T's Story battling his spinal cord injury

T, a 4 year old Lhasa suddenly lost his ability to use his hind legs, leaving his parents devastated... 
T had a very supportive family and helped him nurse his spinal cord injury... 
Sharing T's story with you...

World Spine Day 2014 - AcuMed Veterinary Specialty

16th October is celebrated as the World Spine Day. Our beloved pets also suffer Spine diseases like we do. They too experience pain of the same magnitude when they suffer from diseases resulting in Spinal pain.

Here we would like to spread awareness about "What to do" when my pet suffers from a Spine Disease.

1. Pick up Early Signs : Like we all say "Prevention is the best Cure". We totally agree you as Pet-parents are the best judge to know that something is not right. We have observed over a period of time that you do pick up some of the clinical signs but it difficult to correlate it with the disease.
Click to view article : Recognizing Early Signs Of Spine Disease.

2. Get Veterinary Help : Once you have noticed any unusual signs the best thing you can do for your pet is getting Veterinary Help.

Aims at Veterinary Clinic :

• Medical attention & stabilization during the "Golden Hours" .
• Identifying & Diagnosing Disease.
• Advanced Imaging Techniques - MRI.
• Advanced Diagnostics.
• Pain Management . 

  "To assume" is the biggest blunder that one can commit. Progressing Spinal Cord diseases can cause end stage Paraplegia or a Tetraplegia ( Paralysis of the hind or all four legs).

Thus these pets can end up in a vegetative state. 

It was previously assumed that a Paraplegia / Paraparesis - (Paralysis of hind limbs/Weakness of hindlimbs) was attributed due to a "Slipped Disc". However as time progressed and with newer researches and advanced imaging techniques like MRI and analysis of Spinal Fluid we are now diagnosing pets with Neoplasms or Tumors / Infection of Spinal Cord / Anomalous deformities / Blood vessel abnormalities / Inflammatory / Auto immune diseases along with the IVDD - Intervertebral Disc Disease or Disc Herniation.

Diagnosing the disease remains of key importance as the therapeutic protocol for each disease remains different and we cannot treat all spinal diseases with the same therapy.

Pain Management remains of prime importance. Pets also feel the pain just like we do. Spine diseases causes Nerve inflammation or Nerve entrapment which gives rise to severe excruciating pain. 

3. Cage Rest : Perhaps the  most important step which decides if the pet will Recover or NOT !
Just like Humans are advised "Bed Rest". Pets need "CAGE REST"

Cage rest should be considered as a THERAPY while non-surgically managing an injured Spine. Any abnormal movement or activity triggers another series of spinal cord injury and thus aggravating the disease. We agree that pet parents would not like to see their beloved pets in a cage as they find it a bad thing to do. But trust us take it as a THERAPY  you would not want your pets injury to have reached a stage beyond repair and your pet remaining paralyzed for life.

4. Nursing : Paralyzed dogs sometimes loose their control over their bladder and bowels. So it is necessary that their bladder is expressed and bowels cleared at regular intervals. This may require Veterinary attention for the initial days. Pets who have been paralyzed can urinate or defecate without their knowledge so this can result in scalds on skin and Bed-Sores. A strong dedication and an everlasting commitment is needed !!

5. Rehabilitation : Pets need Rehabilitation just like we do. Acupuncture & Physiotherapy has been proven of great help to rehabilitate the motor functions and help them recover from their inability to walk. Acupuncture has been scientifically proven to aid in pain management and stimulating motor functions !!

Just like all diseases - Prevention remains the Best Cure.
A healthy lifestyle which includes Regular walks and exercises, well planned diet, weight restriction and giving them lots of love and care .

We at AcuMed Veterinary Specialty strive to provide the best possible Spine care for pets and we would like to share some success stories which included - "Pet Parent Compliance" as the factor that separated them from the rest !

Success Stories :

            Dewey - The Cat with 9 Lives !! 

                 Roxcy - Tetraplegic - Cervical IVDD

Poke The Pet ! AcuMed Veterinary Specialty

#PokeThePet.
Today's edition of Mumbai Mirror & Pune Mirror (Dated 30.06.2014) featured 
Dr.Prathmesh Deshmukh's interview about Acupuncture in Pets. It talks about how Acupuncture can be successfully integrated into Veterinary Practice providing a complete care for the pets !!
You can read about Ceaser's story who suffered from a Neurological compromise due to a Spinal Cord Disease !
Read the Article here : http://www.punemirror.in/columns/columnists/Poke-the-pet/articleshow/37481503.cms
&
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/columns/columns/Poke-the-pet/articleshow/37508478.cms?

Veterinary Acupuncture : Jimmy - The Lioness. AcuMed Veterinary Specialty

Had an encounter with the Queen of the Jungle - Jimmy.

Jimmy is 15+ year old lioness at the Byculla zoo, Mumbai. She suffered an acute onset of paraplegia. She was stabilized by the team of vets at the zoo. She slowly regained her neurological deficits.

