January 6, 2020

Today Pat’s “therapy vet” came out to evaluate him and give him a chiropractic treatment followed by an acupuncture session as part of his ongoing treatment plan for DSLD. We do these every 8-10 weeks to help his body stay aligned, and to re balance and strengthen his life energy, or Qi, so that his body can continue to fight any advance of DSLD. The other parts of his treatment plan include diet and nutrition, natural food supplements, regular feet trimming, western treatments for his Cushings Disease, and plenty of love and attention (spoiling).

We have been doing chiropractic sessions for four years now, and early in 2019 we added acupuncture. The therapy vet has used different methods of acupuncture on Pat which has included dry needling, B-12 injections, and laser. She decides which method she wants to use based on her evaluation, experience, and Pat’s physical and mental presentation. 

Today our therapy vet used dry needles on the acupoints. Pat doesn’t mind the needles – he stands still as each acupoint is accessed. He does get a bit bored standing in place for the twenty minutes or so that is commonly suggested for the needles to best stimulate his Qi. Pat would rather be out nipping at Zippy, or better yet, grazing peacefully in the pasture. Nonetheless, he is a good sport and endures the needle time without too much fuss. I know he understands we are helping him, and does his best.

I will admit that while I do see a difference in Pat after a chiropractic session – he moves more freely – I am not yet sure if I see added energy after an acupuncture treatment. Sometimes it seems to be giving him a boost, but like any type of complimentary treatment, it’s not always glaringly evident. 

Because there is no “western” cure for DSLD, we have followed a mostly holistic path, with the hope to keep him as comfortable as possible, and that these treatments might help to fend off a rapid advance of the disease. Pat was diagnosed with DSLD in early January 2015, and five years later, balancing good periods with the bad, he seems to be doing ok.  Unfortunately, with DSLD, one can never know or predict when the time will come – we can only hope it’s not soon.  

Note- "Therapy Vet" is my term for a veterinarian who specializes in holistic, non pharmaceutical, practices, but is not against western medicine altogether. Pat is seen by this veterinarian and another veterinarian who practices the more traditional "western" methods. Although one would think that holistic and western practices are at complete odds with each other, both our veterinarians work closely together and complement each other so that Pat is getting the best from both approaches. Both believe in, and embrace, the benefits of these philosophies and have fit them seamlessly into a long term treatment plan for Pat. We are lucky to have both of these dedicated professionals on Pat's side.