Abstract
Paralysis of both hind legs with incontinence of urine occurs fairly commonly among small dogs, in such breeds as Pekinese and dachshund. It is diagnosed as intervertebral disc syndrome. There is no effective remedy for the paralysis except possibly surgical intervention. Arthritis is another disabling condition among old dogs.
We treated one Pekinese, two dachshunds, and one mixed breed for the intervertebral disc syndrome; two German shepherds and one Labrador retriever for arthritis. These dogs were mostly more than seven years old. (A dog year is said to be equivalent to seven human years in age.) These paralyzed dogs were ill for about one week to ten days except the mixed breed which was ill for about five weeks and aged 12 years (equivalent to about 84 years in human age). The arthritic dogs aged about ten to eleven years and were ill for at least six months to several years.
Three of the paralyzed dogs, after one acupuncture treatment, got up and walked normally as if nothing had ever happened to them. The paralyzed mixed breed was not helped at all after five treatments. The three arthritic dogs were all helped to the extent that they could walk with greater ease, jump from the floor into a bed, or jump up and put their front paws to the shoulders of a 5’5" person.
Slides of the selected cases will be presented and acupuncture points employed will be discussed.
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