Dr. Garrood talks about Acupuncture

Happy summer, my friends!  Enjoying the warmer weather so far?  I know I am!  Well, at least from the window…  How about any fun summer vacationing yet?  I’ve been saving up for my summer cruise, which reminds me, I need to find out if they accept treats as payment.

Today I welcome a very special guest who just happens to be a good buddy of mine- Dr. Anne Garrood!  She is going to help me by talking about veterinary acupuncture.  For those who haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Garrood, let me tell you a little bit about her. 

Dr. Anne Garrood

Dr. Garrood, originally from Cambridge, England, has been practicing veterinary medicine for about 26 years and actually started out in human medicine earning her Bachelors degree in nursing while working in Nottingham at a pharmaceutical company.  After a few years, she decided she wanted to see what the good ole’ USA had to offer and soon found herself living in Mississippi and beginning her journey of veterinary medicine.  In 1991, she not only graduated from Mississippi State College of Veterinary Medicine, but also became a United States citizen!  Fast forward to 1999, she joined our fabulous team at GFAH and has since been stuck with us! J  Following her interest in complementary medicine, she took the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) course in 1997 and has been practicing ever since.

For those who may not be familiar with acupuncture, it is essentially inserting needles into particular points of the body to help generate healing and “balance energy”.  I bet you probably didn’t know that it has been used in veterinary medicine in China for at least 3000 years!  Like humans, animals don’t always respond to acupuncture, but it has been proven to be very successful in many cases to help alleviate symptoms and pain from a variety of diseases and ailments.  Some of those include (but are not limited to): arthritis, skin problems, respiratory problems, reproductive issues, and nervous system, kidney and liver problems and gastrointestinal issues.  I think Dr. Garrood would agree that most of her acupuncture patients are receiving treatment due to issues with arthritis but she has had patients with other ailments as well. 

Dr. Garrood was kind enough to answer some questions for me relating to what she does with acupuncture on dogs and cats

Mason: When did you first become interested in doing acupuncture on dogs and cats?

Dr. Garrood: “When I was in vet school, I looked into taking the course but it was too expensive for a poor vet student.”

Mason: Was learning how to do acupuncture on animals difficult?  How long have you been doing it?

Dr. Garrood: “Yes.  It was very hard to switch my mind from Western scientific thinking (“left brain”) to the Chinese model which is more “right brain” driven.   Chinese medicine varies the treatment depending on the signs that a person shows, so 2 people, both with asthma, might receive very different treatments. 

I took the IVAS (International Veterinary Acupuncture Society) course from 1996-1997.”
 

Mason: I know you typically see more dogs than cats for acupuncture; do you think that dogs tend to respond better than cats in general?

Dr. Garrood: “Although cats usually don’t like insertion of the needles very much, they do seem to respond to acupuncture very well.  I have had some cats with very severe illness become completely well again with acupuncture, so I love doing acupuncture on kitties; it is very rewarding!”

Mason: Just like with people, acupuncture on animals is never guaranteed to work, however it looks like you have been fairly successful overall with patients responding to treatment.  Over the years that you have been practicing acupuncture, what percentage would you say were given a better quality of life because of it?

Dr. Garrood: “I generally expect 60-70% of patients to respond well.  Another 10-15% responds some, but maybe not responds well enough to continue with the acupuncture.  Unfortunately, I can’t tell beforehand who will respond and who won’t, so I have to try it to find out.”

Thank you Dr. Garrood for taking the time to sit down with me and answer some questions!  If you think that your dog or cat might benefit from acupuncture, please don’t hesitate to contact us so that we can put you in touch with Dr. Garrood.

For more information on veterinary acupuncture, here are a few resources to try:

International VeterinaryAcupuncture Society

American Academy of VeterinaryAcupuncture  

American Holistic VeterinaryMedical Association  

VeterinaryPartner- Acupuncture:  An AncientPractice

OK, all of this acupuncture talk suddenly has me very relaxed and “zen-ful” so I’m going to go nap it off! 

Til next meow,

Mason

 

 

March Madness Mewsings from Mason

Mason weigh in

Hey there friends and fans!  Dr.–err Mr. Mason here.  I don’t know about all of you, but I sure as howl can’t wait for spring!  March Madness has a completely different meaning in the cat world.  It’s that first hint of spring when all the birds, squirrels and various other tiny creatures start flooding the outdoors, taunting felines around the country who can only “window shop” (as I like to call it).  I am very intimidating behind glass and it’s no secret around the avian and rodent community that I very well could be a force to be reckoned with, if given the opportunity.  So continue to poop on the windows my avian acquaintances; I am never an active participant in its removal.

Back to business, let’s talk about something that no cat likes to discuss: going to the vet.  Little do owners know that most of us actually keep a fairly (if not more) accurate record of our veterinary excursions.  Why you ask?  Because we do not trust you to inform us prior to breaking out the captivity vessel and kidnapping us at scruff point.  We need to know when to make ourselves scarce, eat all of our meals, and show no sign of defeat or we may end up at the V-E-T.  I don’t expect you to believe me, I probably wouldn’t even though I can be quite convincing when I want to be.  Here’s an inside tip to all you fabulous feline parents: your cat can be Oscar worthy when it comes to acting like nothing’s wrong.  By the time you notice something’s up we’ve been playing it off for weeks, if not months, and potentially making things worse.  We can be extremely stoic and often mask signs of illness.  It can start as something relatively small, such as a decrease in appetite or increase in water intake, that owner’s often don’t recognize until the cat has stopped eating completely or started urinating inappropriately in the house.   

