Offer of New Hope for Old Friends
“CALGARY-
Chilko has seen better days.
A good walk
for the 15 year old black lab is now 8-24 metres. The grey hair on his chin is
a testament to his advanced age.
Owner Gino
Furano isn’t willing to say goodbye to his constant companion just yet &
has embraced a holistic approach…
Furano has
been bringing Chilko to the Calgary Holistic Veterinary Clinic for acupuncture
for 3 years & says the hour-long sessions appear to be working.
‘Most of
the time he’ll just fall asleep,’ says Furano, sitting on the floor with
Chilko’s head in his lap.
‘When we
first brought him in, we noticed a significant change in his mobility…He’s
happy & he’s doing really, really well,’ Furano says.
‘The
acupuncture relieves some of the stress. Now I just think he has a lot of aches
& pains in his joints…’
Chilko
barely seems to notice when veterinarian Yanhui Qi inserts needles & hooks
them up to low-level electrical current.
‘It works
the same as on humans,’ Qi says. ‘We know that it’s working by observing after
the treatment if there is less pain & they are moving easier.’
The cost is
$220 for the initial consultation & treatment. Follow up treatments run
between $73 & $100.
Qi grew up
in rural China
where he says acupuncture has been used on horses & cattle for thousands of
years.
It’s rarer
in North America…But recent articles suggest
there is evidence it is useful in pain management in cats & dogs.
‘There is a
solid & still growing body of evidence for the use of pain in veterinary
medicine…
‘When I
first started at the clinic 16 years ago, people were sceptical, but now more
& more people want to try this kind of treatment for their animals,’ Qi
says. ‘With acupuncture we are able to save animals & improve the quality
of their lives.’
Miki Zahner
brought in her big Maine
coon cat named Tony after he injured a ligament in his leg in a tussle with
another cat.
‘He’s felt
a lot better He’s no longer limping,’ says Zahner.
‘I think
he’s only had 3 treatments. He’s jumping again & so he’s doing just fine,’
she says. ‘He fell asleep during it’.”
Bill Graveland
THE CANADIAN PRESS
In The Gazette, Montreal
June 6/2015
Cute Critter Pic
Weekly Chuckle
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