When the paths of two women — with a common love for their dog families — intersected at the University of Florida, it led to a transformation in rehabilitative medicine. They were strangers on parallel missions, with something else in common: thinking outside the box. Victoria Ford, from Jacksonville, and Judith Silver, from Ft. Lauderdale, each travelled to the UF Small Animal Hospital searching for answers that would soothe pain and improve the well-being and quality of life for their beloved dogs.

The story begins with Ford, who over the past decade, planted the seeds that helped grow and shape integrative medicine at UF’s Small Animal Hospital. Active in dog agility training and competition, she wondered why Florida dog trainers went out of state for physical therapies to help their competition dogs recover and stay in shape. Why not Florida?
Her answer came in the form of two donations to UF College of Veterinary Medicine in support of the Small Animal Hospital’s efforts to develop specializations in rehabilitation therapies. Her first gift, in 2009, funded an underwater treadmill which eventually led to another gift to boost the college’s efforts in construction of the new Small Animal Rehabilitation and Fitness Center.

Ford’s Miniature Pinscher, Coffee, was national champion in agility competitions. Unable to find relief for Coffee’s acute back pain, a friend recommended an acupuncture specialist in Jacksonville. With the first treatment, Ford was amazed at how quickly Coffee responded and continued to improve.
She began to see things in a new light. Football players, and many other top-competing athletes, recovered from strenuous workouts through massage, chiropractic and acupuncture therapies – why not dog athletes? She established the Victoria I. Ford Acupuncture and Rehabilitation Service to complement the other services in the new rehabilitation center at the UF Small Animal Hospital.

Regarding the early funding seeds she planted, Ford said, “I am very pleased with how integrative medicine has evolved and blossomed at UF.”

That’s where Silver’s story begins. Her Alaskan malamute, Leo, was diagnosed at age 5 with polyneuropathy, an incurable neuromuscular disease that often leads to death in a short time. Sadly, to make things worse, in the course of early biopsies, Leo, like Coffee, experienced chronic excruciating pain.

Silver was unwilling to accept that nothing could be done. She first educated herself by reading scientific publications and medical research journals. Then, she drove from south Florida to UF for answers to Leo’s suffering. There, she found a team of clinicians who specialized in a host of integrative services that included acupuncture, a hyperbaric oxygen chamber for pain relief, as well as approaches to nutrition, rehabilitation and fitness.

“Leo was an exceptional dog — a joy to all who encountered him,” said Silver, adding, “A new life unfolded for us both as we began monthly trips up to UF to see the integrative medicine group.”

Both women’s paths led to Huisheng Xie, D.V.M., Ph.D., a clinical professor of integrative medicine at the UF Small Animal Hospital. His research and treatments focus on acupuncture and herbal medicinal as non-invasive complementary therapies that support veterinary health with few side effects.

“I liked the non-invasive, holistic approach used in integrative medicine. Dr. Xie and Dr. Justin Shmalberg evaluated Leo as a whole animal, in terms of his well-being and enjoyment of life,” said Silver. “How happy Leo was, was a part of their medical evaluation: Was he happy to see you? Was he friendly? Was he enjoying the walks?”
To ensure the continued progress of research clinicians like Xie and others whose work supported integrative medicine, Ford established the James Edmundson Ingraham Endowed Fund in Veterinary Medicine in memory of her great-grandfather, an early pioneer in Florida’s growth into the 20th century who loved his hunting dogs.

Similarly, Silver, with the support of her mother, Mae Silver, further cultivated the works made possible by Ford’s support. They established the Leo Silver Scholarship to encourage students interested in the study and practice of integrative medicine that addresses a holistic treatment of the mind, body and spirit of the animal.

Ford believes that through this process of integrative giving, innovative treatments will continue to help animals like Coffee, Leo and so many others who benefit from thinking outside the box.

“If someone has a similar passion and wants to support animal care, they don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” said Ford. “They can simply build on what others have started — and together we can keep the momentum going to achieve great things.”
Though they have never met, Ford and Silver also share gratitude and a conviction that under the care of Xie and the entire integrative medicine team of caregivers, Coffee and Leo lived their best lives — beyond their prognoses, well into their senior years.