Most cats are less than excited, about getting in the car, let alone going to the vet.  We know that visits to see the doc are a necessary evil in our purr-suit of a long, healthy, comfortable life.  But that doesn’t mean we’re going to let you know it by just succumbing to your deceit and going easily to the vet.  Despite that, take us to the vet, it’s for our own protection.  Even cats that don’t go outdoors NEED yearly vet visits and it’s recommended that pets over age 7 go at least semi-annually.  Being a cat, of course I don’t like being weighed or having my temp taken or heaven forbid being poked by a needle but I realize I can’t expect to conquer the earth if I don’t feel well.  I often wonder why some cats are treated like second-class citizens when it comes to health care.  I’m not saying it’s necessarily done on purr-pose, but just like dogs, we need to have a good physical at least once a year.  Having routine blood work done when we reach seniority is highly recommended and could save our lives.  Have you ever had your doctor find something on a routine physical or blood work that needed addressing, even if you felt fine?  Routine visits can be vital to your cats’ wellbeing. 

Speaking of addressing things, I wanted to address something that is a very common misconception among cat owners.  Even if we don’t go outside, all domestic cats are required by law, in most states (including VA/MD/DC) to be current on our rabies vaccination.  Depending on where you are, violators could face pretty hefty fines.  Any mammal is capable of contracting rabies, including humans, so if breaking the law doesn’t faze you, contracting the rabies virus should.  It is always fatal, however, times have progressed and rabies related deaths in humans are not common if treated in time.  But that doesn’t mean you want to get it!  Just this week there was a report of a death in Maryland due to rabies exposure.  For more information on rabies infections in humans, visit http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/location/usa/index.html.  Indoor cats can sneak out; just as wild mammals (like bats) can sneak in so you better keep all of your cats up to date!   Don’t be crazy, protect against rabies!

So what is the lesson that I hope everyone learned today, class?  Be a responsible cat owner and regardless of whether or not Mr.Bigglesworth goes outside, he needs annual vet visits.  The doctor will recommend vaccines or follow ups based on your cat’s individual case.  They will examine his eyes, ears, heart, lungs, joints, and everything else to make sure that it all is in working order.  They can even tell if our teeth need cleaning which, as I have discussed before, can play a huge part in pet health.  Still need convincing or just want to learn more about it?  Visit http://www.healthypet.com/PetCare/PetCareArticle.aspx?title=Wellness_Exams for more info.

Let’s face it, I could definitely escape my staff if I really wanted to, but I gotta say I’m pretty darn spoiled.  My staff is also good at noticing when I’m not myself, so living at the vet has actually been a pretty cushy life.  Speaking of which, it’s time for Dr. Garrood to hand feed me my yogurt.  So I’ll see you next month!

Purrs,

Mason

Pet Dental Health Month

Greetings friends! How is everyone’s 2013 going so far? How about those New Year’s resolutions? One of mine was to simmer down the sarcasm a bit but then I remembered that I’m a cat! It’s part of my natural charm. My 2013 has been OK so far though I am recovering from being a bit under the weather. Thankfully my staff takes pretty good care of me and can

Mason in his office dozing, um I mean, working hard.

tell when I’m not feeling my best! I know you want your pet to feel their best, so let’s talk about your pet’s dental health and signals that something may be wrong. Today’s main objective however is to go over with you what to expect when your pet does need dental care.

Let's say that Fido is 8 years old and has a broken tooth with significant amount of tartar buildup.   Fido’s parent had noticed a decrease in his appetite and then he didn’t want to eat at all.  He had also become lethargic and didn’t want to play or go on walks which concerned the parent even more since walks were pretty much the best darn thing ever created.  So Dr. Mason has now determined that Fido needs dental work.  What now?   He recommends extracting the broken tooth and doing a complete dental at the same time. The doctor gives them the pre-dental instructions.  Due to Fido’s graceful aging and passing 7 years, pre-anesthetic blood work is mandatory so he goes ahead and takes care of that during the exam.  Dr. Mason will determine based on the blood work whether or not he thinks Fido will be a good candidate to undergo anesthesia.  Other things to remember:  12-hour fast (no food or treats however water is OK), and what time Fido should be admitted the day of the procedure.  You need to make sure that you tell the front desk at check in if you gave any medications that morning so they can relay that to the doctor.  And if you do accidentally give your pet a treat or feed them even a little breakfast, let the front staff know since that could affect whether or not your pet should go under anesthesia. 

Fido needs to be fully anesthetized, because the doctor needs to be able to fully examine his mouth and the licensed veterinary technician needs to be able to perform a thorough cleaning. While Fido is anesthetized the doctor may find other teeth that need to be extracted and possibly need to take x-rays to look for further decay.  The doctor went over Fido’s post dental care.  Taking into consideration Fido’s medical history and having at least one tooth extracted, the doctor plans on sending him home with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) for pain and an antibiotic.  Every case is different so make sure you pay attention to what the vet says and follow any pre and post dental instructions!  Follow ups are usually not necessary as long as your pet’s eating and drinking normally and they are not showing any other signs of distress. 



Just some of my hard working staff



My doctors and staff will handle any questions or concerns you may have so don’t hesitate to ask!  You can come in and ask me but then people might think it’s a bit strange asking a cat medical advice...  No one’s supposed to know just how smart I really am.  They wouldn’t believe you since it’s so rare to have some cat this handsome be this intelligent...  On that note, my brain needs food as does my tummy so I am off to soak in some smart... in the form of dinner!



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Purrs,

Mason