CASE REPORTS
Jeff
Jeff is a 12-year-old Dachshund who was starting to slow down a bit and his owners felt he had lost his “spark”. He was still a happy dog, had a good appetite and was able to go for walks but was not as keen to run as previously. Jeff then started drinking more water than previously and was having accidents and wetting in the house.
He came in to Doubleview Vet Clinic for a health check which revealed only mild back pain, which is not unusual in a 12-year-old Dachshund. Full blood and urine tests were performed and these revealed that he had mild liver disease. There were no other health issues evident which meant that the mild liver disease was the likely cause of his increased thirst and urine output. His mild back pain may have made it harder for him to get outside, causing him to have accidents in the house.
Further investigation was offered to try to find out more about his liver disease. Jeff’s owners were not in a position to pursue further testing at that time and felt that he was otherwise a very healthy dog. They were keen to try acupuncture to see whether it would help him.
Jeff was treated with acupuncture for his back pain, to help his incontinence and to support his liver. Jeff enjoyed his acupuncture sessions and even after the first one showed improved energy levels, jumping into the car for the first time in years. His episodes of wetting in the house also stopped.
Jeff had three initial sessions of acupuncture at weekly intervals and was then noticeably improved. About two months later he again started wetting in the house so one session of acupuncture was given and his symptoms resolved again. Jeff now has an acupuncture session every 1-2 months to keep him comfortable and to keep his incontinence under control. His owners still have the option of doing more investigation for his liver disease but at the moment they are very happy that the acupuncture is giving him great quality of life with increased energy levels.
Jazzy
Jazzy is a 15-year-old cat who had started sneezing and having a weepy eye after having contact with a stray cat who was later found to be a cat flu carrier. Her owners had tried a few cat flu treatments but nothing had cleared her symptoms completely. She was a happy cat with a good appetite, but the episodes of sneezing distressed both her and her owners. She had also had bouts of back pain over the last few years.
Acupuncture was commenced for the sneezing and the back pain. She was initially treated weekly, and after three sessions there had been a marked reduction in the frequency and severity of the sneezing.
Jazzy continues to have an acupuncture treatment every 1-2 months, which is helping to keep her sneezing and her back pain under control. Cats respond particularly well to acupuncture, often requiring fewer needles and less frequent sessions than dogs.
Mia
Mia is a six-year-old fun-loving Papillon cross who had a sudden onset of yelping and holding up her left hind leg, due to referred pain from her spine. Her regular vet treated her with anti-inflammatories and pain relief and arranged for a specialist centre to assess her and perform a CT scan. This showed a protrusion of disc material pressing against the nerve root of the nerve going to Mia’s left hind leg, causing severe pain. The specialists were reluctant to perform surgery unless absolutely necessary, due to the location of the disc protrusion. Her owners were also keen to avoid surgery, but were interested in trialling acupuncture.
Mia was treated with acupuncture to provide pain relief and reduce swelling and inflammation associated with the prolapsed disc.
She continued on her conventional medicines alongside the acupuncture for about two weeks and then did not need any further medicines. She was treated with acupuncture once weekly for 3 sessions, by which time she had shown vast improvement, and was wanting to bounce around as normal. Part of her treatment was also to keep her cage rested, so by this stage her owners were finding this difficult, since she was feeling so much better.
Since then Mia has had repeat acupuncture sessions every 2-3 months as maintenance therapy to help control any mild flare-ups.
Acupuncture cannot cure the underlying physical cause, i.e. the protruded disc material, but by addressing swelling and inflammation it can be very successful in helping to control the symptoms associated with flare-ups of pain.
Beckham
Beckham is a 3-year-old much-loved pet hen who was rescued by her current owner. She had started limping in her left leg, had reduced energy levels and did not seem as happy as usual. Her normal vet had diagnosed her with a suspected mass or cyst in her ovary which was pressing on her sciatic nerve, causing weakness and pain in her left leg. Beckham’s avian vet was treating this with a hormonal implant to attempt to shrink the lesion, plus anti-inflammatory and pain-relief medications.
Beckham was still a happy girl but her appetite was a bit reduced and she was struggling to do the things chooks like to do, like having sand baths. Her owner had previously sought acupuncture for one of her other hens, so she decided to go ahead with this therapy for Beckham as well.
When I first met Beckham she was more subdued than her normal demeanour, and accepted the placement of the acupuncture needles quite happily. During the sessions she then relaxed and often fell asleep for 10 minutes or so. As she started to improve and get stronger, she was much more lively at her acupuncture sessions, but still coped with the treatments remarkably well. Her acupuncture treatments were aimed at providing pain relief, reducing inflammation, improving appetite and giving her a general boost.Over the course of a month or two, Beckham regained full use of her left leg and was soon back running around with her flock. Her energy levels improved and she was again looking like a strong healthy bird. Her owner was able to reduce her medication to a low maintenance dose, and she continues to have acupuncture to give her a boost every 1-2 months.