Acupuncture for Dogs? Who Knew?

Hi Everyone,

We have a wonderful senior dog named Ryan.  If you have visited our website, you will have seen many of his photos.  Ryan is a 13 year old American Cocker Spaniel who survived two cancer surgeries last year and is still going strong. He also had a cruciate ligament injury we decided not to treat with surgery.  We are medically managing his condition with medication and limiting his use of stairs.  Ryan has been stiff and walks with a bit of a limp on his front left leg.  After returning from a trip in May to visit family out of state, we noticed that his limp was progressively worse, and he was walking more slowly.

Ruff Day Vet to the rescue!

As fortune would have it, I knew someone who might be able to help. A few months ago, I joined a business networking group sponsored by the Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce. One of the members of the group, Dr. Heather Misener of Ruff Day Vet , specializes in rehabilitating pets with  injuries and mobility issues.  One of the primary treatments she uses for mobility issues is acupuncture.

Heather took the time to explain how acupuncture works, and that it didn’t work on every pet. She explained it from a scientific perspective, which I really appreciated. She also recommended laser treatment with a similar, thorough explanation. After this, I was convinced it was worth doing, and I am so happy Ryan has been receiving these treatments!

Treatment

We took Ryan for his first treatment a little over a month ago, and the improvement was immediate. He received both acupuncture and laser treatment. Even better, it seemed to last. He limped less (sometimes not at all) and wanted to walk more. Since then we’ve been back three more times and he responds beautifully. He responds well to the treatment while enjoying a wonderful frozen treat and lots of attention / encouragement from Heather. She also assigned physical therapy homework to help further increase his strength and mobility.

We plan on continuing treatment for the rest of Ryan’s life. Less pain and longer walks = more smells and a better quality of life!

Check out these photos of Ryan during his treatment sessions!