Case Stories
See also the testimonials page
JJ:
JJ is a 9-year-old collie cross with chronic left hip pain and osteoarthritis of his right hock. When I first saw him he had a hopping right hind limb lameness and difficulty rising and climbing stairs. He also had an intermittent left forelimb lameness and poorly growing, dry and cracked nails that sometimes broke off and needed dressings and antibiotics.
JJ is a happy sociable boy and loves outdoor romps through the woods and undergrowth. He also seems to love his acupuncture, and I have been treating him regularly now since October 2008. Although JJ was already being fed a good quality diet, we added Traditional Chinese ‘Blood Tonic’ herbs and foods to his diet to help his chronic nail problems and as an extra support for his joints.
JJ responded well to treatment and has made steady progress ever since. He exercises well and is no longer lame, and his nails are much improved with no recent problems.
Kokko:
Kokko is a 10-year-old neutered male domestic shorthaired cat who came to me because of chronic bladder and behaviour problems. He would regularly attack his owners and their dog and frequently experienced painful and difficult urination. Kokko gets extremely stressed at vets and in such a state that he is almost unhandleable. I have found him to be somewhat timid and fearful but he has let me gently acupuncture him and on the last occasion was purring. He now takes Chinese herbs for his recurrent cystitis, which I suspect has been stress related. Kokko needs digestive support because he tends to vomit intermittently, and this has settled with a home cooked diet and herbal support. Overall he appears to be a happier, more relaxed cat and has had no recurrence of cystitis since starting his treatment.
Henry:
Henry is a 12-year-old entire male labrador retriever who first came to me with gastrointestinal problems and elbow osteoarthritis as well as a left knee sprain. His gait was heavy and stiff and when I examined him I found he also had hip pain and a stiff, inflexible neck.
Henry is a very happy dog who loves socializing in the park but he can get a bit overexcited and forgets he is not the dog he used to be. (Don’t we all!) He is much less stable on his feet these days and gets tired very quickly. He also tends to get diarrhoea, especially after scavenging, which leaves him weak and exhausted.
Henry has responded very well to acupuncture for his joint and spinal pain and inflexibility, and though he has some residual elbow lameness he is a much happier dog. He usually has a very good snooze whenever I treat him. Between his owner and myself we have also got him onto a good quality home cooked diet that has considerably improved both his digestion and energy levels.
Leon:
Leon is an eight-year-old neutered male Mastiff cross. Leon has severe degenerative joint disease affecting his right front foot, and similar problems in the hock and hip joint on his left hind leg. He had a suspected instability of his cervical (neck) vertebrae when he was young. He suffers intermittently with headaches and with chronic ear infections.
Leon has responded very well to acupuncture for his mobility problems. He is much more energetic and bouncy and he uses his right foot in play which he has not done for a long time. His owner uses massage for his headaches and hydrotherapy to give him the exercise he needs without heavy impact on his joints. He seems to enjoy his acupuncture and is always waiting at the door for me when I come to see him.
Popo:
Popo is a six-year-old neutered male Siamese cat. He suffered with a range of problems when I first started treating him, including a productive cough, insatiable appetite, weight gain, intermittent skin problems and conjunctivitis. Popo is sensitive to stress and this aggravates his problems.
Popo has responded well to acupuncture and food therapy, which have greatly improved his cough, food issues and conjunctivitis. His skin problems respond to homeopathy and he takes Zylkene capsules for stress.
Jessie:
Jessie was a 14-year-old Labrador I first saw when she was suffering from a series of age-related problems. Her main problem was a very weak back and hind legs. She also suffered with hip pain, muscle tremors, urinary tract infections, incontinence, and vision and hearing problems.
Although many of Jessie’s problems were age related she responded very well to acupuncture and electro-acupuncture. This improved her mobility and strengthened her back considerably. Jess was always very nervous but did relax when having acupuncture, and I was able to give her a lot of support over the last year and a half. Jess was recently diagnosed with kidney failure and deteriorated very quickly. It is never an easy decision but at that point her owners decided to ask their vet to put her to sleep.
Galaxy:
Galaxy is a 10-year-old neutered male lurcher. I have been treating him with acupuncture for osteoarthritis of his knees, hocks, carpal joints (wrists) and toes since October 2005. Galaxy is a bit nervous sometimes about his acupuncture, but once the needles are in he always looks quite sleepy and smiley. He has done very well with his treatment and after the initial course I now see him for a top up about once every three months. Galaxy also takes glucosamine and chondroitin to support his joints. He is very accident-prone, loves the great outdoors, and holidays in France with his family and little sister Maisie.
Fat Boy:
Fat Boy is a 9-year-old neutered male domestic shorthaired cat. He is FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) positive, and has back and hind limb pain and weakness. Fat Boy is also an extremely nervous cat. Although x-rays of his spine were completely normal, I suspect that Fat Boy has a disc problem that is causing the pain and weakness in his back legs. His usual vet and myself suspect he also now has osteoarthritis of his hock joints. Cats can be a challenge when diagnosing arthritis because x-rays of their joints will often appear normal even when there is arthritis present. I have been treating Fat Boy with acupuncture since May 2006 and I now see him once every 1 to 2 months for a treatment. Despite his nervy temperament he tolerates his acupuncture treatment very well and it gives him ongoing pain relief. He has at times taken anti-inflammatory drugs, but he has no need for them at present. He is given glucosamine and chondroitin to nutritionally support his spine and his joints. Fat Boy loves lying in the sun and finds the winter months more difficult to cope with.