Buddy’s first acupuncture session

[MerseyGrey]

…was a success! Well, it was only a couple of hours ago so it’s too early to tell if it’s worked, but we are currently at home with a very chilled gentleman who has just woken up and looks a bit spaced out. We took a bed with us, and a couple of treats (puffed pig snout and peanut butter stick) and he munched away and paid zero attention when he was made into a purple-spined porcupine. 
We had the acupuncture at a different vet surgery from our usual one, and the new vet was lovely with him, and patient with our questions and stories about Buddy. We have two more sessions in the next two weeks, and the vet has been honest and said that if we don’t see an improvement by the third session, this might not work for Buds. He also told us what to expect this evening and Buddy is behaving to form as if he has read the ‘Acupuncture for Dogs’ manual.

Interestingly, the vet thinks that Buddy’s problems are probably related to arthritis further up his spine - in fact, just below his shoulder joints as this produced the biggest response when he massaged alongside his spine, and he said that this was fairly common to see problems with trapping of the nerves from the brachial plexus causing back leg issues. He was impressed by Buddy’s muscle tone around his butt and said that he wasn’t showing signs of using his muscles to take his weight, rather than his bones (he said that this would manifest as a kind of kink in his back legs and wobbly limbs).

As an extra bonus, because there is only one vet at the surgery who offers this service, it means we will always see the same vet which hasn’t been the case at our regular vet. So if this does work for Buddy, we will definitely consider changing vet. Here are a couple of photos from the session and a post-session shot of him…KO’d!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxYq5POI8x1/?igshid=NzZhOTFlYzFmZQ==

[Remolacha]

  Good boi Buddy! I hope it helps, I have used it on several dogs for various issues. I know it doesn’t always work, I have had results from mild improvement to, literally, lifesaving, but I always say it is worth trying. It helped my own arthritis as well.

[FiveRoooooers]

I love that purple porcupine  A most excellent first go, young man, and mum's report sounds very encouraging  Both my horses and dogs have received AP and the results for each of them were well worth the effort. Hope the same for dear Buddy!

[Time4ANap]

Excellent job, Buddy! I think you deserve fries (chips) for being so good. 

We've been lucky enough to have acupuncture done here at home by a mobile vet when the dogs needed it. Nothing like finding a needle in the carpet later in the evening when you weren't looking for one.   It was simply an accident, but after that, we both count the needles when they go in and come out. 

[palmettobug]

I've had it done on myself, for migraines and a bad neck. They don't really hurt, maybe a slight "jolt" when they hit the right node. I'm glad Buddy can get some relief, too. 

[racindog]

Buddy I'm sure you will feel lots better now! I have had acupuncture done on several houndies and they all love love loved it.  In fact one of them, Bobber,  I have to say it could have saved her life! She came down with a terrible high fever that her conventional vet could not bring it down even with IV antibiotics! She tried everything. Nothing worked. Probably was due to a kidney infection.  On like the 4th day the fever was still raging & there was little improvement and I began to fear that she would begin seizuring from the constant high fever and then possibly lose her.  So my acupuncture vet is booked LONG in advance but I called her and explained the urgency and she seen her right away.  When I brought her home from her acupuncture treatment immediately the fever began to go down and she began to make dramatic improvement-quickly-and recovered.  It turned out to be a systemic kidney infection or something like that. Anyway I THINK what happened was her "pathways" had been blocked so she couldn't heal and the antibiotics couldn't work UNTIL she got her accupuncture treatment! IMO the acupuncture must have opened up her "pathways" thus allowing the antibiotics to work.  That is the only explanation I can come up with because before the acupuncture the antibiotics had no effect whatever.. As soon as she got acupuncture they began working. Acupuncture is the bees knees in my opinion! 

[ramonaghan]

Buddy, you're a . Well done and I hope this brings you some relief!  

[LBass]

Good job Buddy!  I'm glad you could relax with your chews while getting your treatment.  FWIW, my own acupuncture experience produced excellent results that were evident even after the first session and have lasted for, at this point, quite literally decades.  I hope your results are as effective and as immediate!

[EllenEveBaz]

Purple is your color, Buddy!  

Acupuncture helped my dear Eve many years ago.  I don't remember the color, but I do remember each needle was individually wrapped in plastic.  Every single session, Eve had to carefully check every single plastic wrapper and needle because, you know, when plastic crinkles that could mean that food is involved! 

[greysmom]

I was always a skeptic about a lot of "alternative" treatments until Lilly.  Our regular vet recommended we give it a try before we began a more traditional (and harsher) treatment for her IBD symptoms.  We liked this holistic vet who practiced acupuncture and chinese herbal medicine.  Literally after the first treatment Lilly was less nauseous and able to eat better, and her car sickness stopped cold.  We also discovered she had an intolerance to any form of chicken.  The vet we used ended up being a crazy weirdo (seriously!!   ), but by then we were done with our treatments with her.

I wouldn't hesitate to use acupuncture again.  So glad it seems to be a good alternative for Bobby!!

[MerseyGrey]

Thank you all! We have skipped the fries as a treat but he did get some sausage instead so he hasn’t missed out. 
 

We also had a moment last night where the crinkling wrappers almost - almost - interrupted the chewing of the pig snout. The needles were bright at the end so no chance of any getting lost in places where they shouldn’t be. 
 

Our vet was also a skeptic initially which made me even happier to have gone down the acupuncture route before trying conventional medicines. I’ve also got a few aches and pains mostly from my posture at work and am considering trying it myself. The vet said that he practiced on human to learn how to do it so I might ask him to stick a few needles in me when we’re there next time!

Its great to hear all your success stories. Hopefully I’ll have one of my own to tell too!

[GreyPoopon]

I too love the purple needles. And the post-treatment snooze.

I haven't tried acupuncture on any of my animals (and it didn't do anything for me), but laser treatments seem to be helpful. I suspect the results of many alternative therapies are dependent on the skills of the person administering them.

[MerseyGrey]

That could be true. The vet was saying that nobody fully understands why it works in some cases and not in others. Let’s hope he’s one of the skilled ones!