Dr. Falconer:

Sure, Kim. I began my career as a conventional veterinarian in 1980, and spent my first seven years in conventional medicine and surgery, using all the things I was taught in school and having some success. I especially enjoyed the farm part of practice where I delivered calves, did surgery on dairy cows who had twisted stomachs, and helped colicking horses. The small animal medicine was largely vaccinations and seeing a handful of illnesses, none of which were very satisfying to treat, as they often had chronic recurrences. Dogs that itched too much were given steroids which definitely turned off the itch. I didn't know about the price paid for suppression at that time.

Once I reached the seventh year in this practice, I began to explore other ideas. I learned a bit of acupuncture, really aquapuncture, at a meeting, and brought that to bear on a number of cow problems. Not with much success, though, as I hadn't a basis of understanding from such a short exposure to the modality. But it felt better than drugging these animals, and somehow seemed like I could do more good this way if I learned more.

I left my practice and really explored holistic medicine after a while. I found nutrition to be such an important area that I had really learned next to nothing about in vet school. I learned how to prescribe raw diets before I knew any specific alternative modalities and I often saw some really neat responses in my patients by just improving their nutritional status to a raw diet.

Next, I took certification training in acupuncture from the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society, and started seeing amazing results by using fine needles on my patients.

This was followed by certification in veterinary homeopathy, at which point I really felt like I'd found the medical modality I'd love to use for all my patients. So, I've been doing homeopathy and nutrition full time since 1992, and end up getting most of my patients through word of mouth. It's pretty remarkable.

KB: How great, thank you for that interesting introduction Dr. Falconer! You and I seem to have a very similar outlook on providing people with sound advice so they can make informed choices for their pets. Has that always been your approach to pet wellness?

Dr. Falconer: As much as possible I've always embraced education for my animal owners. Even in conventional practice, I started writing a newsletter to get the latest info out to my farm clients, and brought in speakers to lecture periodically. I think having a solid base of understanding about how the body works, how to nourish it so it can do its many functions most effectively, and how to bolster it when it's challenged is a key in being the best caretaker possible.

KB: I totally agree with you! Understanding the key to what makes our bodies "tick", if you will, is a major key to our health and well being. I have, of course, taken the time to read what you’ve been up to and how you are incorporating an online approach into your offline practice, how and why did that come about?

Dr. Falconer: I really felt like I was doing good work one on one, but there were just too few hours in the day and too many people for me to help directly. The things I've been sharing with animal caretakers over the years have always been well received and I wanted to reach a wider audience without going on the road lecturing. An informational website seemed the best way to accomplish this.

KB: Well, I for one am glad you are doing this! You are doing a new study for the treatment of heartworms – that is in dogs that are already infected – please tell our readers about that and how that came about.

Dr. Falconer: It really grew out of becoming excited about the possibilities inherent in the immune therapy area, an area that is rapidly expanding largely due to the work of 4Life Research and its work on transfer factors. These tiny molecules seem to hold the potential to enhance immunity like nothing we've studied so far, and 4Life has made these readily available for animals and people to take. The research on these molecules goes back 50 years, and some rather remarkable responses have been seen in a number of serious diseases in which they have been applied. I also knew that I had been able to cure heartworm infested dogs with homeopathy and good nutrition, so I assumed that what I'd actually accomplished was the awakening of the dog's immune system to notice the invading parasite and act on this. The trouble with homeopathy for this is that it's very time consuming and exacting, so that five different dogs with the same diagnosis of heartworm would each likely need a different course of treatment. And, quite frankly, there aren't enough well-trained and experienced homeopaths in the veterinary field to treat all these animals! So, seeing the huge potential to wake up the immune system with transfer factor, and the ease of getting this product to people really excited me. I am confident we can get these dogs to "awaken the sleeping giant" of their immune systems in a safe, non-toxic way to effect cure of heartworm disease. This is in contrast to the conventional treatment of an arsenic compound that is the only option in conventional medicine.

The dogs who qualify for the study will be put on high quality diets and given a research level type of chewable transfer factor and monitored with periodic blood tests to see how quickly they can clear the infestation. Most of my homeopathic patients took 6 months to do this. It may go even faster with TF.

KB: I am so glad to see this taking place Dr. Falconer. When I worked in traditional veterinary medicine, I saw how hard that "conventional" treatment was on the dogs. Some didn't survive the treatment either. Kudos to you and 4LifeResearch for this undertaking!

Dr. Falconer, the focus in your veterinary practice is on the immune system , correct?

Dr. Falconer: Really it's deeper than that. Homeopathy speaks of the vital force, that innate intelligence that directs all the functions of the body from replacing worn out cells to reproducing to breathing. We feel the imbalances here manifest as functional and physical imbalances. The immune system is a level grosser than the subtle, immeasurable vital force, but a very important one, as it's our defense against invading organisms and cancerous cells. So, I also focus a great emphasis on strengthening the immune system.

KB: Then my understanding would be that the primary reason our pets are declining in health is due to very compromised immune systems? Why would that be when we supposedly have the best in preventative medicine, formulated pet foods, and vaccinations?

Dr. Falconer: I think we have basically shot ourselves in the foot with so-called modern medicine. Or in our animal's feet, if you will. It's been borne out as succeeding generations become sicker sooner in life, and fewer animals are able to live to old age without the ravages of the chronic diseases. The pet foods are often toxic and lifeless, the vaccines have clearly shown long term ill effects, and the toxins we use to control fleas and heartworms have exacted a cost as well. Clearly this approach is not working. We really need to get back to basics of sound, live nutrition, supporting the immune system naturally as opposed to the vaccines that damage it, and using non-toxic means to control the pests in our lives. If the info in my site helps people to make better decisions than what they are being told in conventional medical circles, I will have accomplished what I set out to do.

KB: Dr. Falconer, I want to thank you for joining us today and explaining to our readers the importance of not only being informed, but applying that information to bring true wellness to the pets we love and care for. We hope you’ll be joining us on a regular basis with your natural approach to pet care.

For those of you wanting more information on Dr. Falconer and his practice go to
Dr. Falconer's website