Sounds like you have gotten professional advice. If it helps Cosmo, you will never regret it. Wonder how often return trips are necessary?

I am not certified in acupuncture (yet) but I do believe that it helps tremendously with pain control in pets- I've seen the improvement in my own dog (I do some acupuncture on her, after being shown the points by an acupunturist).

I can also say with great confidence that while I LOVE tramadol, Gabapentin may be a better choice for neurologic pain. My Rottie K'Ehleyr has a terrible back too, and she recently had some increased ataxia and other problems. She was on the rimadyl and tramadol protocol, but the neurologist suggested switching her tramadol for gabapentin, and it helped a lot. We can still use the tramadol if she gets painful, but her ataxia has straightened out and she seems much better than before.

I've not seen an animal that was distressed or otherwise uncomfortable for acupuncture, and I've seen it done on a wide variety of pets including birds. If a bird can sit through it, I'm sure Cosmo will be just fine.

Most pets seem a little worse the days following the first couple of treatments, but improve greatly. As their bodies get used to acupuncture, they don't seem to have the bad days any more, so stick with it for several treatments.

Glad you have a vet in your area who can do acupuncture. I wish it was more readily available for more pets. Good luck with Cosmo. He is a lucky boy to have you!

Thanks Bill and Meghane!

I will look into the Gabapentin. Is that also known as Neurontin? I am hesitant to give Cosmo the tramadol because I read somewhere that it should be cautioned with dogs who have siezures, which he does. Currently he seems to be ok with the increased dosage of Rimadyl and I have not had to resort to the tramadol.

Thanks again!

My old girl, a Shepard/Lab had HD. Not a severe case, but still it caused her problems, especially in later life.

She took it really well, never complained, just stood there looking like a pin cushion. The one thing I discovered is that the dog (and humans I believe) really need it on a regular basis (perhaps once every few days? I've forgotten), then a taper off period that gradually cuts treatments down to one a month or so.

Have you considered skeletal alignment? My dog had this done many times and she really liked it.

Good luck!

SG

I have a mini dachshund that is prone to back issues. I use to take him for accupuncture. He hated it and would become pretty agitated during treatment. He could make the needles fall out of his skin faster than the vet could put them in. We never made it to the point of him being able to see/feel the benefit of the treatments because he would not allow the needles to stay in. After about 8 (unsuccessful due to the dog) treatments, I decided not to continue trying.

My mom, on the other hand, had great success with the treatment when she took her mini doxie in.

My schnoodle Chloe has pancreatitis. I know it's not what you are dealing with, but acupuncture has been a godsend. The poor thing would have episodes about every 2-6 weeks. And although she had medication for her pain, nausea, and vomiting you don't want them to have to digest anything during these episodes. Well she hasn't been to the traditional vet for her ailment since January. She had the cold laser once and needles twice. That's it. Now when I can tell she feels bad I hold onto her pressure points several times, as long as she lets me. She usually is herself by the end of the day. Eastern medicine has been around for thousands of years. I say try it if you can go a natural route, for animals and humans. Good luck, I hope it helps your dog's pain level.

I was an assistant at a veterinary acupuncture practice for years. We had great success with treating dogs with pain from arthritis or orthopedic issues. The acupuncture reduced the pain and helped the dogs retain nerve function and muscle tone. In the beginning they came once a week for for weeks the we'd start spacing it out until we found the interval the dog did best at. Most older dogs with general arthritis pain came every 4 weeks. In my experience the Labs we treated seemed to love it. The needles don't usually hurt and appointment mostly consists of the dog laying down with the needles in and having the owner and dr. pet them and tell them how wonderful they are.

There are lots of vets dabbling in acupuncture these days without really having an understanding of the Chinese medical principles behind it. I urge you to check where your vet trained, how long they've been doing acupuncture, etc.