Jazz, Mini Australian Shepherd for adoption

This is Jazz, my foster dog. (Bradley got adopted into the best family ever!)

Jazz is a 3-4 year old Miniature Australian Shepherd. I think she looks both sad and shell shocked.

Jazz is from MARS, Mini Aussie Rescue Society. It is believed that she was kenneled for so long she has lost her faith that she can have a loving family. Jazz doesn't bite or bark, but has a difficult time looking humans in the eye. She reacts equally well, which is shyly, to men & women. She is great with other dogs.

Jazz'll be with me until a retired family or someone working at home can give her the stability she needs. As her foster mom, I love her dearly, but recognize that it's hard for her to enjoy spending her days at the clinic. When I am treating a difficult or aggressive dog, Jazz can't stay in the treatment room; she thinks she's being punished when she is asked to stay in the massage room.

Let's find her a home where she'll never be alone. She'd be fine in a home with another dog or with cats. Not sure how she'd be with children. She's not an ideal dog for anyone who is not nimble because she weaves in front of her person when she walks and could easily trip them.

Jazz weighs about 35 lb and is spayed. She has a happy time swimming at WaterWorkz. She loves hiking in the woods and rolling on the ground like a little tumbleweed.

Let me (vetpollen at yahoo.com) or MARS know if you're interested in this delightful little girl.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Urinary Retention Treated with Acupuncture, Help for Cauda Equina Syndrome

What's Cauda Equina Syndrome?
The last few nerves from the spine spread like a horses tail, and are called Cauda Equina. When the caudal equina is damaged, the bladder can be lose the ability to contract so that it’s not possible to urinate voluntarily. To prevent the bladder from exploding, a catheter is inserted or the bladder is manually expressed several times a day.

Pets that can't pass urine are often euthanized
In pets, cauda equina damage that leads to inability to void often drives the pet’s family to request euthanasia. Fortunately there’s hope with acupuncture. Research published in Acupunct Medicine this September. The article is: Electro-AP improves voiding function in patients with neurogenic urinary retention secondary to cauda equina injury.

The Chinese scientists showed that acupuncture helped humans with difficulty voiding due to cauda equine. For these patients, who had not responded to medication, acupuncture was given 5 times a week for the first month then 3 times a week for 2 weeks. Researchers used electroacupuncture at BL32, BL33 and BL35. When the patients were rechecked in 6 months, and 8 of the 15 in the study had regained the ability to void and maintained it.

Would your pet benefit?
If your pet develops urinary retention due to damaged cauda equina, request acupuncture. Be willing to go for multiple treatments and perhaps you will offer your pet a 50-50 chance for improvement. When euthanasia is the alternative, try acupuncture first.

This research is available on Pub Med: PMID: 21984981.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Acupuncture Increases Glutathione

We all die one cell at a time.
Usually we think whole organs die, like the kidney, liver or brain, but what actually happens is that enough cells within an organ die that the organ cannot function so the entire organ dies. Unless there is a transplant, we mortals, and our pets, experience cell death, organ death, then whole organism death.

The fact that single cells can live or die is good
Every little thing we do to benefit a cell benefits the whole organ. The best way to benefit a cell is to prevent its DNA from being damaged by oxidation. Oxidation inexorably leads to complete cell destruction, cell malfunction or cancer. This is why eating deeply pigmented fruits & veggies that are full of anti-oxidants is important. The antioxidants naturally present in food support glutathione, which is one cellular system that prevents oxidative damage.

Acupuncture increases glutathione levels
Recent research from doctors in Brazil has shown that acupuncture also increases glutathione activity. Thirty minutes of electroacupuncture to ST 36 and CV 12 significantly increases glutathione levels within the liver & kidney. So, if your dog won’t eat its broccoli, bring it in for acupuncture support of its organs.

Would your pet benefit from increased glutathione
You bet! Glutathione is the primary intracellular antioxidant. Any pet with chronic disease is working its antioxidant system overtime to prevent free radical damage that leads to cell death. This includes pets with kidney and liver disease, as well as those with osteoarthritis. Glutatione is not available as a supplement, but some supplements such as SAMe increase glutathione levels. The difficulty with giving SAMe is that it must be done on an empty stomach. I have so much respect for folks that can get up and give their pet a pill an hour before breakfast or remember to give one late at night several hours after supper. If, like me, you can`t, then use acupuncture periodically to support your dog & cat`s glutathione levels. They will live longer for it.

More details on the research are in Pub Med: PMID: 21971660.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Acupuncture Can Help Diabetic Cats & Dogs by Clearing Lactate

According to research published by scientists from the Dept of Surgery UFC, in Brazil acupuncture at ST 36 and CV 12 improved clearing of lactate in hyperglycemic rats.

Like rats, humans, dogs, and cats also have increased lactate when they have diabetes and high blood sugar. In addition, lactate levels are increased post exercise. Elevated lactate levels can be reduced using needles inserted in CV12, which is on the tummy, and ST 36, which is below the knee. Stimulation of these points was shown to clear lactate from both the kidney and liver.

The researchers hypothetized that acupuncture stimulated liver & kidney cells to convert lactate to pyruvate more quickly than normal. Rats that did not receive acupuncture had high blood lactate levels, but treated rats showed marked decrease with 30 minutes of treatment.

In clinical practice with dogs and cats, it appears that cells often function more efficiently following acupuncture because pets have more pep. For the first day following treatment, pets often sleep very deeply, then they are full of piss & vinegar.

How can this help your pet?
If you have a diabetic cat or dog, just using two acupuncture points, we can improve the way kidney & liver cells clear waste lactate.

If you have a working dog or a pet who exercises hard, acupuncture can help clear the waste lactate that accumumulates and leads to delayed recovery. These two points, ST 36 and CV 12 have additional benefits, too, especially for the stomach and digestion. Let me or your local holistic veterinarian show you how to massage these points for your pet. You'll be able to get some of the benefit achieved with needles and you can treat your pet easily at home.

More details about the study are in Pub Med: PMID 21971657.
.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad