World Spine Day - 2013 - AcuMed Veterinary Specialty

16th October,2013 is World Spine Day.

THE AIMS OF WORLD SPINE DAY ARE TO:

1. Raise awareness about spinal health and spine disorders within the interdisciplinary health care community and amongst public policy decision-makers and the general public.
   
2. To provide an opportunity for and encourage ongoing discussion about the burden of spinal disorders
    
3. To promote an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach to easing the burden of spinal disorders.

Inter-vertebral Disc Disease ( IVDD ) is the most commonly occurring Neurological affection in Dogs.

Acupuncture has now been widely accepted as a procedure for the management and rehabilitation from Spinal diseases in Dogs in conjunction with the conventional therapy.

Spinal cord diseases often are accompanied with a poor prognosis, some dogs remain paralyzed for life.

 Early diagnosis leads to a faster initiation of therapy which increases the chances of recovery.

We wish to create awareness about the Spinal cord diseases amongst the Pet-Parents.

Quick Tips to Identify Early Signs of Spinal Diseases In Pets. (  <-- Click to view )

Lecture at Bombay Veterinary College - AcuMed Veterinary Specialty

It was a pleasure to be back at our Alma Mater -  Bombay Veterinary College on the eve of World Veterinary Day ' 2013.

Had conducted a lecture for the undergraduate, post-graduate students and the teaching faculty. The topic was Introduction to Veterinary Acupuncture and Integrating Acupuncture Into Veterinary Practice .

We also had a discussion about a few clinical cases including their Neurological work up to the recovery . There were discussions on the case videos and it was really encouraging to see the budding Veterinarians participate actively. 

We also had a short discussion upon "The Importance of Pain Management in Veterinary Care" and shared a few tips on "Identifying Early Signs of Spinal Diseases "

We wish to be back and conduct some lectures and workshops on Vet.Neurology, Pain Management & Acupuncture soon.
A big thank you to the Students and the Professors for coming over for our talk.

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.

Veterinary Acupuncture for Paralysis - Lalu : AcuMed Veterinary Specialty

People who rescued him named him Lalu, because of the reddish hue over his coat.

He was spotted ,lying on a roadside, possibly a road accident case.
He was brought in and received medical attention. He could not life his hindlegs, lost control over urine and his back was painful,possibly post trauma.
He received a good Pain management and a short session of Acupuncture.

After one week, he was now able to stand up when assisted,but still control over urine was not regained. We continued treating him, he started improving by the passing day.
At the end of 6 weeks , he could now stand up unassisted and walk with a fairly good gait. He had regained control over his urine and his bedsore also had almost healed.

Recognizing Early Signs Of Spinal Cord Disorders - AcuMed Veterinary Specialty

We encounter numerous Spinal cord diseases everyday. We have found that diagnosing the Spinal diseases in its early stages can help prevent further worsening of symptoms. In this article we briefly try and demonstrate some simplified concepts and most common signs & symptoms that can be easily noticed by Pet owners and thus help prevent further Neurological dysfunction. 

Changes in Behavior : 

• Some Spinal diseases are associated with pain, docile pets become aggressive/whine when suddenly lifted and may even try to bite.
• Some show marked depression and fatigue due to the pain and are reluctant to move.

Changes in Posture : 

• One needs a keen eye to spot this one. 
• Lowered neck position.
• Arched back.
• Trembling while standing.

Knuckling / Proprioceptive loss - The "CARDINAL SIGN":

As shown in the above pictures, loss of proprioception is evident which in simple terms can be described as knuckling. This can be evident while standing or dragging of legs will be seen in a similar manner.

Changes in Gait / Walk & Loss of Balance: 

•  This can be appreciated while the pet is walking on a non-slippery surface like a hard ground or in a garden.
• A keen eye can spot the change in style of walks, disoriented gait, excessive swaying of the back. Some people even describe it as a "Drunken Gait".

Paraparesis & Paraplegia / Partial and Complete paralysis :

• Inability to support the hind legs, or all the four legs.
• Loss of function of hind legs.
• Loss of control over urine and stools along with inability to get up.

AcuMed Veterinary Specialty- Veterinary Acupuncture for Cats : Dewey !

Dewey - Instilled the belief in us that Cats indeed do have 9 lives.

Dewey was paralyzed and was lying at one of the corners and was rescued by a kindhearted gentleman . He volunteered to take care of her and later adopted her. Upon examination we found that she was paralyzed by her hindlegs and had lost control over her urine. A radiograph was taken, showed reduction in vertebral size,but was inconclusive. A CT scan was then performed which revealed a fracture of the vertebrae and a rotatory subluxation.. With a lesion so severe the prognosis was guarded to poor.
We were requested to start with the treatment and thus we started her on Acupuncture.

With a lesion so severe the recovery was indeed going to be very gradual. She first was able to bear weight on her legs. Then slowly started taking a few steps , then walking with an ataxic/ inco-ordinated  gait . The ataxia then reduced and she was able to walk in a more co-ordinated way.

A Video showing her progress , For all the students interested in Neurological Rehabilitation, this shows a few stages:




 It was a perfect combination of Compassion, Veterinary Care , Pet-parent Compliance  Patience which helped Dewey on her road to recovery.

