Patients news

I am so happy to be here

I could not resist but to share with all of you the latest Italian Greyhound “Dax” which Carol and LuAnne adopted this week. She is soooo cut, already getting use to her surroundings and “Q”, which I started caring for last month.

As for Q he is doing very well! His seizures are under control and he is enjoying his improved home made diet.

Let’s welcome 2 new patients, Sparkle and Bogart. Pictures coming soon.

Hooves and pig ears recall, FDA link

http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm189400.htm

Beef hooves recall

PetSmart Voluntarily Recalls Dentley's Beef Hooveshttp://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm189296.htm

Latest

Miss B is this adorable Shiba Inu with hind limb problems we hope to help with acupuncture and herbals. She is a rescue dog the owner adopted a few years ago. Here is her picture!

I have seen MacArthur and Jesse this week. Those are 2 tough kitties with serious problems.

I have several clients who are taking care of very sick or debilitated pets. This requires a lot of energy and dedication. I am always amazed at how much people can be dedicated at taking care of their pets. I do see however, some people get tired and emotionally drained by their pet’s condition. This is just a reminder that you need to take good care of yourself. When you’re in good shape, you can make good decisions about their care. Make sure you talk with your friends, family, and take some time off from pet duty sometimes (grandma and grandpa maybe?).

Wysong Pet Food Recall Expended

No products from the following batches should be sold or fed.
The affected products are:

Wysong Maintenance™: lot #: 090617
Wysong Maintenance™: lot #: 090624
Wysong Maintenance™: lot #: 090706
Wysong Maintenance™: lot #: 090720
Wysong Maintenance™: lot #: 090817
Wysong Senior™: lot #: 090623
Wysong Senior™: lot #: 090811
Wysong Synorgon™: lot #: 090629

Please contact the point of purchase for an exchange or refund.

http://www.wysong.net/moreinfo.php

Dr. My dog is slow to get up

I get a lot of calls asking about acupuncture for specific or non specific lameness. It is always good to have a lameness worked up before an acupuncture session. When I was working emergency medicine, how many times did I hear “my dog is slow getting up on his hind end; he/she has to have hip problems”. And then, after a physical evaluation and/or taking radiographs the owner soon realize this is not always the case. Often I would see lumbar, lumbo sacral issues, knee issues, slipped disk, of course hip issues, clean radiographs because of soft tissue involvement, or a combination of different conditions. So if your dog has some difficulty getting up on his hind legs, different possibilities exists. In addition, if your pet has had this problem for a certain amount of time, you will start to see compensation problems, which also need to be addressed. For example: your dog has chronic arthritis of his knees, then he/she starts getting a hunched back which results in a sore back. Or a dog has arthritis of the hips and shifts more weight to the front legs resulting in front leg lameness. Each of these problems may need a different approach. Degenerative arthritis will likely need more than just acupuncture to be helped: pain management (medications and/or herbals), chondro-protective agent injections, supplements to support the joints, manual work, laser, stem cell therapy, physical rehabilitation, surgery just to name a few. You now can see that the treatment of your simple “can’t get up right“ may need a multi level approach diagnostically (physical examination, radiographs, MRI, etc) and treatment wise. Please consult your veterinarian if this is happening to your dog (or your kitty). When the source of pain is detected, your pet will be given a specific program for his/her condition.
How about an NSAID? With all the advancements in physical rehabilitation, pain management, your pet may or may not need them, only in times of flare-up or every few days. Resist the urge of giving regular aspirin, this actually may give your pet stomach upset and contribute to joint degeneration. Give it to a cat, and you will easily hit that toxic amount. Ibuprofen and Tylenol are common household medication; same thing, do not give them to your pet, these can be toxic and it may not take a lot. Your veterinarian will let you know which medications are appropriate for your pet.

Ratso is lame on the left hindleg. His problem involves the sciatic nerve.