Acupuncture for IVDD Treatment in Veterinary Medicine

Acupuncture? Sounds Whacky.

If you're anything like me, you may have thought that acupuncture fell under the hocus-pocus category for treating diseases as severe as IVDD. The mental image I had of acupuncture fell somewhere along the lines of palm reading and astrology. I was completely wrong.

Many doctors told me that surgery was the only option for treating IVDD, and that Louie would never heal unless he had another expensive surgery by a specialized neurosurgeon. I fell for that trick the first time he was injured. Yes, it made him recover; yes, it was successful. But most importantly, it was successful in putting us into debt. The things we do for our fur-children! I was lucky enough that following his bulging disc in January 2014, he was able to recover with a cocktail of pain killers, anti-inflammatory medications, and crate rest.

The Big Cervical Rupture

In March of 2014 we weren't so lucky. This rupture was a BIG one. It was cervical (neck), so it's primary evil is excruciating pain. We took him to see two neurologists, and they both told us he needed surgery. We told them that we didn't think it was fair to put his little body through that traumatic of a surgery again, nor could our pocketbooks afford it. After trying to treat it conservatively as we had treated the bulging disc back in January, we realized he was only getting worse. His pain wasn't allowing him to move, eat, drink, sleep, or anything really. He was not just crying, but letting out a heart-wrenching scream that was constantly waking us. One Saturday, we came to the conclusion that if surgery was the only option (and it wasn't an option for us), then it was his time. His eyes told us he was done fighting. He lost the spark he once had.

I sat and cried. I couldn't hold him - it hurt him. I couldn't kiss him - it made him cry. I was devastated. I thought we had tried everything. Finally, a forum online suggested a shot of dexamethasone. It is a steroid shot 10x's stronger than the prednisone he had been taking. I went through 5 vets and nobody would give him the shot, despite my cries for help and pleading that this was my last ditch effort to save his life. I wanted to give up.

Finding a Vet to Help

I consulted with a friend who recommended their vet, Gasow Veterinarian, located in Birmingham, MI, and so I called them. They said they dealt with walk-in's that were "hard to treat." They said they would administer him the shot. If it worked, we would see results within 12 hours. While there, they suggested acupuncture. I again considered it, feeling at a point of desperation.

Within four hours, we noticed an astronomical decrease in his pain. He wasn't crying as much and I was in awe that so many vets turned me down for what seemed to be the cure. It wasn't the ticket out of the woods, but it at least got us on the train. We started administering the shot 2-3 times per week, and then mixed in acupuncture.


The Acupuncture

The acupuncture consists of placing small needles into the cervical area of a dog. Surprisingly, it relaxed my wormy, wiggly pup. He sat for the doctor (who smelled like treats), and let her apply the needles and electro-acupuncture. The electro-acupuncture looked like a car battery that they hooked up to the needles in his skin. After we left the first appointment he slept soundly for the rest of the day. We began to notice improvements that we couldn't credit to anything besides the combination of acupuncture and dexamethasone injections.

There is something to be said about the effectiveness of alternative medicine - to be used in humans and pets. Alternative medicine isn't a joke, as long as you have the right doctors and the right treatment plans in place. Dr. Mark at Gasow Veterinarian is phenomenal. She trained in China on acupuncture and uses it on her own pets who have also suffered from the evil IVDD. 

Four weeks ago, we thought we were going to put Louie to sleep because the pain was just unfair. Four weeks ago we found Dr. Mark and Gasow Vet, and they saved his life. This past weekend, Louie took a road trip with us to Traverse City, MI. He was happy as a lark and made lots of new friends. We stopped in Birch Run along the way for some shopping. Louie did some shopping of his own for bones at the pet store.

We did not think he would ever make it back into his wheels, and we didn't think that he would be shaking his head and have recovered from this latest disc rupture. Unfortunately, the nature of the beast is that another disc problem will be inevitable. Now, we are armed with the tools to fight it and overcome it should the next rupture bring him down. 

Louie's Lesson for the Week

Louie's message is to not give up. Keep pushing for what you know is right. Even if that is after nixing five veterinarians, until you find the right one. 

And always, keep on rolling.