City Pet Owners Opting for Acupuncture therapy for Paralysis & Arthritis : AcuMed Veterinary Specialty

An article featuring use of Veterinary Acupuncture in pet practice was published in Hindustan Times dated 17th June,2012.
A brief interview,about my experience in treating a couple of cases was also published.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/City-pet-owners-opting-for-acupuncture-therapy-for-arthritis-and-paralysis/Article1-873637.aspx

Featured our Poster Boy Enzo's story

http://drprathmeshdvet.blogspot.in/2012/06/acumed-vets-veterinary-acupuncture-for.html

AcuMed Veterinary Specialty: Veterinary Acupuncture for Monoplegia / Forelimb Paralysis

Enzo a 10 year old Boxer, was brought in with a severe neck pain and inability to get up. With the help of the Referral Vet we tried to stabilize him to prevent the progression of the neurological deficits.

Enzo could now get up and walk , but he was completely paralyzed by his right forelimb.

A neurology work up helped me to get a tentative diagnosis of a Cervical spine / Brachial plexus lesion.

An MRI then revealed the presence of an extradural mass at the level of C4-C5 leading to a cord compression.

Surgical option was turned down by the owners and asked for a non-surgical approach. So an integrative approach was implemented,he was stabilized medically and received Acupuncture for his neurological rehabilitation. 

He was so relaxed that he dozed off in the middle of the Acupuncture session, unaware of whats going on around him.

Enzo received a total of 6 Acupuncture sessions , spaced over one & half month. 

This is Enzo after his 6 th Acupuncture session.

Here is a video showing Enzo's Progress

  

Veterinary Acupuncture for Hind leg Paralysis - A Squirrel's Tale : AcuMed Veterinary Specialty

Cases come to us in all sizes, perhaps this was the smallest one yet.

Spikee was rescued & brought in to the clinic following an onset of Paralysis of hind limbs,following a trauma . He could neither support his hindlimbs, nor move his tail. Radiological investigations showed up a pathology of the lumbar vertebrae. The referral vet stabilized Spikee from his Spinal shock and was started up on medical therapy.
Saw Spikee after 4 days of initiating the medical therapy. He regained his movement of his tail put still remained  paralyzed by his hind legs.
Spikee then received 2 Acupuncture sessions spaced over 2 weeks and he regained all his neurological deficits and was able to walk again..

Here is a video showing his progress.

Integrated Medicine Approach For Infectious Spinal Diseases - Zak : AcuMed Veterinary Specialty

Zak was born and brought up in a farm house 150 km away from Mumbai and unfortunately his first visit to Mumbai was on a stretcher lying comatose & paralyzed. With the help of the Referral Vet we tried to stabilize him and bring him out of the spinal shock.

Further diagnostics revealed paraplegia of an infectious origin . He received an integrated medicine approach , using western medicines to take care of his infection and Acupuncture for his Neurological rehabilitation.
Now after 6 weeks of intensive treatment, he is back to his normal self and now all set to take the trip back to his home soon..

A Video showing his improvement :

Veterinary Acupuncture For Exotic Animals - Bunny Hop : Veterinary Specialty

Preface : 

• Vertebral fracture or dislocation is a very common cause of acute posterior paresis and paralysis in rabbits.
• Rabbits are susceptible to this type of injury because they have relatively powerful hind limb muscles that are attached to quite a light and fragile skeleton.

Spotty , a 4 month old bunny (rabbit) had an acute onset of paraplegia
( hindlimb paralysis) on 25th feb,2012. He was rushed in to the Referral Veterinarian's clinic where he received immediate attention and was stabalized. Radiologic investigation showed a fracture of Lumbar - 6th Vertebrae.
The referral veterinarian designed a body bandage for Spotty, which played an important role in stabilizing his Lumbar region.

lSpotty was referred to me on 27th feb,2012 for an Acupuncture consult. On presentation he was Paraplegic with withdrawal reflex present. Spotty received an Acupuncture treatment session on the same day and concurrent medical therapy continued.

Spotty was re-examined on 10th March,2012. He received his 2nd Acupuncture session on the same day. Now he could now support his hindlimbs, bear weight and hop and play around.

  I would like to thank the referral Veterinarian for the Stabilization and immediate medical attention.

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 Spinal Diseases - IVDD - Roxcy : AcuMed Veterinary Specialty

Roxcy, 8 year old Labrador was presented to us. He acutely went Tetraplegic / Paralyzed by all his four limbs and was in intense pain. We tried to stabilize him medically and chalked out a pain management plan and he received a session of Electro-acupuncture for pain relief along with the conventional medications.

Performed a Neurology examination and located the lesion, he was rushed in for an emergency MRI. His reports suggested a large posterocentral disc protrusion at C5-C6 causing a focal stenosis . Classical Intervertebral Disc Disease.With a lesion that severe apart from being Tetraplegic he lost control over his urine & stools.We then stabilized him and managed the pain.

His Pet parents actively participated in his treatment and made sure he received urinary catheterization twice a day and a stool evacuation once every 2-3 days.

He received his second acupuncture session 2 days later, 10th november,2011 and then Acupuncture sessions spaced one week apart. He was under constant medical supervision and therapy along with Acupuncture for a month

Roxcy Receiving Acupuncture treatment

After his 5th Session . Roxcy,was able to get up , walk , pass urine & stools on his own. His treatment continued for 4 more weeks till he regained all his neurological deficits.

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.