Had a look at her a couple of days later and she was still paraparetic with mild ataxia and marked weakness of the pelvic limbs. We were handed over the job to rehabilitate her. Since sedating her was not possible due to her age and condition. Had to manually put my hand in the cage and do some quick acupuncture.

Jimmy was not sedated but just restrained by a rope around her belly. Once I put my hand inside her cage, she did not quite like it initially, but once I started examining her ,she slowly relaxed as if she knew I am there to make her feel better and do her no harm. But had little time before she turns around. So instead of the routine Dry needle acupuncture , used Aqua-puncture . 

She took that well too and she was on her way to recovery. A few weeks later , the zoo vets reported she was back to her usual self, walking and playing around with her favorite ball.

We are thankful to the team of Zoo vets for giving us a chance to help Jimmy recover.

AcuMed Veterinary Specialty - Our 1st Anniversary - Yearbook

AcuMed Veterinary Specialty was founded a year ago with the purpose of Integrating the principles of Acupuncture and Conventional Medicine.
We have extracted the principles from both conventional and oriental medicine and thus have been treating our patients with both conventional medicine and acupuncture,depending on what's best for them.
Here's what we did last year.


Brain & Spinal diseases : We've encountered over 50 Brain and 150 Spinal disease cases. We've been diagnosing numerous Brain tumors, Meningioencephalitis, Vestibular dieases,Epilepsy and numerous Spinal cord diseases with the help of MRI and have been able to help many animals.
We've helped numerous Paralyzed dogs & cats walk again.

Pain Management : Our motto has always been managing Pain with all possible modalities. We've developed protocols to manage them in the best possible way. We routinely treat severe osteo-arthritis cases , Hip joint diseases, Spondylosis, Neck pain cases. We also treat old age patients who have severe pain due to degenerative joint changes,but cannot be on long term NSAID's due to their side effects. Acupuncture works best for them.

Lectures & Workshops : We were invited to Parbhani Veterinary College last year and had conducted a lecture for the budding veterinarians, post graduate students and staff. We had a great time interacting with the audience while conducting the workshop.http://drprathmeshdvet.blogspot.in/2012/05/integrating-acupuncture-into-veterinary.html

Interesting Cases : We've had the chance to treat the "White Peacock" at the Mumbai zoo and the "White Tigress" at the Pune zoo.

Media : We were covered in an article in Hindustan times after treating the White Peacock.https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=324115694340057&set=a.322895411128752.76872.322679151150378&type=1&theater

We would like to thank all our supporters for encouraging us to do so many things. We wish to do much more this year.
AcuMed Veterinary Specialty

Veterinary Acupuncture - Gypsy the White Tigress ! AcuMed Veterinary Specialty

One of the most memorable,breathtaking experience of my life. Had been called to see the 16 year old White tigress - Gypsy at the Pune zoo a couple of weeks ago.

Gypsy suffered from an acute onset of paraplegia. She could not lift her hindquarters. Then I stepped in along with the Zoo Vet and his treatment crew with Gypsy wide awake without any sedation.
She turned around her head and we acknowledged each other by that brief eye contact. Due to that brief illness she had lost muscle mass and was in her terminal stage. I was then asked, could Acupuncture help, I said, why not. So started with the treatment focusing on giving her pain relief and also try and stimulate the spinal nerves. Pain was immediately taken care of and Gypsy fell asleep after 15 minutes while the treatment was on..
Gypsy however continued to be in a similar state for the next couple of days,but unfortunately she could not come out of it.She passed away.It was found out,she suffered from brain stroke.
A special thanks to Dr.Nighot, the zoo veterinarian, I really appreciate the efforts that he took for Gypsy and treated her like his own pet.
I felt happy for the fact that i could give her some amount of pain relief in her terminal stages.

Nick Of Time ..- Acupuncture for Spinal Diseases

Nick a six and half year old Daschund , Male had an onset of Paraplegia on 21st November,2011 . He was rushed in to the Referral Veterinarian's clinic and received immediate treatment with the conventional drugs. Nick was then advised for a CT scan. The CT Scan revealed that an expansile bony lesion was seen in the left anterolateral portion of the spinal canal at Lumbar-2nd and Lumbar 3rd ,appearing attached to the posterolateral cortex of Lumbar 2 & 3 vertebral bodies. It indented and compressed the thecal sac posterolaterally on left causing a moderate to severe canal and left lateral recess stenosis.

Nick was advised to go for a surgical correction, but the owners wanted a non surgical option. He was referred to me on 3rd of December,2011. Upon presentation he was able to support his pelvic limb,but used to fall ocassionaly. He had a mild degree of Paraparesis and delayed Proprioception. 

Nick received a total of 6 Acupuncture sessions from 3rd of December,2011 to 15th Feb,2012. He regained all his neurological deficits, he walked fine had no proprioceptive deficits and was back to his normal self.

