Alternatives for Animals

The ladies here are so wonderful and kind. They never push to do anything that your not comfortable with, such as vaccines, since I do not vaccinate my dogs because of how bad vaccines can actually be. Please refer all friends and family here! They are even having a special for the month of January and Febuary for new patients they are waiving the intake fee, so it is just $ 85 for the exam!

Dr. Jen Luna-​Repose is wonderful, knowledgable and thorough. The whole staff were very kind and helpful. Our Yorkie Louis had cancer and I felt that he was in good hands when he visited the office for his appointments. I believe Dr. Luna-​Repose did everything she could to help my little boy. If I had any questions I would receive prompt answers and advice via email. I would recommend this place to anyone.

Dr. Rettig and her entire staff are the best there is in Northern California for veterinary care, regardless of the species you are treating. I should know, I have literally visited the best vets from Sacramento the the San Francisco Bay Area trying to help my dog Levi with his chronic skin issues. We adopted Levi in Jan. 2009 and he came to us with scabby hot spots hidden by his fluffy coat. We switched him to Natural Rearing (raw diet, natural flea/​tick control, etc.) immediately and thought that would be enough to fix the skin issues. Sadly, he was so damaged that nothing helped him for more than a month. Various things such as acupuncture, special dietary adjustments, supplements, homeopathy, gemmotherapy would work for 2 – 4 weeks then stop working. When we moved from Sacramento back to the Bay Area, another vet recommended we see Dr. Rettig for Bi Com Therapy. Does it work immediately? No, nothing holistic does. But with some supplements and Bi Com once per week, I now have a dog with skin healed, coat he previously scratched out growing back, and with an extra pep in his step. Dr. Rettig has got to be the most kind, compassionate, knowledgeable Veterinarian I have ever met (and I have met many great vets). Call her office today for an appointment. Your furkids will thank you. Once Levi is done growing his hair back, I will post Before and After pics. Thanks so much to Dr. Rettig, Vicky, Susan, and all at Alternatives for Animals for helping my sweet Levi (almost 9 yr old Hovawart male).

I have never received such poor service from a business. My 4 months dealing with Dr. Rettig and her receptionist Melissa was a nightmare. They were discourteous and hurtful all during the time my dog was dying of Kidney failure. Dr. Rettig failed to monitor my dog closely leading up to his death. This caused him, and myself additional pain he didn’t have to go through.
After my initial visit I had questions about the recommenced diet. Melissa wouldn’t put my calls through to the doctor. Melissa tried to intercept my calls and give me advice and answer questions. I refused that. She finally told me on the 3^rd day of leaving messages that the doc returned emails during her lunch. So I emailed and finally got through to the doctor. Another time I was leaving a message with Melissa for the doc asking about the amount of fluids I was giving. Melissa rudely interrupted me and said”…why are you questioning her, after all she is the doctor”. Both the doctor and the receptionist lacked reassurance, consideration and kindness towards myself and my dog. I was giving my dog fluids intravenously and didn’t have a clue what I was doing. Of course I will have questions. They were not supportive. I spoke to the doc about Melissa and she said she backed her employees 100%! That should have been my warning light. Apparently, as you will see Dr. Rettig believes in defending her staff more than the animal patients she sees in her practice.
Dr. Rettig’s preferred method of communication is via email. At first I thought that was fine however I soon learned that emails do not accurately take the place of telephone conversations or face-​to-​face communication. Especially when dealing with new medications and being a new client. I was told to buy «Alternagel» medication on line. I researched that online and couldn’t find it. I was very busy at the time in my last semester of school before graduation and failed to go back to the doctor to tell her I couldn’t find it. I also never received a follow-​up email or call from the doc to see if I was giving all of the recommended medications which as I learned later was her professional duty to follow up with me. It was an office intern, Dr. Luna who found the mistake and asked me about it. Thank you Dr. Luna! I never did find that exact medication. I ended up going to the CVS Pharmacy and asking them what it was. By then, 3 weeks had passed and I feel this oversight caused my dog, myself and my family to suffer more pain and hardship.
When I was in the office with Dr. Rettig during an office visit she was rude and cut me off mid sentence when I asked questions. There is more I have to say. It is not positive, however I have run out of space. Beware of this Doctor, she is not professional and and missed many details. When my dog passed away they knew about it and I never received a card or phone call from the office or doctor.

Dr Rettig and her crew are the mos wonderful people. I have a special needs dog that will run into the office from the lot. He won’t stop to smell and didn’t even look at another dog. He just wanted in. She has worked wonders with him. I know he feels better as he falls asleep during his treatment. Dr. Rettig is very caring and very knowledgeable. I trust her implicitly with him. She is also treating my other dog who has come down with an auto immune disease. She is very thorough and will not give up helping her. I would totally recommend Dr. Rettig if you are looking for a holistic vet.

