Print

[evayola]

Has anyone done acupuncture on their dog or cat and what success have you had? Homer had acupuncture yesterday for his horrible arthritis in his knee that is now causing muscle loss in his hind quarters and he tried attacking the vet when she was pulling the needles out. It was devastating to see and my heart is a little broken today. I feel so sad that it happened. 

Eva

[Wilson3]

Oh no... how is Homer doing now?
I do know a person that gets it done to themselves and swears buy it. But me I hate needles and not to sure I would try it. But  anyting is worth a shot.
Have you looked into Reiki? It is a wonderful tool is helping any animal or human feel better.
wilsons

[evayola]

I can tell Homer is still in pain. Lots of grunting when he lays down but as soon as he goes outside he runs like a greyhound! You would never know he was injured if you saw him outside. My fear is that he is going to injure his elbow or blow his shoulder with the hard running and weak rear end. Bought the book on Reiki and accupressure. Anything IS worth a shot.

[Wilson3]

Eva
I decided to answer you on here because i have received a few more emails asking about reiki.
Homer sounds just like all dogs and people that suffer from arthritis and other aches and pains as we get older. And Most do worry about the same thing happen,blowing out a shoulder or some other body  part. Usually we, animals included will know there limits.
My Bandit has bad hips and knees he always has. His legs look like rubber bands when he walks. When he runs or is at a fast walk he is on 3 legs ,even from day one of us getting him. We had thought of surgery to try and correct it but 50/50 chance it would be better but could be worse. I decided after talking with the vet and him being laid up for a long time to recover it was best to maintain his weight he is always around 45 pounds. It helps a lot.
Wilson is bone on bone in his wrist (possible from blasto but could also be his life style because Chance also his wrists)
Reiki uses the life force energy to heal. Our bodies are made up of energy/life force. it creates balance in your body which in return adds in the healing of many things.
The person performing reiki never touches the body and the energy given will go where it is needed.The hands are placed over every part of the body for 5 mins at least so every part of the body is receiving.
 It usually takes about an hour to do.It is very useful for relieving pain and also helps the immune system. Reiki energy never runs out. When given to a dog usually they ask the dog first if they would like it. Some at first might shy away because they are not sure what is going to happen. But after the first time the dog will come right over asking for it. It is never painful it is very relaxing and they fall asleep.

Massaging the body is also another great thing to do for your dogs. The whole body ears included. (massaging the ears will boost the immune system I found out long after I was doing it to Wilson when he was sick. I did it because his ears where always soooo cold. I wanted them to warm up. I even will put my finger in the ear part way,he will groan with pleasure)
there is also pressure points on the dogs body that you can put your finger on 4 of them to help with pain.
These methods are also very helpful with pain. Figure they are using the muscles all the time think about how our bodies feel and just how good a massage feels

I can see if I can find a web site that shows the pressure points and how to do it it is very easy to do. Or I can photo copy my stuff and send it to you in the mail.

I know they say  buffered aspirin and other pain pills can be used but I hate to use drugs only if I have no other choice.

I hope this helps
and makes sense

Homer and Marge are soooo lucky they have you guys!
Kristin

[Wilson3]

How  did Homer respone once he got home? A few hours later? Did it seem to help?
I sooo hate needles they are creepy but it can and does work for many
wilson3

[evayola]

I really dont think that the acupuncture helped. If he is going to continue with the treatments it will take many more. The vet also said that he has a very sore pelvis and he has lost a great deal of muscle mass in his hind quarters. Yesterday I was very scared because we have chipmunks that are living in our fireplace on our deck and one came flying out and HOmer tried catching it and fell really bad trying to get down the stairs. So far he hasnt been limping from it so thats good. I am starting to read my acupressure book and reiki book. My biggest problem with Homer is that he just cannot sit still. If he is laying down and I come down to him to hug him or kiss him, he gets all worked up and jumps up and starts going bonkers. I dont know how I will be able to keep him calm.

[Wilson3]

did the vet say why he is loosing muscle?
the sur eto love those chipmunks the min they hear them theyare off so I can just imagine a big dog like Homer jumping and taking off to get them.
wilson3

[evayola]

He is not placing any weight on his rear legs anymore. He pretty much just uses them to keep balanced. I need to keep researching other things to do for him. It is sad watching him lay down.

[Wilson3]

did the vet have any idea where Homer started to do this?Stop using his legs?
Does he have bad hips? somthing bothering his spine??? There has to be apin somewhere that is causing him to stop using his back legs which inturn he would loose muscle
wilson3

That has to be so hard to watch

[evayola]

Unfortunately because of Homers lashing out at the vet we were unable to finish our visit and there are many questions that I still have for her. We have xrayed Homers hips and spine and both look good. His hips actually look fantastic and both the regular vet and holistic vet are surprised for such a big boy how good they look. I will have a list of questions to ask her in 3 weeks when Homer sees her again. This time we will be going with a muzzle under protest from me. I guess I just have to keep calm and understand HIS frustration too.

Marge is a star.... Marge will be one topic that Dr Mitchell (holistic vet) will be discussing at her next seminar. She will cover Marge's battle with blasto and the progress she has made since being put on her herbs and special diet.  I dont think Marge is as excited as I am! Marge's special herb blend is switched up if necessary when Dr Mitchell checks her pulse points. Also, we did another thyroid test and since we have been using thryoid therapy Marges thyroid has remained stable and no changes since the last bloodwork. Exactly what we wanted... to support the remaining the thyroid before she turns hypothyroid.

Eva

[carolh]

re muzzle, Eva, don't rue its use.  Many dogs are actually relieved when it goes on because it tells them, hey, you don't have to be in charge.  When Hale Bopp was younger, his vet began using a muzzle with him for the vet's protection but after the first time, we began using it for Bopp's sense of well being.  He liked not having to be in charge!  We use another vet now and Hale Bopp has matured so we don't use it anymore.

Hale Bopp, when he was a pup, had so little leg muscle in back legs, and so big a chest, he actually would fall forward, would tip over when he tried to drink.  Two ACL surgeries did the trick.  I'm almost 100% sure the vet checked for knee movement (the drawer movement?) to determine if ACL was Homer's problem.  But who knows, sometimes we jump over the obvious.

Re acupuncture, are you sure you got a good acupuncturist?  Sounds as if s/he took no responsibility for Homer's pain -- but acupuncture shouldn't hurt.  Try someone else?  I would.

Good luck with your handsome boy, Carol

[evayola]

The vet did say that Homers lashing out could have A LOT to do with the acupuncture itself because he has been so stagnant for so long that this caused a lot of flow of endorphins and neurotransmitters. He may have been feeling a lot of things he never felt before and was scared by it. Another thing is that there were acupuncture needles placed near his rear end and he does not like anybody touching near his bum. With all of his stomach issues he has had, there have been a lot of fingers stuck in there and now he gets very nervous anytime he is touched back there. Homer is a very difficult dog for others to understand. He is ultra macho around other people but when push comes to shove he really is a lover. He is such a good dog at home with his family (very typical of a saint) but when we are out and about he is VERY protective of us. I will try the muzzle and give the acupuncture another shot. What you are saying is very true Carol, it may take the pressure off him. We did check to make sure there is no torn acl. The weird thing is that he runs like the wind and then comes inside and is putting little weight on his leg. When is he going to calm down and take it easy? It feels like never.