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Jul. 26th, 2006 08:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smg01I'm sure you've all been waiting with bated breath for another Sheba update, so here it is.
She had her first acupuncture appointment yesterday afternoon. I think it went well. I really like the vet and the clinic where it was performed. They're obviously very caring there. Sheba was a very good patient. She always is when she's in the hands of professionals. (In my hands, it's a little tougher. I think because she knows that I'm not as confident so she's squirmier.)
Her next appointment is next Tuesday. In the meantime our homework assignment is to use a hairbrush to brush up her back legs and her lower back to get/keep the chi moving in the right direction. Also to do some gentle tail walks(?)--gently pulling per tail a few times a day. I think this is to sort of stretch out the spine a little bit. There was a lot of information, I'm not sure I remember if I got all of the reasons connected correctly.
Her spinal issues are in her mid back section and right above her tail and that's where the treatment was concentrated. Dr E also noted though that her upper spine around her neck and shoulders is really stiff. She thought Sheba's probably been compensating for the weakness in her lower spine and that it's translating into stiffness at the upper end of the spine. Poor baby. I'm kicking myself for not dealing with this sooner. She must have been in pain for a quite a while and I just didn't realize it until it progressed this far.
Dr E said that Sheba would probably seem pretty weak last night after the treatment. She did wag her tail and eat a treat at the clinic immediately after the session. As the evening wore on, she did seem a little wobblier. But. It may well be my imagination or wishful thinking, but I think she seemed a little steadier this morning. So I'm choosing to be hopeful. We'll see how she progresses with further treatment.
Also, I really, really like my regular vet. When I stopped by the clinic to pick her x-rays for the acu consult, the senior vet came out to talk for a minute. He's not the one who saw Sheba on her last visit, so he just came out for an update. He was appropriately, professionally sympathetic. Said he had seen acupuncture have good results and hoped that it would for this situation. And he reinforced my hesitation about surgical options.
She had her first acupuncture appointment yesterday afternoon. I think it went well. I really like the vet and the clinic where it was performed. They're obviously very caring there. Sheba was a very good patient. She always is when she's in the hands of professionals. (In my hands, it's a little tougher. I think because she knows that I'm not as confident so she's squirmier.)
Her next appointment is next Tuesday. In the meantime our homework assignment is to use a hairbrush to brush up her back legs and her lower back to get/keep the chi moving in the right direction. Also to do some gentle tail walks(?)--gently pulling per tail a few times a day. I think this is to sort of stretch out the spine a little bit. There was a lot of information, I'm not sure I remember if I got all of the reasons connected correctly.
Her spinal issues are in her mid back section and right above her tail and that's where the treatment was concentrated. Dr E also noted though that her upper spine around her neck and shoulders is really stiff. She thought Sheba's probably been compensating for the weakness in her lower spine and that it's translating into stiffness at the upper end of the spine. Poor baby. I'm kicking myself for not dealing with this sooner. She must have been in pain for a quite a while and I just didn't realize it until it progressed this far.
Dr E said that Sheba would probably seem pretty weak last night after the treatment. She did wag her tail and eat a treat at the clinic immediately after the session. As the evening wore on, she did seem a little wobblier. But. It may well be my imagination or wishful thinking, but I think she seemed a little steadier this morning. So I'm choosing to be hopeful. We'll see how she progresses with further treatment.
Also, I really, really like my regular vet. When I stopped by the clinic to pick her x-rays for the acu consult, the senior vet came out to talk for a minute. He's not the one who saw Sheba on her last visit, so he just came out for an update. He was appropriately, professionally sympathetic. Said he had seen acupuncture have good results and hoped that it would for this situation. And he reinforced my hesitation about surgical options.
