Bárbara Gómez is an integrative veterinarian and responsible for Barvet. She discovered her vocation as a veterinarian since she was a child. She had always liked taking care of animals, but she did not seriously consider becoming a veterinarian until she experienced the euthanasia of her dog. She then realized that she wanted to help them improve her life and lengthen it as much as possible. She had family veterinarians and it caught her attention to go to her clinic and see what they did. During her studies she was clear that she wanted to dedicate herself to the health of small animals, although she was hesitant about the specialty to choose, she opted for surgery. However, her final degree work focused on the use of antibiotics in the veterinary clinic “seeing the excessive and unnecessary use of them.” With this, she recognizes that she became very aware that her way of working was going to be different from the traditional one. In the following interview she tells us more about her day by day at Barvet.
Barvet was born as a home veterinary service and in April 2023 you opened your own clinic in Las Rozas, Madrid. Can you tell us what your approach is and what makes Barvet special?
At the beginning of my professional career I was trying to control diarrhea and skin pathologies without the use of traditional antibiotics or corticosteroids. I worked in various centers going through emergencies for much of my career where I saw a large number of concomitant diseases that we treated with traditional medicine and they relapsed again or did not improve. This led me to the idea of going on my own and creating my own company, so as not to depend on the protocols of the different clinics.
And so Barvet was born, which began as a home veterinary service as a result of mobility difficulties during the great Filomena snowfall in Madrid in 2020. This was accentuated during the COVID-19 pandemic and I had very good results in home consultations. , especially when it comes to reducing stress in the consultation, and due to proximity to the client. Little by little I went from doing vaccinations to other types of cases, especially gastrointestinal.
I have always wanted to be very close to the client and I periodically ask how the animals are doing. On many occasions, with a good initial examination or with tests that were provided to me and in close contact with other veterinary teams where the client was, I realized that I could provide a quality online service.
Later, I began to work on promoting the change to a more integrative nutrition to heal pathologies or simply to improve and prevent through diet.
Now I have a clinic where surgical procedures can be performed and specialists can be brought there. We will try to maintain the essence of the home service. I mean limiting the stress and negative experience in the clinic with aromatherapy, pheromones and changing clothes if some animals require. We will also maintain our home service for those little ones who need it.
What are the most common cases you treat?
Mainly these are gastrointestinal problems, with diarrhea or vomiting from time to time, which have been treated with traditional medicine and gastrointestinal or hypoallergenic feed, but in which the symptoms do not completely disappear. Many dogs also come to me with skin problems, the vast majority of which are related to diet. In the case of cats, the most common cases are kidney cases. In many cases, they are desperate cases due to analytical values or because they do not want to eat and need alternatives to the renal feed prescribed by their veterinarian.
Do you collaborate with other veterinarians and animal therapists to perform tests or certain treatments?
If tests are needed, I collaborate with other veterinarians. To perform x-rays we go to an approved center or if it is an ultrasound, I have a super veterinarian who comes to my home with me to perform these tests. In the case of the operating room, I usually rent it or refer it to colleagues so that it can be performed.
In the behavioral area, in cases of serious aggression or fear, although I have been trained, I feel more comfortable referring to colleagues with more experience. In this sense, the majority of puppies that grew up during confinement have problems with socialization, aggression, fears... and those that already had behavioral disorders were aggravated and although going home in many cases has helped, they need therapy for their day. a day.
Also for behavioral issues or other types of therapies I go to stores like you, Animal Herbalist, where animal guardians can buy supplements or treatments that I recommend to them. As natural relievers for anxieties and fears, I like ingredients like valerian, lemon balm, passionflower, L-theanine and GABA
Furthermore, I usually refer to other professionals when I think treatments such as acupuncture or aromatherapy are appropriate, since my knowledge in that area is not great, but I have seen great improvement in my clients.
On your social networks you warn of the alarming incidence of kidney failure in cats. What do you advise in this regard?
In cats, unfortunately we have the handicap that the cellular life of the kidneys is less than that of the rest of the body, so I always advise good nutrition, preferably natural and moist to facilitate the work of the kidney and not overload it. The use of medicinal plants such as the lespedeza, the dandelion or the artichoke or medicinal mushrooms such as cordyceps They have incredible results in these patients, being able to improve their quality of life and their symptoms.
Additionally, to increase appetite and palatability in these cases I like to use brewer's yeast.
In the case of dogs, you highlight skin problems. In your experience, what are they usually due to? What treatments do you usually prescribe?
These dogs need treatment both at a dietary level to reduce toxins in the body and help reduce inflammation of the skin barrier and at a topical level to avoid secondary infections due to damage to this skin barrier.
As a supplement, the use of the quercetin and bromelain.
Also good hydration of the skin with coconut oil so I like to look for lotions or shampoos that contain it.
In case of wounds due to scratching, I really like the use of Colloidal Silver or if it is more generalized a ozone shampoo.
The passage of time is inevitable and the joints of our furry dogs especially suffer from it, however, what advice would you give to delay joint wear and the appearance of osteoarthritis?
Above all, I recommend maintaining an adequate level of activity, rehabilitation or physiotherapy, because if you rest completely your muscles will stop supporting the joints and they will worsen faster. Also the use of supplements for cartilage nutrition, one that I really like and with which I have had very good results is green lip mussel.
And in case of pain, try to eliminate it so they can continue moving. I really like boswellia and turmeric like anti-inflammatory combination in osteoarthritis.
We would like to know your opinion about some of our best-selling products:
- Artemisia Anna – It has given me very good results in the doses indicated by the phytotherapy guides as a single treatment in mild cases of leishmania or combined in more complex cases or those with resistance.
- CBD – It has worked very well for me in cases of pain. However, the situation of each animal must be analyzed individually, since in certain animals it can cause hyperexcitement instead of relaxation.
- Turmeric – I love it both for the digestive level and for the joints, I use it in combination with chondroprotectors and it helps reduce inflammation.
- medicinal mushrooms – They are my top 3 supplements for treating inflammation (digestive, skin), immune problems and cancer.
Could you tell us about a specific case in which an integrative treatment has given especially good results?
I remember the case of a 12-year-old puppy with chronic heart problems and kidney problems and pancreatitis. He had just come out of hospitalization and they had given up hope for him. With diet and supplementation we extended his life by 6-8 months, during which we even had normal kidney values until a parasitic disease appeared.
Another case was that of a dog named Bruna who began with bloody diarrhea that did not respond to any type of traditional treatment and that with alternative treatments such as diet therapy, modulation of the intestinal microbiota, supplements, etc. We managed to stabilize her symptoms and currently she is without any type of traditional treatment and practically without supplementation.