Address has changed to:
919 Moraga Rd
Lafayette, CA
925−283−6160 — same phone

My dog has been saved and is finally coming back to her normal self! Both Dr. Magda and Dr. Rettig are phenomenal at what they do!
My super active lab mix Sadie, started limping around June of last year. Thinking it was an injury, I waited for her to recover, and she only got worse. She went from running three/​four days a week with 6 mile hikes on the weekends, to not even being able to jump up on the bed or walk down the stairs. I spent months at Montclair Vet trying to find out what was wrong with her. After X-​rays and blood tests, the vets were stumped. She then started having other symptoms like fungus on her nose and paws, and I was starting to wonder if these symptoms were related. The vet at Montclair was convinced they were not, and just kept sending me away with no answers but more prescriptions of pain meds and ointment and a referral to their holistic practice (which was useless) for my really sick dog.
Then someone told me about Alternatives for Animals…
Our first visit we saw Dr. Magda who quickly diagnosed her with Lupus. Super rare, but she nailed it. The symptoms were totally connected. We first treated her pain and inflammation with steroids, and acupuncture while also introducing her to supplements. (she didn’t like the powder either so I didn’t give her the full amount-​just enough to have her eat it with her food) Now she’s off steroids and only on supplements! She’s past the acute phase so she can now begin exercising again. It’s amazing!
Perhaps if I stayed with another vet, we just would’ve kept giving her prescriptions or I would’ve stopped treating her because I ran out of money… perhaps she wouldn’t even still be alive, who knows… all I know is I have my dog back!
Thank you!

It’s way too often people write complaint letters, but not often enough we write compliments. I’m not sure why that is, but I am compelled to write about Dr. Karen Rettig and her tireless dedication to her patients and the patient’s family. She helped make this past year, so much better for our dog, Gordon
We were sent to Karen because of Gordon’s arthritis. Karen came highly recommended by friends.
For our first appointment we met Susan, Karen’s right hand gal, who you can tell is truly devoted to her work and the patients. She made sure we were comfortable as we waited for our first visit with Karen.
Gordon loved the place and the people. He made himself comfortable every visit. Each exam room had comfy beds for him and a bowl of water, and if he was comfortable I was comfortable.
Karen puts her patient first, when she comes into the room, she’d sit down on the floor and hug Gordon, touch him and talk with him for awhile to find how he was feeling.
He improved significantly while seeing Karen. With her attention, holistic treatments and acupuncture he seemed like his old self. I was not a believer in alternative care, but I am now.
Gordon’s entire life he suffered from a very bad stomach. We mentioned it to Karen, she put him on probiotic powder which fixed him right up, after 14 years and he could eat dog treats.
She was able to wean him off his Duramaxx (he was on it 8 years) and put him on natural holistic supplements and his pain was greatly diminished.
Karen supported Gordon through a stroke, we thought we would die. She kept us calm and explained it would take love and commitment but he was strong and would heal. And he did, with her support and holistic treatments, he bounced back and we were back to our 2 walks per day.
We would not have had this past year with Gordon, if we had not met Karen. With her love and commitment she made him comfortable and able to continue his long walks and rides with us so his life was «normal». And she helped my husband and I as well.
Sadly we lost Gordon this week. But we know his life was more comfortable this past year with the support and treatment from Karen Rettig and her team at Alternatives for Animals

I’m writing this review for two reasons: one is because this is the most fantastic animal care business I have ever come into contact with, and the other is to combat Lois R.‘s negative review that was posted recently.
Dr. Karen Rettig and her office manager Susan have been wonderful partners in the care of my dog Moose. At age 6 Moose was diagnosed with Stage IV bone cancer and was given a very poor diagnosis. Because his cancer was already at Stage IV, the traditional vet oncologist at Encina didn’t have any recommended treatment. Thank goodness Moose’s primary care vet suggested Dr. Rettig at Alternatives for Animals. Dr. Rettig had lots of treatment ideas, including diet, supplements, acupuncture, and bioresonance therapy. We’re now almost three months into holistic treatment and Moose is still hiking with me every day, swimming and adding joy to my family’s life. In addition to treating Moose, Dr. Rettig has been available for my husband and me whenever we need some extra explanation about the course of cancer, what we can expect, what we should look out for and how best to help keep Moose comfortable. Have you ever had any type of doctor spent 30 minutes with you just talking? That seems to be standard for Dr. Rettig. You never feel like she’s rushing to get to the next patient, but rather like you are the most important patient that day. I honestly can’t imagine how much harder this very hard process would have been without the loving care at Alternatives for Animals.

I’m updating my review, taking out the sad details about my cat’s illness.
I mainly want to say that all of the positive reviews that I’ve read about Alternatives for Animals are from DOG owners. I strongly recommend that a CAT owner think twice before trying acupuncture on their cat. Mine was terrified, and developed a fear of veterinarians which she did not have before (scratching and biting).

