Hi Jerry.  He had acupuncture today but I did not receive a report from the vet afterwards.  We spoke beforehand as I had asked him to check out Griffin's back left leg which seems to be moving forward in an arc rather than a straight line.  I sent Dr. Cherno videos earlier in the week so today he let me know that he examined Griffin and didn't find any sensitivity or structural issues with his leg.  He thinks it is just Griffin's new gait as he adjusts to being a tripawd.

You actually know Griffin pretty well, Sally!  I would say that he was neutral with the water therapy today.  I don't think he particularly enjoyed the swimming as he is a great swimmer (see video below from 2017) and probably didn't understand why he was being held.  I think he was ok with the treadmill - his face looks like he was thinking, "I'm not sure why you have me in a pool where the ground is moving, but if it makes you happy, I'll stay here".  I don't think the water therapy is worth the cost/time, so we are just going to stick with acupuncture for now and see how he does.

Griffin swimming in my dad's pool in 2017.  We can't wait to get back there this summer!

Hi Nancy - If a puddle is big enough, Griffin would swim in it!  The video of him swimming in the pool above was taken at my dad's place.  The girls in the pool are my nieces and they often scream wildly when jumping off the diving board, which causes Griffin to go "rescue" them, much to their annoyance. 

Hi Patricia - I think it is funny that you have access to a pool and Arktik doesn't like swimming.  Griffin would love to live at my dad's full-time (with me, of course!) in the summer just to have access to the pool all day!

Hi Jerry - I didn't receive any report after acupuncture or the water therapy sessions (aside from the videos) - just a note on his general chart that he was "nervous with needling - consider a treat distraction".  I plan to follow up with the vet before next week's appointment (acupuncture only) to make sure we are on the same page about the rationale and expectations for this course of rehab.

General chemotherapy question - How often are blood tests run after a round of chemo?  Griffin was originally scheduled for one per week for two weeks after his first round of chemo, and the oncologist wanted to make sure his blood count was good before allowing acupuncture, so they ran the test before his rehab session.  When the oncologist learned that Griffin was scheduled for a session of acupuncture the 3rd week (when no blood test was scheduled), she scheduled a blood test.  This seems somewhat excessive (and expensive!) to me, especially since the results of his blood work on Friday were great and he is having another blood test at the end of this week.  Any feedback/suggestions would be appreciated!

Hi Patricia!  I thoroughly enjoyed those videos of the Amazing Arktik - please keep posting!  I don't think the blood work schedule is related to acupuncture because they scheduled the first 2 appointments (7 days and 14 days after the first round of chemo) before the oncologist knew Griffin would be doing acupuncture.  All of the doctors and staff at the Animal Medical Center are super responsive with communication, so I sent an email to Dr. Camps this afternoon to ask a bunch of questions about chemo, blood tests, and schedule of rounds and drugs to be used (both Carboplatin and Doxorubicin, but I'm not sure the order/schedule), as well as the necessity to have multiple blood tests before acupuncture once the first blood test results are good.  I also asked for an estimate of the total costs for the full chemo treatment.  I'm concerned about the necessity of the blood tests but also the financial aspect - it cost $250 for the office visit and blood work on Friday, on top of the acupuncture and rehab sessions costing $270.  Even with insurance, that is not sustainable.  I'll be sure to share what the oncologist says when she replies.  ~ Stacy