Mango will be having accupuncture! & Toffee too!

[Sarita]

I’m going to give accupuncture a try on my Mango bun.  If anyone remembers my Maxine who had debilitating arthritis and trying for a very short time accupuncture and then the laser therapy, know’s I’m interested in trying some alternative medicine.

One of the vet’s at the clinic where one of my very rabbit experience vet practices does accupuncture.  She’s never worked on a rabbit but I know with Dr. Effie there to help her with any rabbit questions, I feel good and she wants to try it!

We did some x-rays on Wednesday for Dr. Hill to see what is going on and Dr. Effie think’s it’s worth trying. 

Mango is about 8 1/2 years old and has had arthritis for about 4 years – not debilitating like Ms. Maxine’s but I know he’s not comfortable and I’d love to try to give him a little comfort.

His first session is Tuesday.  Dr. Hill feels like hopefully it can work with some of his poopy butt issues too! 

[LBJ10]

How neat! There is someone where I live that does acupuncture on dogs and I had actually thought about it for my poor old doggie. I have never thought of someone doing it on a bunny before. You will have to let us know how it turns out!

[lashkay]

Good for you Sarita, I hope the acupuncture helps Mango significantly. It certainly can’t hurt! (Ouch!)

[BinkyBunny]

Acupuncture really seemed to make a difference for Bailey when she was dealing with hind leg weakness due to e.cuniculi. I am interested to see how this could work with arthritis too. Jack does really well considering he has arthritis (I give him a glucosamine mix from the vet too), and he has no problem hopping around and jumping up and down, but as time goes on, he leans so much on one front paw due to arthritis in his other paw, he’s beginning to get a bald spot on the side of his paw that I have to watch carefully so it doesn’t turn into a sore.

I will talk to my vet too about this on his next vet visit. Keep us updated with how the acupuncture sessions go and if they seem to have a positive affect. (I know it can be one of those things that is residual)

[Beka27]

I hope this helps! Update us please!

[RabbitPam]

So cool, Sarita!
I remember Maxine well, and always like hearing about your alternative treatments. You have the most interesting vets. They must love it when they see you coming.

Keep us posted.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Good luck, hope it helps! It would be really cool if you could get some pictures. I’m very interested in alternative therapies for my pets as well as myself.

[jerseygirl]

One of the vets at the clinic I go to has studied accupuncture and she’s also one of the rabbit vets. It seems it’s being used more now in veterinary. It’s always good to hear of complimentary treatments that are going to help give comfort. I hope it does this for Mango.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Let us know how it goes!

[Sarita]

Mango’s first accupuncture procedure was today. I really like the vet who is performing the accupuncture and she is very happy to be able to work on a rabbit because it’s new to her.

She called me to let me know how it went and what to expect. She said don’t expect alot after the first procedure though and that it takes a few procedures to get the most benefit. She said I should continue him on the metacam and this would work in conjunction with the pain meds, it doesn’t replace it.

He does seem more refreshed (if a rabbit can be refreshed) than he normally would be coming back from a day at the vet’s. Last week for his x-ray he seemed more tired that he was after today’s procedure. So I’m glad it wasn’t too tiring for him.

The vet said he was very vocal during the procedure and while he was eating his greens which she fed him while she did the procedure. Well, Mango is not a silent rabbit like my other rabbits. He’s very noisy.

I really hope that this will help his quality of life and I’m thinking of talking to my other vet tomorrow about having some accupuncture done for Toffee as well. I need to find out if it can help with urinary tract infections.

[BinkyBunny]

Thanks for the update! That’s interesting about being vocal. Does he do little grunts and squeaks, or how does he vocalize?
When Bailey had her acupuncturist, one of the first needs that went in was for relaxation. I don’t know if that is what kept her calm with all the needles, or if she was just used to me holding her (as she needed regular bum cleaning). I can’t believe Mango was calm enough to eat! My bunnies won’t even accept a treat at the vets. No appetite there.

Sounds so far like a positive beginning! Keep us updated.

[Sarita]

So we are going to give it a try on Toffee as well for her bladder sludge – the vet is excited to try this and is going to give me a discount – heck she’s already cheap as it is for these procedures.

Mango was doing very well – the last few days he’s had his poopy butt agan but I know treatment is progressive and his poopy butt hasn’t been as bad.