My babies have been under the loving care of Dr. Rettig for over 3 years now. I really can’t say enough positive remarks about her. She has never addressed my dogs’ health until she spends a minute saying hello, good to see you, ear ruffles and usually a kiss on the nose. For this I may love her most. She listens to me and my concerns. She is fun and conversational, shares a laugh and plenty of smiles. Even when she is incredibly busy, which is usual, she will stop and patiently follow through with answering my concerns, making sure we are on track and don’t over vaccinate. Yesterday I respectfully disagreed that my dog was due for the particular vaccine we had been thinking. She did not get a prideful ego over it; she smiled and concentrated on the chart until she figured out the vaccination dates and allowed me time to write it down. Even when I felt bad for taking up too much time and said I would go over my records at home she would not relent. She wants it done right because she truly loves animals.
Most doctors of people and animals, in my experience, get annoyed if you have done your research and offer suggestions or considerations. She engages in the conversation with me every time. she readily admits when she is not sure of an answer, which is rare, and will do the research. The one time she discouraged me from researching was when I was getting very stressed and she firmly, kindly and graciously explained the vast amounts of misinformation on the subject and said to leave it to her. It was pretty complicated. Yet she still explained answers to my questions at our next visit, when clearly I had continued just a bit more research. She shook her head, but respected my wish to know, and gave me the answers.
She is an honorable and respectful woman who loves our babies. She is fair and reasonably priced for the excellent services she provides. I feel incredibly blessed that I found her right from the start, and have never had to deal with the sad stories I read other reviewers had with vets before meeting her.
One last thing, I started out skeptical of acupuncture at first. She was not offended. But when Esther slammed her shoulder into my solid ottoman while chasing her brother, and still limped the next morning Dr. Rettig recommended it. Still skeptical, but having built up so much trust in her, I agreed. Esther, who is an extremely hyper puppy, was sound asleep in my lap in two minutes. I think she left the needles in about 20 minutes. Esther never limped again. I’m a believer.

My dog is 15 years old and has had some problems, in April he couldn’t move, our regular vet couldn’t tell if it was a stroke or a herniated disc so he just gave him meds to calm him down and muscle relaxers. My poor dog was in a daze all day and wasn’t really getting better. That is when a friend suggested we visit Alternatives for Animals. There after the intake exam and full analysis, Dr. Rettig deduced it was a herniated disc issue stemming from something else that could be treated with acupuncture along with Chinese herbs and standard process products. That same day my dog was feeling better and acting normal and he fully recovered. She really tries to get to the root of the problem in order to come up with a solution and help the dog recover. She listens attentively to everything you might think is important regarding the dog’s symptoms, behavior, food, surroundings and activities. Our other dog also visits Dr. Rettig and Dr. Luna for biocom sessions. He is a very energetic dog and the sessions take time so he gets impatient but with the calm environment, their gentleness and patience he now has the routine down and doesn’t fuss.
Recently, the older dog had a seizure and we really thought that that was it. We had to take him to emergency but they could not do much for him since they would have to do many many tests and we did not want to put him through that, they gave us some meds but again it just was a patch to fix the problem. So as soon as we could we took him to Dr. Rettig. Again, my dog got acupuncture, some herbs and std process and again, that same night he was his normal agile and alert self. I highly recommend Dr. Rettig and Alternatives for Animals because her ability to grasp the whole picture to then determine what the actual cause of the problem is. I call her the «House-​but with good manners» of animals.

Amazing vet, cutting edge treatments. Karen is fantastic and helped identify an illness with a pet that had gone undiagnosed with another vet. I have seen her help so many animals… she is fantastic!

Do you like cold, sterile veterinary offices with long waits, endless expensive tests, worst case scenarios, over-​medication and advice that makes you cry all the way home?
If so, then don’t go to Dr. Rettig. Dr. Rettig and her staff are friendly, compassionate, patient and optimistic. Her office is warm, relaxing and it feels like you and your pet could be healed just by simply sitting in her office. I took my 11 year old dog Rosie in for a second opinion after leaving my regular vet with $ 500 spent on various tests that were inconclusive, a subscription for enough medications to get us through the next war, a scolding for giving her Chinese herbs (I am an acupuncturist) and a very gloomy prognosis that left me crying for 3 days. Rosie had either hepatitis, pancreatitis, cancer or something else. All we really knew was that Rosie’s liver was in serious trouble. I left with the usual feelings I have after visiting the vet: sad, hopeless, overwhelmed and anxious as hell.
Today Rosie and I met a woman who understands us. She speaks our language. She really listens. She looks at the whole picture. Yes, she still looks at the lab tests (I like that she is western trained but treats as holistically as possible) but she also looks at environment, nutrition, emotional well-​being, what’s going on with the owner as well as the Chinese Medicine diagnosis.
Dr. Rettig had us both at” hello”. We swooned when she called Rosie «Pumpkin Pie». Rosie got treatment. I got peace of mind and a flicker of hope. My only regret is that I did not switch vets sooner. Sometimes you learn the hard way. Rosie and I are never looking back.

