A combination of acupuncture and herbs works a treat!

“Roly is doing well! She is harder to identify from the house as her back is flatter and she looks more like the other sheep in profile! She loves fresh meadowsweet and had her first soaked marshmallow root this morning.” (Roly’s Owner)

Samoyeds were bred by nomadic tribes of North-Eastern Siberia for herding and guarding reindeer, pulling loads and even hunting. When we first treated Winnie, she was 5 months old and had spent two months on strict rest. You can imagine how hard that was for both her and her family. We are sharing her story to raise awareness that Rehabilitation is important for young patients with injuries.

Winnie had not been able to be in her large garden or even on a lead walk for almost half of her young life. Instead, she had been confined to a small space to allow her leg to heal.

X-rays had been inconclusive, and an orthopaedic surgeon suspected a stretched ligament in the left hock and prescribed leaving the dressing on a bit longer combined with more rest.

When we first saw her the joint was stable but made clicking noises. She lacked musculature on the affected leg and didn’t use it well when standing. At home she kept having episodes where she was clearly in pain.

After a thorough examination, review of her current medications/supplements and some laser therapy, a rehabilitation plan was initiated. For Winnie, as for many other patients, very gently starting to move again after a long period of rest is really important. Five minutes of slow lead-walking several times a day is a good start for many rehabilitation cases.

It is easier said than done to lead-walk a youngster that has been rested for two months. We recommended a physio to do home visits to Winnie and work out a tailored exercise plan. We also started using acupuncture and herbs.

A month after we first saw Winnie she was able to stop painkillers, but it became obvious that the back had been affected by the long rest and lameness. Treating the back pain with acupuncture and laser therapy made the physio exercises much easier and addressed the yelping the owner had been so worried about.

Patience, tailored treatments and exercises are bearing fruit. Two months after her initial appointment we had the following update from Lauren:

“Just to say Winnie has had her best week yet. She is tolerating walks and exercise really well. There have been zero signs of pain or discomfort and she appears calmer as a result. She is even standing straighter. I have finally been able to walk her with her mum and never thought we would get there. Just a thank you really for the compassion and care you have shown Winnie and I. We are honestly so grateful.”

We commonly have clients worrying that patients with poor appetite due to gastro-intestnal problems won’t take the herbs. Lago proves this is not always the case…

“I could jump for joy this evening.  Lago ate pork with sweet potatoes,
peas and a sprinkling of her magic potion with homemade pork bone
broth!!
Can’t believe it!”

Thank you for today
Luisella.

Flute the Rabbit responded really well to his acupuncture session with Iris.
Flute’s owner Angela says,  “Flute our 6 year old rabbit was not grooming well and appeared uncomfortable. Iris was so calm and connected with him, understanding him and his needs. He appeared to enjoy his acupuncture treatment and responded really well. That evening Flute seemed much brighter and more comfortable. I was amazed to see him grooming places he couldn’t reach before his treatment. His racing and binkying around the garden and more relaxed posture is really encouraging.”

You may have seen Milly before, she has “made the case” for an holistic approach to arthritis.

As much as we enjoy doing acupuncture and laser therapy on cats, we are glad to report that she is now doing amazingly well just on herbs and supplements. She is now on Antinol as well as on Nutraquin + and it makes a real difference.

Thank you very much for sending these results and for the great service yesterday. We appreciated your advice and great practical and sympathetic approach for testing the 3 Afghans with no need to shave hair and no distress. We are also very pleased the results show no vaccination is required as all have good levels of immunity. We look forward to using your services in future.

Ellen

When Erica received Luna she had a dislocated hip. They found out that she has a shallow hip joint which, therefore, can jump out of position easier. Luna would limp on that leg as it was sore from the hip bone rubbing in the socket. Vet Iris Ege suggested a trial of the supplement Antinol for Luna. Erica is happy to report that, since starting on it, the hip has not dislocated. Luna is 9 years old now and is still active, and keen on playing.

We started using Antinol and it has made a world of difference. Luna doesn’t limp anymore. Antinol has given her a much better quality of life, which is all I can ask.

Erica

Molly has been on the lemon balm, nettle seeds and the CBD oil and has returned to taking the YuMOVE powder every day since we last spoke. … Also a recent blood test indicated that she could reduce the strength of her thyroid medication. In terms of her mobility, she is almost a different cat.  She no longer scrambles up on the sofa but jumps…  She is also no longer sensitive to touch on her lower back. We can even stroke her again without any fuss at all.  So a huge thank you for that!

