Apollo Is Going For Accupuncture

[Guest dwolfe711]

I have always been a bit skeptical of chiropractic and accupuncture : - but many of my friends swear by chiropractors for themselves and many others swear by accupuncture for their greys. We saw a demonstration of it at Sandy Paws and I was amazed at how the "volunteer" grey just laid there and almost fell asleep while being treated. A few friends have been taking their old guys for accupuncture for some time now and after hearing another skeptical friend say how well her boy is doing with it, I decided to give it a try for our newly-adopted 12yo Apollo. He does struggle to get up most of the time and when he lays down he just plops his rearend. So we are going for a consult and probably first treatment on Saturday morning. Apollo is such a sweetie, now that his teeth and mouth are cleaned up, I want him to be as comfortable as possible. He's such a happy boy and so willing to please, I want to do everything we can to keep him healthy and with us for as long as possible. So please send good wishes for Apollo for a good experience and helpful results on Saturday! Any comments from those who have taken their greys for accupuncture would be welcomed. Thanks.

 

Donna

[Houndtime]

Good wishes for a successful session. Both of my seniors had done well with acupuncture and chiro. Caution, sometimes you don't see the results right away. With John E it was a day or two later that I realized he lost the tension that was causing pain in his neck.

[Guest ss556]

I too, felt like you, but did take my almost 11 year old Alan twice, yesterday being the last visit. He is a very nervous grey - he shakes beyond belief. He calms down only a little bit while there. I didn't see any difference after the first treatment, but he seemed and looked better this morning after yesterday's visit. I just don't know if I can continue to put him through this - he has some medical issues as well as rear end ones. Good luck to you - it's definitely worth trying.

[RobinM]

I took my 4 year old Teddy 6 times. He was a wreck, a total wreck all 6 times. He had to be carried in as he would not bugde and i couldn't move all 85 pounds of him! He stood by the door of the room, staring at the door handle in the examing room as though as if he stared hard enough, the door would magically open and he would run away.

 

I sat on the floor, trying to get him to relax but that was not going to happen.

 

The good news was that there was definite improvement. Where he was alternately holding up both paws when he stood still, he doesn't anymore. His range of motion is better and he feels better. I can't ask for more than that.

 

I wish he would relax but that is not going to happen. NO dog enjoys being at the vet no matter how many times they go!!!

[Burpdog]

It is so much better when they come to the house. Yes, I and my guys, are spoiled.....

 

I had vet do Mahogany a few weeks before she went to the bridge and she did not like it at all Vet said she was definetely a fire dog.

 

I have seen acupuncture and chiropractic (AVCA certified only) do so much for my seniors. Tootsie is now getting adjusted weekly. Fortunately Mizzy is now every 3-4 weeks instead of every 2 weeks.

 

It's great to watch the acupuncture buzz they get.....also, times when they really need it to watch them pull those needles in!

 

It's a different mind set, Eastern medicine. I don't understand it all. I do know it works. It's not a quick fix most times.

 

If I had a dog I had to take to the vet and they didn't like riding, I'd use Calm Spirit. Works well and doesn't drug them. It's what we use for thunderstorms.

[Guest boondog]

If I had a dog I had to take to the vet and they didn't like riding, I'd use Calm Spirit. Works well and doesn't drug them. It's what we use for thunderstorms.

 

 

My Dillon is going to need accupuncture or chiropractic treatments. She HATES the vet. What is Calm Spirit? I've tried Rescue Remedy with little success.

[CaliforniaGreys]

Acupuncture worked wonders for my 12 yr old. He didn't like going and I had no success with Rescue Remedy. He would not lay down at the vet's office and stood the entire time. But the acupuncture and the massaging with the Traumeel gel did wonders for his arthritis and bone spurs. I was a big skeptic but I always felt I owed it to Tanner to grab every opportunity to help him. The vet explained the acupuncture and how it worked with the energy of the body which made no sense to me. But the bottom line is...it worked and helped him a great deal. Hoping it's a success for Apollo and God bless him at 12, and bless you for caring so much for him.

Edited May 7, 2008 by cbudshome

[dmswartzfager]

It worked wonders for Marcus. He moved around so much better after treatments. It worked for a little while for Frazzle, but near the end, the treatments weren't lasting as long - one of the ways I knew he was done fighting and it was time for him to leave. We're starting Carrie on Saturday. That should be interesting - I don't know how she's going to feel about it. She's watched enough times, and is used to Dr. Alison coming over, but I just don't know how she's going to deal with being poked. Dr. Alison is also willing to try poking Blitz for his IBD issues, but he seems to be doing okay right now with just manipulation of his diet. We did poke him once though, and he was okay.

[Guest lizmego]

It is so much better when they come to the house. Yes, I and my guys, are spoiled.....

