others and some may enhance the effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in those patients undergoing conventional cancer treatments.   It is very important to let your oncologist know if you are taking any supplements before starting treatment, they may advise you to stop.  However there is an increasing body of evidence that supplements, used correctly, can often have anti-angiogenic properties (this is decreasing blood supply to tumour cells thus slowing their growth) and increase apoptosis (natural cell death).

The main treatment for me is the use of Homeopathy - as a registered specialist with The Faculty of Homeopathy.   I have trained for years and have now treated a number of different types of cancers.  Some of these cases were similar to Raisins case that is not suitable for conventional treatment or too highly malignant to benefit from chemotherapy.   For some,  the cost of chemotherapy was prohibitive and some owners opted for holistic treatment as the first approach.  In all the cases I have treated, I have seen an improvement in the animals quality of life and increased energy without any of the side effects (which can be severe) of conventional treatment.

I do not profess to cure cancer but with a balanced approach,  I see mean survival times in most cancers as good if not better than a solely conventional approach.

Raisin regained his old energy after his surgery and starting treatment, so much so, that 4 months after his op his owner was asked while walking in the park "what age is your pup",   Raisin continued to do well until 5 and a half months following diagnosis when he suddenly developed a hindlimb lameness which progressed within a couple of days to severe spinal pain.  On closer examination, a diagnosis of metastasis (tumour spread) to his spine was made and there was only one option available.  Raisin was allowed to go gracefully just before Christmas.  

Although his owners were devastated to lose him they were glad he had a good few months of quality time, still able to go out for walks and be a close companion to his friend Candy at home. 

This is why at Glenbrae Vet Clinic we offer an integrated holistic approach to treatment using the best available from both conventional and complementary therapies and we aim to treat your pet as an individual so that we can have the best outcomes for everyone.