Bonnie Benefits from Acupuncture After Just One Treatment

So, my dog Bonnie is what some may call….a landshark.  She bites and doesn’t really like to be handled much.  I used to think she was just old and crotchety, but the more I have seen her curve her back and lay with her legs funny, I have realized this behavior is attributed to pain.

I brought her in and we started her on tramadol, gabapentin, and pred to try to control inflammation and pain.  It helped, but not fully.  Then, Dr. Carter started offering acupuncture services at AHR/AHH.  I thought, why not see if this helps her to be less painful?

So, I brought Bonnie in for her first treatment.  She was painful and didn’t relax in the beginning.  She tried to bite Dr. Carter so we had to muzzle her.  After Dr. Carter got 5 needles in, she relaxed and actually fell asleep in Dr. Carter’s arms.  We let her sleep about 30 minutes and then I took her home.  She ran inside, ran up the stairs, tried to play with our big dog Bo (who stepped on her one day and started these back issues) and scarfed down 2 big bowls of food (she is usually a nibbler and picky).  She fell asleep in her bed and slept for about 10 hours.

Wow! I thought, how could she be feeling so great after just 1 treatment? Dr. Carter recommended bringing her back in 5 days for a second treatment.  I did.  She didn’t have to be muzzled this time.  She laid down in the room and ate some baby food from a jar while Dr. Carter placed the first couple of needles.