A 10-year-old dog gets acupuncture in this photo from Austin360.com.
Last week was a tough one. Our vet told my mother and me there was nothing more he could do to help our 13-year-old shepherd mix, Sashi, who suffers from arthritis and spinal problems that make it hard for her to use her hind legs.Because Sashi's quality of life had deteriorated so much (she could barely walk, and was getting scrapes from falling down and from her paws bending under or "knuckling"), we made the gut-wrenching decision to euthanize her.
But at the last minute, we decided to try something I've heard a number of (smart, skeptical) people swear by: veterinary acupuncture.
A search on the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society's Web site brought us to Christina Fuoco, VMD, an IVAS-certified doctor at the University of Pennsylvania's veterinary hospital.
My mother brought Sashi for her first appointment last week and reported that Dr. Fuoco was kind, compassionate and, best of all, optimistic about the potential for improvement that acupuncture could offer Sashi.
Dr. Fuoco said that, because Sashi has arthritis and not a nerve-damaging disease like degenerative myelopathy, acupuncture could work to stimulate her nerves and decrease her pain, thereby improving her ability to use her hind legs.
(Austin360.com has a great article about the benefits of veterinary acupuncture, which it says can be, "for beloved pets that have not responded to traditional Western medicine ... a last resort that turns out to be a miracle.")
The doctor said Sashi would need six to eight treatments, once a week, and then monthly "tune-ups" after that. But after just one treatment, Sashi was walking better and tucking her left hind leg beneath her when she laid down (it had previously jutted out stiffly like a peg-leg, and looked so uncomfortable), and generally seemed to be in better spirits.
Sashi's second treatment is tonight, so we're hoping acupuncture does turn out to be a miracle cure for her -- or at least the one thing that can make her comfortable enough to get her tail wagging again.
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Tough choices for an aging pet
(Austin360.com has a great article about the benefits of veterinary acupuncture, which it says can be, "for beloved pets that have not responded to traditional Western medicine ... a last resort that turns out to be a miracle.")
The doctor said Sashi would need six to eight treatments, once a week, and then monthly "tune-ups" after that. But after just one treatment, Sashi was walking better and tucking her left hind leg beneath her when she laid down (it had previously jutted out stiffly like a peg-leg, and looked so uncomfortable), and generally seemed to be in better spirits.
Sashi's second treatment is tonight, so we're hoping acupuncture does turn out to be a miracle cure for her -- or at least the one thing that can make her comfortable enough to get her tail wagging again.
Previous entry:
Tough choices for an aging pet
Just wanted to say acupuncture for animals is great! My jack russell Timothy is 14 years young. When he started having allergic reactions to different medicines for his arthritic knee and back, his vet suggested we should go holistic. After a couple of treatments he thought he was a puppy again. In fact, when we go to the dog park people think he is alot younger. Of course I had tried acupuncture myself and liked it but I never thought Timothy would just stand there and let them insert the needles. So you know it must feel good to him.
"But after just one treatment, Sashi was walking better and tucking her left hind leg beneath her when she laid down (it had previously jutted out stiffly like a peg-leg, and looked so uncomfortable), and generally seemed to be in better spirits."
---that's so wonderful to hear. I wish my parents had considered acupuncture for their dog, Belle, when she was going through her last stages of life. Please keep us updated on Sashi's condition.