Our beagle has been diagnosed with Cervical and Thoracolumbar Disc Disease. He is suffering from some sort of paralysis, which is effecting his mid section down to his back legs. The doctor gave us three choices: surgery which only has an 80% chance of fully recovering, strict cage rest with use of anti-inflammatory medication, or putting him down. I was wondering if acupuncture and if any herbs could help him heal himself during his strict cage rest.
Thanks, Erica
There are many variables in each case of disc disease in dogs, so an accurate answer to your question without more detail is impossible. However, I can say that, while acupuncture and herbal medicine may help to relieve some of the pain associated with this condition, they are unlikely to change the paresis/paralysis from the pressure applied to the spinal cord from a protruding or ruptured disc.
Kristan K. Hodges, DVM
Yes……….
Acupuncture definitely would work better, and at a lower cost than surgery.
After studying and working with a neurosurgeon for 3 years, cage rest plus steroids works better than surgery, but not as well as acupuncture.
I have been doing acupuncture since 1975 on animals because it works. This person needs to go to http://www.ivas.org website to find an acupuncturist in their area.
Sincerely,
Dr Ihor Basko
All Creatures Great & Small
Veterinary Clinics
Kauai & Oahu, Hawaii
@My cat has on off his whole life (15 years) peed out of his box. He was neutered young. Lately, it’s getting worse and he even poops out of his box. I have two boxes and he chooses at times to peeon the bathroom floor. During one week, he peed in his box 3 times and peed out of his box 4 times and pooped out of the box 1 time. He has consistently peed on my dog’s bed which is a towel that I wash. Lately, it’s just getting worse. I’ve had him checked a zillion times for bladder infections/urinary infections. Only once did it come back positive and at that time he exhibited typical urgency behavior. This peeing is clearly a statement. I’ve tried anti-anxiety meds, rescue remedy, I block of parts of the apt…I’m at my wits end. Would acupuncture help with behavioral issues? I appreciate your feedback. I’m going away for a bit this fall and I really need to get his peeing in check.
Acupuncture helps me with my spinal problems and I’ll bet it can help your guy too. I’d give it a try before putting him down.
Joe