 

I had vet do Mahogany a few weeks before she went to the bridge and she did not like it at all Vet said she was definetely a fire dog.

 

I have seen acupuncture and chiropractic (AVCA certified only) do so much for my seniors. Tootsie is now getting adjusted weekly. Fortunately Mizzy is now every 3-4 weeks instead of every 2 weeks.

 

It's great to watch the acupuncture buzz they get.....also, times when they really need it to watch them pull those needles in!

 

It's a different mind set, Eastern medicine. I don't understand it all. I do know it works. It's not a quick fix most times.

 

If I had a dog I had to take to the vet and they didn't like riding, I'd use Calm Spirit. Works well and doesn't drug them. It's what we use for thunderstorms.

We use Shen Calmer, which must be like your Calm Spirit. Dell, our spook, gets two teaspoons every meal, as a maintenance supplement. We tried weaning him off but, he just likes being on it and he is much more comfortable on walks and life in general being on it. I also highly recommend visitng the AVCA website to get a listing of certified chiropractors and acupuncturists in your area.

 

I have seen a "chiropractor" (using quotes cause I'm pretty positive he wasn't AVCA certified) at a greyhound event that I did not like watching at all. This "doctor" would manipulate the hound in a not-so-gentle manner and lift both front legs off the ground and such during the adjustment. Many dogs being adjusted yelped out in pain numerous times. Not a good situation. Everyone should be careful about chiropractors and acupuncturists, just as everyone should get referrals for their vets and personal doctors.

Edited May 7, 2008 by lizmego

[Guest crazy4greys]

I brought my girl Autumn for regular chiropractic and acupuncture visits. It did help her.

I definitely recommend it!

[Guest Scouts_mom]

I've taken my 12 yr old Tia in for several acupuncture appointments. As long as her buddy, Mindy, is along she has been very calm about the entire experience. She doesn't seem to feel the pins going in and looks at her sessions as 30 minutes of constant ear scritches!

 

She has spinal/nerve issues in her hind quarters and it clearly has helped, although I didn't really see results until the second visit. Much cheaper and easier than the surgery the orthopedic vet wanted to do!

[Guest Mommydog]

My bridge boy, Raffie, ruptured his cruciate ligament when he was about 10 and as he'd been recently diagnosed with a heart murmur, albeit only mild. I wanted to explore other avenues of treatment before resorting to surgery. He'd had excellent results with acupuncture for a back problem previously, so I asked my vet about trying acupuncture for it. She said she was happy to give it a go, but ultimately I may still need to resort surgery, as she'd never tried it for this type of injury before, and therefore couldn't guarantee success. Although it was a fairly slow process, taking about 4 months in total he made a full recovery using acupuncture alone.

 

I hope it works as well for your boy as it did for mine

[Burpdog]

My Dillon is going to need accupuncture or chiropractic treatments. She HATES the vet. What is Calm Spirit? I've tried Rescue Remedy with little success.

 

Calm Spirit is made by Health Concerns and can be ordered by a MD or DVM only. I like the Health Concern herbs because it is a combination and has herbs to counteract any reaction

 

Health Concerns

 

have seen a "chiropractor" (using quotes cause I'm pretty positive he wasn't AVCA certified) at a greyhound event that I did not like watching at all. This "doctor" would manipulate the hound in a not-so-gentle manner and lift both front legs off the ground and such during the adjustment. Many dogs being adjusted yelped out in pain numerous times. Not a good situation.

 

Probably using the Australian method which is severe and I refuse to have that method used on any of my animals. I think I saw the same thing you did......

[gryhnd_adoptee]

We took our senior several times for accupuncture as she really started to have pain management issues with a degenerating disk in her neck. She was a real spook, but was so very relaxed during treatment that she would fall asleep. She would get a total of 11 needles, half of which he ran a small electrical current through to help healing. After treatment she would also get vitamin B shots betweeen some of her toes and in her rear knees. The vet who did the treatment was very soft spoken and explained the Qi (pronounced chi) channels and how they worked in healing. He would sit on the floor with us during treatment and just had a calming spirit of his own.

 

The accupuncture worked so well for our girlie, that I am going to be one of the first to sign up for it at my chiropractors office for myself when his partner is certified in July. I would much rather go natural before I go with drugs of any sort. I am currently having adjustments on my back twice a week after suffering for many years with back pain. Because my doctor pretty much said chiropracty was quackery, I could never get a referral from him to have insurance cover it. We have since changed insurance carriers and I have ditched my doctor. This is the best I have felt in years!

