In which we get together for good company and needleages

"Bring all the dogs, I'll bring the needles!" said Patty.

So we did.

Other people go to the dog park.  We go to Fish Creek.

Patty has been taking acupuncture classes to expand her veterinary practice.   She has a bucket-ton of homework.

The books and workbooks weigh approximately a billion pounds

Part of the homework is practicing with needles and dogs.

So, she brought the needles.

The needle is thinner than the line on the notebook paper

She also brought the books, and she's not afraid to use them.

Patient Number One is Rudy, a 7 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback with front-end lameness.

She started with a needle in his head!

Here's what Patty has to say about Rudy:  He has a Metal Constitution.  He also displayed "heat seeking + pulse weak on left = yin deficiency, and lavender tongue = stagnation.

Yes, his tongue really was lavender.  No, the camera couldn't catch that.

She treated him with GV-20 for calming (that was the forehead needle).  Then, SI-9 both sides as a master point for forelimb pain--those were needles in his shoulders.  And finally,

Rudy doesn't like having his feet touched, but he tolerated this.

LI-4 to clear stagnation.  A "Metal" dog responds well to Liver / Large intestine meridian points, so that acts as a double-whammy for Rudy's issues.

Next up:  Foxie Loxie.  A 4 year old (next week is his birthday!) Shetland Sheepdog.  No physical ailments, but Fox has shown some mental and physical depression since Luna's death.

Luna and Puzzle were Foxie's best friends.

Foxie has a Water Constitution.

His recent behavior change is called a "Shen Disturbance" and is treated with An-Shen behind one ear.

Unlike Rudy, Fox doesn't mind being touched.  He prefers to have physical contact when he's afraid.

The challenge with needling a hairy dog like a Sheltie is remembering where you left all the needles.  They disappear within the coat! 

Some needles that come with little "flags" on the end to make retrieval easier, but we didn't have any of those today.

Jasmine suffered a recent injury that is being treated by another vet, so Patty marked a few spots on her to make her feel like one of the gang.

"Small but mighty"...and a moving target!

Red sticker on GV-20

Lastly, Selah.  A seven-year-old Je Ne Sais Pas shelter dog with Water Constitution.  She is significantly less timid than Foxie, the other Water dog in the group. 

It's important to note that all dogs have aspects of all types of constitutions, so while Selah is predominantly Water, she shows Earth and Fire traits as well.

Selah showed good tongue color, and pulse weaker on the right.  This indicates that she's kind of in Excess, with local stagnation in the front leg due to a muscle injury.

An-Shen behind the ear, for calmness.

Selah was not thrilled about the needles, so she got very few for the first time.  Next time, when she's more comfortable, Patty will insert more.

For today, Selah got to show off some of the points of her belly...and get a tummy rub.

And when we were all done:

Love for the veterinarian!

It was a good day to hang out and learn stuff.

This evening, Foxie is less anxious.  In fact, he's fast asleep under my chair right now.

And that is Good.