Full Circle Veterinary Alternatives is a referral based veterinary practice dedicated to Animal Rehabilitation, Veterinary Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine and Animal Chiropractic. Diagnostics and conventional treatments are required through the patient's conventional practice prior to referral. Any ongoing diagnostics and medication prescriptions and refills will be performed by the referring conventional veterinarian. Our focus is on our unique modalities and supportive patient care.

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Help accelerate your pet's recovery with laser therapy

Proven effects delivered at the speed of light! This non-invasive treatment has been clinically proven to treat post-op wounds and inflammation, periodontal disease and more!

 

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Acupuncture Treatments

All of our veterinarians are certified in Veterinary Acupuncture. Acupuncture can provide great pain relief for dogs with orthopedic or neurologic conditions. But, did you know that it can also be beneficial to pets with digestive, respiratory, kidney diseases and more?

 

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Rehabilitation Services

We have a full rehabilitation team including veterinarians and veterinary technicians that have advanced training and certifications in Canine Rehabilitation, Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, Acupuncture, Chiropractic Care, and Bowen™ or Tui-Na therapy.

 

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Welcome to Full Circle Veterinary Alternatives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Full Circle is the longest standing integrative, holistic veterinary medicine service in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Our broadly educated veterinarians, veterinary technologists and customer care support staff help you and your conventionally trained veterinarian to meld veterinary medicine with diverse special interest fields including Traditional Chinese veterinary medicine (acupuncture, herbal formulas, tui-na, and food therapy), appropriate nutrition for whole food feeders raw and/or cooked, animal chiropractic, canine rehabilitation (therapeutic exercises, canine fitness, massage, and water treadmill work) and more.

Our philosophy has always been to strive for a comfortable environment and positive experience for our clients, their pets and our staff. Our staff have additional training in anxiety-reducing techniques for pets in veterinary settings.

For your pet’s physical comfort, our flooring is a durable, non-slip rubber material used for gymnasiums. It enables dogs with limited mobility to have as much traction in the clinic as possible. We cover our exam table with comfortable soft blankets or fleece and work on the floor with many larger dogs. Cats who feel safer snuggled in semi-enclosed spaces can often sit in the bottom of their carriers or sit on the cat tree in our cat friendly exam room.

To learn more about our practice, browse the drop-down menus and watch our video!

Meet the Team

Blog

halloween puppy

Fun Halloween Safety Tips for Pets

Treats for everyone! Many human treats on Halloween are toxic to pets.

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There is a subject that has been on my mind a lot lately. No one likes to talk about it but eventually, the time will come in a pet’s life when we must make that impossible decision. I have a 12-year-old Labrador mix named Sula. I adopted her about ten years ago, and in that time, she has been a trial and a blessing and has taught me so much. She has kidney disease, bad knees, the usual muscle wasting in the back end, her sight is not what it used to be, and while her hearing may be going, I’m not convinced she isn't being just a stubborn old goat most of the time. She is still pretty ecstatic about life so I know I don’t have to make that decision yet but the question is always there. When is it time to say goodbye? The Ohio State University has a Quality of Life Scale that outlines a pet’s general wellbeing and has you rate them on a scale of 1-5 for each component. These include: does not want to play, is sleeping more than usual, seems dull and depressed, is trembling or shaking, is not eating well, is losing weight, is not urinating well, is not moving normally etc. Out of curiosity, I filled it out to see where Sula fit on the scale. She hit at about a 4. 5 being the best and 1 being the worst. I breathed a sigh of relief as it seems my visual observations were not far off. Working in this industry we see people hold on too long all the time and while I try to be objective, it seems the older she gets the tighter I hold. So, what are some things to do when you are unsure about your pets’ quality of life? Talk to your vet. They cannot make the decision for you, no one can, but they see it all the time and know the process and can help you recognize the signs. Look at pictures and videos of your pet in their younger years or before an illness. There will be apparent changes but look for more subtle ones that you may not notice every day. I looked at pictures of Sula even three years ago, and the difference is quite significant. Mark the good and bad days on a calendar. Sometimes it is easier to see if we document it and it is right in front of us. When the bad outweighs the good, it may be time to consider euthanasia. Thankfully we are still having many more good days than bad, but I know the day will come when she doesn’t go berserk when I pick up the leash or look like she just landed in heaven when she runs into the lake. Someday I’ll have to say goodbye to the one who kept me warm on cold nights in my first apartment and shared my McNuggets on weekend road trips. For now, I treasure the days I have left to watch her goofy face as she runs into the water or hears the grunts or pure contentment when someone rubs her ears. Dogs are not our whole lives, but they make our lives whole-Roger Caras

Quality of Life

There is a subject that has been on my mind a lot lately. No one likes to talk about it but eventually, the time will come in a pet’s life when we must make that impossible decision.

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