The Weekly Sun
November 20-26, 1998

New Age Veterinarian
by Hindi Diamond

Veterinarian, Dr. Robert Ferran is one of the few vets in the area that has been using acupuncture needles in bringing needed relief to animals that are paralyzed, or otherwise impaired.
 Alternative medical therapy is hitting the right note for Dr. Ferran, who figured, why not try it on animals, if it is working on humans?

NEEDLING PETS

 You mean, you stick needles in my dog, asked on pet owner, when the doctor suggested using acupuncture.
 There aren't too many veterinarian acupuncturists around, but you can find one, Dr. Robert Ferran in South Miami at the Ludlum Dixie Animal Clinic, full of good cheer, and waiting to cure his canine clients, not just with needles, but he says he actually talks to them.

"You'd be surprised, I really do talk to the animals.  And they talk to me, and tell me a lot.  It's a very subtle kind of communication," says the stocky doctor, whose mellifluous voice inspires confidence in both patients, and their owners.  "There's a certain way I can observe the way they move - their body language tells me a lot about what is hurting them.

PETS PREFER SPANISH

 Sometimes our four-legged friends prefer Spanish, so I speak to them in their own language.  That comforts them.  And they react very well to needles, without any anesthesia.  Much better then humans do.  Take the case of Chippy, a 9-year old paralyzed doberman who was lovingly carried in by her owner, frantic because she couldn't use her legs.  Although she was seen by a vet, they decided to get a second opinion, since their pet wasn't getting any better.

 "We began to see improvement after the third visit," Dr. Ferran recalls with a smile, "and after a few weeks she was back to her old self.  In fact, now she gets a 'tune up' every six weeks.  Chippy walks right in by herself, as chipper as she was before the paralysis."
 Ferran has been a vet since 1983, with a New York practice, before he moved to Miami ten years ago.

 "To me it’s important to consider the whole animal, and not just the ailing part, a holistic approach.  Their personality, habits, surroundings, all of that is taken as part of their case history.
South Miami's Doctor Dolittle, with his gentle manner, and soothing voice, has the knack of instilling confidence in his four-legged patients, because they feel his empathy "and that's very important for the dogs as well as their owners."

 Ferran's three children, Matthew, 10, Andrew, 8, and Theresa, 4, have all inherited his love for animals, and spend much of their free time in the clinic, helping out, or just hanging around.  "All three say they're going to be vets someday," he says with a chuckle.