Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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In a recent post Jerry stated he was glad a members dog had acupuncture.
What exactly is the goal with acupuncture...with regards to osteosarcoma?
I tried it on a dog I had 10 yrs ago. for hip dysplasia.. I think.. Yuk. needles shaking everywhere getting lost etc.. , no benefit noted... and vet perhaps not as skilled as other pros
Acupuncture helps with pain relief related to cancer, among lots of other ailments. Most animals find exceptional relief with this procedure.
In the U.S., the practice has come a long way in the veterinary community over the last 10 years. Back then, anyone could do it and didn't need to be a licensed vet. Today, they are required to be a DVM and receive acupuncture certification in order to practice it. It's a whole other world now, and I'll bet you'll have a better experience if you decide to give it a try for Simon.
We did an entire blog post and interview about it here:
All About Acupuncture for Tripawd Cats, Dogs, Rabbits and Other Pets
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I agree. Acupuncture works absolute wonders with Meg (who has orthopaedic problems, to be clear, not osteosarcoma) When she was still on four, she would go in limping and come out using the leg pretty much normally. It also has psychological benefits, a very noticeable calming effect for two or three days after treatment. (Not always but perhaps 80% of the time). Pie had it too and it relaxed her so much she would sometimes fall asleep with the needles inserted.
According to my rehab vet, different dogs do respond differently to acupuncture, just as different people do. I’m lucky in that Meg appears to be highly responsive, but would certainly recommend giving it a try.
Meg, Clare and Angel Pie xxx
Ruby, Staffy, born June 2022, became a Tripawd, 23 November 2023, adopted 12 January 2024.
Also Angel Tripawd Meg (aka The Megastar), who died in April 2023, aged 14, after seven glorious years on three, and Angel Staffies Pie and Bille. In the pawprints of giants...
We didn't use acupuncture for Murphy, but we did use it for our Cassie who had arthritis & bulging discs in her back. It did seem to help her with her pain. We used the chiropractor for Murphy, which also seemed to help him with his pain. I think different methods help in different ways - Murphy was stiff & achy and needed his back re-aligned after walking as a Tripawd for over 4 years. Many rehab vets use different methods depending on what's needed at the time. Cassie just laid on the floor while the needles were placed and enjoyed the attention she got 
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
Hi Luke🐾
Here's the link to Eurydice's post when I opted for acupuncture, etc rather than chemo.
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
This is a section taken from the thread above and is more descriptive of the mesotherapy procedure, Luke.
You may want to investigate this further for Simon.
"Eurydice had another acupuncture session today and I asked the osteopath for more details concerning mesoteraphy.
So ...
Those burning chunks applied to some of her acupuncture needles are made of a herb called armois, sadly he doesn't know the name in English and I could not find a translation on google.
He said other herbs can be used.
As it happens, this is the herb which can be found in France.
The crucial point is armois burns at the required temperature of 80 degrees celsius and keeps burning for 5 minutes.
The treatment is not linked to the herb itself, what is necessary is for an 80 degree heath to go through the needles for 5 minutes.
He mentioned this process is called moxibustion which is used in traditional Chinese medicine.
We also had the dreaded B12 injections but this time they were administered at different acupuncture points.
Eurydice enjoys the osteopathic treatments and (believe it not) the acupuncture too.
But she RUN like a bat out of hell whilst he was preparing the injections.
Clever girl 
These are no ordinary injections, they are administered using a device which shoots the injection out for a split second."
😘🐮💫✨🌟🌹
Eurydice 77kg/170lb Great Dane limping end of April 2016, amputation (right front leg/osteosarcoma) 4 May 2016 6 courses of carboplatin followed by metronomic therapy, lung mets found 30 Nov 2016. 3 courses of doxorubicin, PET scan 26 Jan 2017 showed more mets so stopped chemo. Holistic route April 2017. Lung X-ray 5 May 2017 showed several tennis ball size mets, started cortisone and diuretics. Miss Cow earned her XXL silver wings 12 June 2017, 13 months and 1 week after amputation and 6 1/2 months after lung mets, she was the goofiest dawg ever and is now happily flying from cloud to cloud woof woofing away :-)
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