It’s such a treat giving acupuncture to the miniature schnauzer called Junior.. literally! His parents found that he can stand still, minimally distracted by the needles, if he is given his treats during his short monthly sessions. Thanks to them, we can place the acupuncture needles with ease.

Junior is 14 years old, and he came to us more than a year ago. We started acupuncture and herbs for him back then when he was not able to stand up on his back then, when his hindlegs was weak. He needed to be able to be helped up into a standing position by his parents so that he could walk around. Diagnosed by vets with Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD) based on x-rays and clinical signs, he was given standard pain relief and anti-inflammatory medicine for about a month with no significant improvement. Our TCM diagnosis for him was Kidney and Spleen Qi deficiency, with blood and qi stagnation at his spine.

With Junior, he showed a little improvement at a time, initially showing increased energy the first few sessions, followed by occasionally standing up and surprising his parents at the gate when they came back from work. His parents were very dedicated owners, and fed him a home-cooked yummy diet with our recommended ingredients based on his constitution. Finally, by about the sixth month, he could get up and sit on his own all by himself and walk and sometimes even run like he used to. For an older dog to have his mobility back again, we feel really happy for him. Now, he still gets his monthly sessions to munch on his treats and his inability to stand or walk has not returned. But Junior’s parents are still able to observe that he feels the best for the first 3 weeks after his acupuncture every time.

We felt that Junior was able to recover only because his parents persisted with his treatments with TCM, and because of the care they showed him. We are happy that our TCM treatments have given Junior a better quality of life, and hope that he continues to do well!