I

Acupuncture for my Pet - Frequently asked questions by Pet-Parents : AcuMed Veterinary Specialty

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

•   Q.)   What is Veterinary Acupuncture ?
• Ans.)  Veterinary Acupuncture ( Latin : Acus - needle ; Punctura - penetrate) is a therapeutic technique based on needle insertion in specific points of animal s' body for the purpose of treating a disease, disease prevention or maintenance of health.

• Q.)      What Needles will be used & How are they different from the normal medical needles ?
• Ans.)   Acupuncture needles are specifically designed for the therapy, they are fine solid needles and they do not have a cutting edge, so it passes through the muscle fibres during the insertion and does not cut through them, hence does not cause equal amount of tissue trauma and thus cause minimal pain,close to painless.

• Q.)      I am worried about the Bio-safety ?
• Ans.)  Be rest assured, We maintain a high level of sterility. Acupuncture needles are sterile packed and are for single use. Needles once used will be disposed off and thus never be used again.

• Q.)  My Pet is currently under medical therapy, so can they receive Acupuncture session alongside ?
• Ans.) Yes,Your pet can receive an Acupuncture session. Acupuncture is not a total replacement, but a complement to the western medicine. We encourage Integrative Therapy, so that your Pet receives the best from both the sciences. However it is essential to mention the ongoing prescribed medications to the Acupuncturist. 

• Q.)     What are the conditions that can be treated by Acupuncture ?
• Ans.) Acupuncture has been known to work in numerous cases, Neurological disorders like Paralysis, Weakness in hindlegs etc. Orthopediac disorders like Arthritis. It is proved to work the best for Chronic Pain management too. Also the scope can be boradned by Integrating Acupuncture into the conventional medicine and can give faster results in other disorders too.
  URL : Conditions That Acupuncture Can Help

• Q.)      Is it safe ? Are there any side effects ?
• Ans.)   Yes, Acupuncture is one of the safest therapies. The only adverse effect that can be observed is your pet will be relaxed and can be very sleepy for about 48 hours after the 1st Acupuncture session. It is considered a favorable response in the healing process. These symptoms disappear on their own without any intervention. 

• Q.)     Can my pet tolerate the needling ?
• Ans.) Ofcourse, In my experience, most of them love getting an Acupuncture treatment, there may be a brief sensitivity while the needle passes the skin and enters the Acu-point ( De-Qi response) which is a favorable response . But later,they relax and most of them fall asleep during the session.

• Q.)       Will my pet need to be strongly restrained during the procedure ?
• Ans.)    No, The pets are allowed to relax during the treatment and needling can be done without any strong physical restraining . They can relax with you being in your pets vicinity when the treatment is performed. A few animals which are new to the needling experience may need a muzzle so that the treatment can go on peacefully. 

• Q.)      Will the Acupuncture session be only with the solid needles ?
• Ans.)   Your Acupuncturist will select the type of stimulation needed, he may use either or a combination of Electro-acupuncture, Aqua-puncture, Haemoacupuncture, Moxibustion, Pneuoacupuncture, Laser-puncture to enhance the effect of the session.

• Q. )     How long will an Acupuncture Session last ?
• Ans.)   An Acupuncture session can last from 15 minutes to 45 minutes depending on the condition and the method employed.

• Q.)      How often will my pet be treated ?
• Ans.)  Your pet may be treated once or twice a week in majority of the cases .

• Q.)     How many sessions will be needed ?
• Ans.)  Acupuncture is based on a science, so it is totally dependent on the case, the severity and how long is the disease going on for. No two cases can be compared as the Pathophysiology of the disease differs and Acupuncture therapy is "Tailor Made" for each and every individual pet. Acupuncture works on your body's response to the treatment,so it is a very individual based response. Some respond faster, some take longer. However as per our experience on an average you would require atleast 6 sessions to see a favorable response The Acupuncturist may be able to tell it to you when he examines the case.

• Q.)      Can I perform Acupuncture on my pet ?
• Ans.)   I'm sorry to say, but Acupuncture can be performed only by a trained Veterinary Acupuncturist. According to the law, Your Veterinary Acupuncturist should have formal training in the practice of acupuncture for animals.

• Q.)   But I want to be an active participant in helping my pet recover what can I do as an owner ?
• Ans.)  Your Acupuncturist can teach you some basic Acupressure techniques and a few physical exercises that you can easily perform at home and thus get a better and faster result. Implementation of diet plans,if recommended.

• Q.)  How can I assure I play my part in helping my Pet get better ?
• Ans.) This would probably be the most important part . When pets suffer from Neurological dysfunctions like Paralysis or some senior patients often loose control over urine and stools. They are unable to get up or walk. That is the time when they require most of your attention. Acupuncture would be a weekly or twice a week therapy. But the pet-parents need to take this in mind that the real care is to be taken by them during the rest of the week.

I've tried to put up most of the commonly asked questions, if you have any more questions, you can post a question as a comment below or feel free to send your queries to  

 AcuMedvets

I would be glad to answer them.