So yesterday we had a couples session with my acupuncture vet. He booked an hour session for both my little old lady cat and Dudley. This was my first visit to the vet with Dudley and I figured he would be all “hey, how’s it going? good to meet you” etc. We have only driven to my sister’s house a few times and hadn’t done any public outings yet. He did awesome and was very social.
When we did the acupuncture, I brought in both the cat and the dog. Dudley was super excited and wouldn’t settle down so the vet decided that he would do Alice Cat first since she is super chill with getting acupuncture and give Dudley about 25 minutes to get settled. He paced and grunted and whined the entire time during her session. Too much going on outside the doors and he needed to know what was going on.
After Alice Cat was done and we popped her back in the carrier for her little zen session (she really is amazing with acupuncture…she just chills out afterwards) we started on Dudley. He did good with the needles and didn’t try to pull them out or shake them off but there was this moment where he kind of hit the pause button. He didn’t know what to do with himself after getting the needles in and just stood there. My acupuncture vet said “I think I broke him”…and there was this odd state of being that Dudley fell into. He wanted to walk around but I had a finger looped through his collar so he finally just laid down. He stayed in one spot for about 10 minutes before getting up. The anxiety and needing to know what was going on outside the room went away. We reached a point where he lost a few needles but he still had the major ones intact and he had his head on the floor and sort of relaxed. There was whining and grunting but not the need to get up and smell the door every time someone walked by.
We are going to do sessions once a month with both the cat and the dog since it works well to bring them both in together. And we got a weight for Dudley! He is at 65 pounds (10 pounds lighter than when he came to us) My acupuncture vet said he is at an ideal weight for his body type but I may try to get him down a few pounds just because he’s a tripod. If I can keep him between 60 and 65 pounds, I’m happy! I have the next 2 weeks off since I work for the school district and the kids are on winter break so we will do more fun walks, etc.
I did ask if we got a discount since Dudley is missing a leg…My vet laughed at that. He is super awesome and will make sure that my pets don’t miss a session if I don’t have the finances on hand to pay up front. He always says “I don’t want your pets to have to wait because of dollars and cents and I know you are good for it” He is amazing and such a compassionate person. He does the acupuncture to help animals who are in pain…and he is well versed in both western and eastern treatments.
Your vet ROCKS!
That’s so interesting that Alice does well with the treatment. I wish more people would give it a try for their cat. Too many people assume that a cat wouldn’t tolerate acupuncture.
Dudley’s reaction to the session was pretty darn good! I know that whenever we took our Wyatt to the vet he would act the same way…anxious, wanting to be out in the middle of the action. When we finally started seeing an acupuncturist whose practice had a backyard and was making the most of it during the pandemic, that grassy area was such a gift! He would treat Wyatt outside and Wyatt would actually settle into the session because he couldn’t hear the clinic commotion.
I hope you start seeing some good results in Dudley. Oh and congrats on the weight loss! I agree, being below average weight by a pound or two is best for Tripawds according to pain management specialists we’ve interviewed. You are doing a great job helping him feel good and be mobile! He has a good life ahead!
I am amazed at how well the cat does with the acupuncture! She is almost 18 (I think, she was a stray that we brought back to Oregon in 2013) and is just the most chill little thing. My vet loves her and said that he would take her home in a heartbeat! Dudley managed to keep all of the needles in for at least 10 minutes (which is the most crucial time) and only lost about 4 or 5 when he got up and moved around. The technique for acupuncture with animals is interesting vs acupuncture for people. Twice as many needles get put in just because animals will tend to lose needles or pull them out like my old GSD would do. The main points along the spinal area are general treatments and then the needles that go in the more specific areas like elbows and knees are extra help. Dudley did the most vocalizing in an hour than the entire 3 months I’ve had him. Lots of grunting/whining/complaining about being enclosed in a room while exciting things were going on outside. And he didn’t get to go around and greet everyone.
I am super happy about the weight loss! He was 75 pounds right before he came to Oregon. He gets fed a cup of kibble twice a day with a few treats when he gets walked by my mom. He is food motivated but doesn’t beg (although he is known to get up and suddenly be by my side when I’m eating dinner) He looks good, trim at the hips but has that broad boxer/pitt chest. As soon as I figure out what veggies he will eat, we can get a few more pounds off him…I’d like to get him right around 60 pounds. His little front teeth are ground down, probably from gnawing on his kennel bars so he needs soft foods. I’m going to start cooking batches of broccoli, green beans and sweet potatoes with some other veggies to use as toppers for his kibble. Having the next 2 weeks off from work (I work as a lunch lady so school is out right now) will let me get a head start on stuff I can put in the freezer 🙂
My acupuncture vet said that cats and horses respond really well to acupuncture…He’s even done acupuncture on sea lions for the aquarium in Newport!