Paul

Rifka, an 11 year old cross breed, was taken on by Eleanor 10 years ago. She had noticed her becoming stiffer in her movements over recent months but commented that “Rif’s condition rapidly deteriorated after one of our family members developed Covid in March and we were required to self-isolate for 10 days. During that period, Rif was unable to enjoy her daily walks as the family remained at home. At the end of the isolation period, she was looking uncomfortable and had ceased running her big, carefree loops in the fields.” Even after starting painkillers from the vets, she had still struggled to do the short lead walk up the hill to her best friend.

Soon afterwards, Eleanor approached A P Vet for help. Iris swung into action, assessed Rifka’s condition and put together a plan to help improve some of her symptoms. When she first saw Rifka, Iris was concerned that she was close to losing use of her hind legs. After carrying out some careful and gentle acupuncture, she prescribed herbal tinctures and a marine lipid concentrate named Antinol which is a natural anti-inflammatory assisting with mobility of joints in cases of osteoarthritis. Rifka is also receiving a turmeric paste.  

Certainly, there has been a marked improvement in Rifka’s health. At her second acupuncture appointment, Iris noted that Rifka was no longer at risk of losing use of her hind legs and she was stronger overall. Whilst there is still work to be done, owner Eleanor said…

Many thanks to Iris for helping to turn my dog’s health around through liaising with my first line vets to get cartrophen injections and suitable pain relief in place from them, whilst introducing the acupuncture, Antinol joint supplements and Boswellia herbal supplements via your team at A.P. Vet. Rifka has really benefitted from these combined efforts, has improved movement and is no longer at risk of losing use of her hind legs.

I can’t tell you how relieved I am to see a much more mobile Rifka who jumped up on her hind legs to give me a cuddle this week. There’s life left in the old dog yet!

Eleanor

Hi Iris, it must be at least 6 years since you treated Roo who has just gone from strength to strength and is being ridden 6 days a week and competing regularly with my friend. She’s 21 now (very soon be 22!). I thought you might like to see how she’s been doing, as she was very close to being pts before you saw her!

Lizzie

Holly is a Labrador cross Collie – always active and loved agility. Once osteoarthritis in both hips was diagnosed, at age four years, we switched from agility to Scurry Training (gun-dog dummy retrieval). She is a dog who loves to work, and needs the mental stimulation that this activity involves. Even though the work was tailored with the aim of not putting excessive strain on her hips, she slowly declined. Conventional veterinary medication was never agreeable to her digestive system.

On the first consultation, I expected Iris to tell me the kindest thing to do for Holly was to put her to sleep. She was in so much pain; unable to put her one rear leg to the ground. Life was miserable for her.
Even after the first session, Holly made remarkable progress, and with continual treatment over the past years she has improved. Iris found a local physiotherapist who makes home visits to give her regular physio and laser treatment.
Holly can over-work her muscles sometimes and will visibly flinch when stroking her back – Iris suggested acupuncture. I was sceptical at first and worried that Holly would not accept needles being inserted. It is truly AMAZING. The needles are painlessly put in place and the effect is almost instant. You can stroke her with no reaction and visibly see she is more fluid in her movements, and she loves the attention.
We all work together to keep Holly fit and active, with regular communication between us all. Holly loves her herbal tincture, and we are able to continue with Scurry Training, even though, now at age 12 years, it is done in an even more leisurely way. Both Holly and I are able to continue to enjoy our weekly training sessions with our mates, both four- and two-legged!

Sharon and Holly

My Welsh Cob, Merlyn, had suffered from several laminitic attacks. Restricted grazing managed the laminitis for a few more years, but he still lacked energy, his eyes were dull and he didn’t want to be ridden. Finally he became reluctant to move around much at all and was very unhappy. He was diagnosed with metabolic syndrome and he was nearly written off. I was desperate not to lose him. It’s taken time, work and commitment to do everything that Iris has told me to do. But now he is really fit, glossy and bursting with health. It seems like a magic cure, he is leading a normal life again and has not even put on weight this spring.

Anon.

I’ve been meaning to feedback on the progress of Danni and Poppy. The changes in both of them have been phenomenal! Poppy’s respiratory issues went away and she’s become much more forward-going. Danni has made such changes in the way she moves and is freed up still on the right rein! After nearly five years of rehab., she is back being ridden again. I wanted to thank you again, so much, for spending your time and expertise with us. l wonder if it’s possible to have some more of the herbal tincture for Poppy as she has some of the symptoms returning and is a bit itchy around her mane – it’s not yet sweet itch but it’s looking that way.

Julie