Triscuit has been getting better and better… we LOVE Dr Rettig and the staff, Susan and Melissa. And they’ve put in yoga mats for those elderly or mobile-​unstable animals. wooHOO! Thanks, always, for the excellent treatment and clean environment. Triscuit really likes coming there, as do I. I’m glad we were referred to you.

Dr. Rettig is a healer! My 13-​year-​old German Shepherd, once the most athletic dog imaginable, suffered a collapsed disk about five years ago. Surgery got him back on his feet, miraculously. But we knew that he had two other compromised disks, so constantly worried. When he started going down in back again, I feared the worst. Many people I trusted recommended acupuncture and I was very fortunate to get tipped off to Dr. Rettig’s amazing skill and knowledge. With acupuncture and herbs, he is still able to motor around quite well, protecting me from squirrels in the back yard when I’m working out there. As for how he feels about Dr. Rettig, you would never know that he is normally as aloof as is called for in the breed standard. As soon as he sees her, he gets the «love ears» and gives her kisses. She’s kept by buddy more upright and strong than I would have ever hoped for.
And a final word. The office is beautiful. Open, airy, light. Very comfortable for an animal who has to relax with acupuncture needles doing their thing.

This place really is as good as it gets.
I have been taking my German Shepard Heather to see Dr. Rettig for several years now. Gosh, guess it’s been 7 years or so??? I have followed Dr. Karen Rettig as she has moved about and started her own private practice. The new location in Lafayette is WONDERFUL. It is comfortable, warm, friendly and it just plain feels good to be there. My dog is always excited to go to Alternatives for Animals.
I first discovered Dr. Rettig when Heather-​dog became seriously ill after jumping the fence and taking herself for a walk. The vet we were going to at the time didn’t do anything to actually help Heather, although I did pay obscene amounts of money. I looked around and found Dr. Rettig. Through Dr. Rettig’s skillful, thorough and HIGHLY effective treatments my dog became healthy again.
When Heather started to get arthiritus, Dr. Rettig to the rescue again. By receiving treatments my 12-​year old Shepard literally got around better and could outrun many Shepard’s half her age. Seriously.
When Heather had a stroke and couldn’t walk or stand up or even sit up straight and was suffering serious vertigo and I thought SURELY this was the end of my Heather dog, I brought her to Dr. Rettig. That was truly amazing. My dog was so excited to see Karen. It was as if Heather knew she would help her. As soon as Dr. Rettig put the needles in Heather her eyes became steadier, and she she sat up straight. After her treatment she stood up and tried to walk to the car. She was still wobbly, but she couldn’t even sit up before I brought her to Alternatives for Animals. Heather has now recovered I’d say 98% from her doggie stroke and gets around quite well. She still enjoys camping, walks, the beach and her quality of life is excellent. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that if it wasn’t for Dr. Rettig’s treatments and her excellent dietary guidance my dog would have died a long time ago either on her own or I would’ve euthinized her because she would’ve been miserable and unable to walk. I literally get all choked up thinking about it and how grateful I am to have found Dr. Rettig to support my animals in living long, healthy, happy lives.
I could go on and on and on about all the times Dr. Rettig has helped my animals. For example, my other dog, Augie a pit-​bull mix partially tore a ligament in his knee from playing too rough. It was healed through acupuncture and herbs.
Okay, this review is long enough!
I HIGHLY HIGHLY reccomend Alternatives for Animals. I think everyone should have their animals checked out by Dr. Rettig. Using Chinese Medicine techniques she can even help to prevent diseases and issues by really supporting your animal in having optimum health and educating you on how to best care for your animal. The rest of the staff, Melissa and Susan are incredible and caring as well. Melissa really has a way with critters!
Just freaking GO already! The mix of integrity, professionalism, genuine caring, attention, thoroughness, and amazing RESULTS you will get at Alternatives for Animals is freaking PRICELESS.

I cant recommend Dr Rettig enough. She is one of the most caring and knowledgable doctors I have ever met. I started coming to Dr Rettig for care for my arthritic pitbull about a year ago and I am positive she is the only reason my dog is as happy and healthy as he is now– her acupuncture probably saved his life. I have been to several other holistic veterinarians before I found Dr Rettig and no other doctor has been so wonderful to me and my family, and I can be difficult to deal with. If you are looking for a holistic veterinarian, you must see Dr Rettig!