 

I suggest that when you take your pup in for treatment, see if you cannot go somewhere in the back where it's really quiet. Our girlie was in for a session one day and a huge dog was slamming around in the room next to us. It made for a very stressed appointment which she did not benefit from at all. Also, take blankets and crate mats to lay on while there. It just makes it a more comfortable experience. One last note, if you are squeemish about needles, you cannot let on that you are. Your grey will pick up on your uneasiness.

 

Good luck with your appointment!

[gryhnd_adoptee]

Just checking in to see how Apollo did with the accupuncture.

[Guest dwolfe711]

Well, Apollo did really well. We got there on Saturday and the lady vet we saw felt all over his body and said that his pelvic area was out of line - I had noticed the two bones on top of his backside that we all look for as a sign of whether our greys are too heavy - well, one of his stuck up farther than the other. She gave him two adjustments on his pelvic area. After the adjustments they still weren't symetrical but they were closer than before. She also said his neck area was very tender and so she worked on that a bit and concentrated needles at both places during the accupuncture. He was a very good boy - he did stand the whole time - and he tolerated it all very well. We have noticed an improvement in his getting up - he seems to be pushing up with his hind legs more instead of pulling himself up with his front legs. He seems to be holding his head up more and higher - he tended to hold it down before. The one thing that did amaze us was when Dave took him out to the van he opened the door and got ready to lift Apollo's rearend in - and before he knew it, Apollo had jumped in all by himself - he has maybe done that two or three times in the past six months since we got him!! Dave came back in and asked the vet if it could really work that fast - and she said it could but likely had something to do with the realignment she did to his backside. I think by watching him that he just acts like he feels better - I sure wish they could tell us!! The vet said he is not what she would consider a "bad" case but he will definitely benefit from a few monthly treatments and then we can cut back to maintenance which she feels could be as much as six months between appointments. Of course, that will depend on how he ages - he will be 12 in June!! All in all, we are very happy with the results - I'm glad I overcame my skepticism - but then I'd do anything for the wellbeing of our pups!! He will go monthly for at least three months and then she will reevaluate how he seems and probably do a three month and then a six month. We are dogsitting our granddog, Wynne (2yo Australian shepherd) from this past Friday night to next Sunday - he was running circles around the yard with her yesterday - he does like to run but he was keeping up with her for at least six or seven rounds!! He just acts happier - I hope that means he is feeling better, too! Thanks to all who gave me info and suggestions and told me their stories!!

 

Donna

Edited May 15, 2008 by dwolfe711

[CaliforniaGreys]

That's great. I'm so glad that Apollo is doing so well. I don't understand acupuncture and how it works, and don't understand the flow of energy that becomes blocked. But understand it or not...it works.

[Guest Mommydog]

Very pleased to hear that it worked for him, around 20% of dogs don't respond to it (incidentally the figure is the same for humans) so I'm glad Apollo isn't one of them. I've used it on several occasions and I just can't fault it, I think it's a wonderful form of treatment.

[gryhnd_adoptee]

I absolutely looove a success story. Thank you for the pupdate!

 

Well, Apollo did really well. We got there on Saturday and the lady vet we saw felt all over his body and said that his pelvic area was out of line - I had noticed the two bones on top of his backside that we all look for as a sign of whether our greys are too heavy - well, one of his stuck up farther than the other. She gave him two adjustments on his pelvic area. After the adjustments they still weren't symetrical but they were closer than before. She also said his neck area was very tender and so she worked on that a bit and concentrated needles at both places during the accupuncture. He was a very good boy - he did stand the whole time - and he tolerated it all very well. We have noticed an improvement in his getting up - he seems to be pushing up with his hind legs more instead of pulling himself up with his front legs. He seems to be holding his head up more and higher - he tended to hold it down before. The one thing that did amaze us was when Dave took him out to the van he opened the door and got ready to lift Apollo's rearend in - and before he knew it, Apollo had jumped in all by himself - he has maybe done that two or three times in the past six months since we got him!! Dave came back in and asked the vet if it could really work that fast - and she said it could but likely had something to do with the realignment she did to his backside. I think by watching him that he just acts like he feels better - I sure wish they could tell us!! The vet said he is not what she would consider a "bad" case but he will definitely benefit from a few monthly treatments and then we can cut back to maintenance which she feels could be as much as six months between appointments. Of course, that will depend on how he ages - he will be 12 in June!! All in all, we are very happy with the results - I'm glad I overcame my skepticism - but then I'd do anything for the wellbeing of our pups!! He will go monthly for at least three months and then she will reevaluate how he seems and probably do a three month and then a six month. We are dogsitting our granddog, Wynne (2yo Australian shepherd) from this past Friday night to next Sunday - he was running circles around the yard with her yesterday - he does like to run but he was keeping up with her for at least six or seven rounds!! He just acts happier - I hope that means he is feeling better, too! Thanks to all who gave me info and suggestions and told me their stories!!

 

Donna