Here’s an interesting article the vet sent me on rabbit accupuncture:

rabbitcare.org/acupuncture.htm

[jerseygirl]

Thanks for that Sarita! : )

[MayaConsuelo]

How interesting! I’m an acupuncturist (actually in a continuing education class right at this moment, heh) and I love to hear about people using these therapies for animals. I’ve been too chicken to try it on my cats, and have no reason to try it on Bun-Bun. Animals are obviously more in touch with their natural energy than people are, so they respond to energetic medicine like acupuncture very quickly (and need much less time with the needles than people do.) I’m interested to see if it helps with the bladder problem so keep us updated, usually for people we recommend herbs for UTIs but obviously it’s different with a rabbit. So many people are scared of needles (until they actually try the acupuncture and realize it doesn’t hurt) – so you have quite the brave and adventurous bunny!

[Sarita]

So a little update – Mango went for his 3rd acupuncture session this Tuesday – we had to skip a week because the vet was on vacation. They totally shaved him behind area because it’s so bad from the crusted poo’s and I’m using a balm on his skin to help soothe him. It seems like the week that we weren’t able to do the acupuncture he got poopy butt quite a bit – it seems to me that after the treatment, we are poopy butt free for a little while He does seem relaxed and refreshed when he comes back from these sessions rather than worn out like he normally does when he’s back from the vet’s office.

The vet says that he is beginning to make friends with her and trust her more so that helps with the sessions. We are hoping that his skin will heal with the balm for the next session so she can poke a particular acupuncture pressure point that she thinks will help with the GI tract.

Toffee she said does well and is easy.

Apparently because rabbits are short and not tall like dogs she has to turn them upside down and around and stuff to get to the points – that’s an exaggeration of course, but it seems to be more of a challenge with rabbits.

[Elrohwen]

That’s so interesting! If nothing else, it sounds like it’s relaxing him and making him feel comfortable and that’s a fantastic outcome. I’ve never done acupuncture, or had it done on pets, but it’s always interested me.

[MimzMum]

Glad to hear the treatments are having a desired effect! Ah, if only we had an animal acupuncturist here. I don’t think we even have a human one. … (boy that sentence reads funny if you think about it) >.<

Anyway, I would be about ready to take Mimzy in for something like this. It would beat giving him nasty medicine any day of the week. Needless to say, *I* hate the idea of him being stuck with teeny pins…but it may not bother him at all.

You know, Sarita, the connection between the less poopy butt and acupuncture is intriguing. I’m following a case in Britain right now where a woman is curing her bun of cecal dysfunction with wild rabbit diet. I wonder if the ‘reconnecting’ of basic body energies, as is the goal with acupuncture, is applicable to the problem of a malfunctioning cecum -in her rabbits’ case: due to toxins that paralyzed the nerves from repeated bouts of dysbiosis- and if such a thing would also help Fiver with his continuing problems in this area.
He’s so sensitive though to being touched in general, and I have a feeling he’d have something to say about getting pins anywhere near his face…where exactly does the doctor insert them? It’s supposed to lower stress level too, right? And was it you who told me that an acupuncturist for humans will often take on animal patients?

[Malp_15]

This is all so interesting!! I wish my clinic was more progressive with these kind of treatments. We only have a horse acupuncturist in town.

[BinkyBunny]

I am also very interested in this thread as Jack has calcium bladder issues so I will be watching to see how this works on Toffee.

I was amazed at the results that Bailey seemed to have. (for more brain to back leg connection) when she was having acupuncture. I went there as an open skeptic and of course Bailey went in not knowing what the heck was going on, so it her improvements due to acupuncture still amaze me.

[LoveChaCha]

Heh interesting.

Chacha had accupuncture once, for her ear issues (which are now fine). I helped the vet hold her down while the vet inserted needles on each side of her head.. and it didn’t seem like Chacha noticed anything at all…

I had a frankenbun It was so cute.

[lwayne]

 There’s a bunny at our rescue that gets accupuncture.  He’s got some neurological disorder that he was born with where he didn’t have any control over his limbs (they would just flop around, kinda like double jointed).  He would roll around to get around his pen and thus couldn’t use a litter box and had to be cleaned regularly (his brother helped him a little).  The vet said he probably wasn’t in pain, but suggested the accupuncture.  

 

Here’s a photo of the bunny:

I got to hold him!  He was quite cute.  It was a bit strange though since his limbs would just flop around, you’d try to position them correctly.

 

Good luck to your bunnies!  I hope the accupuncture works!  It can only help . 

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