Introducing Prolotherapy

Slinky is one of my first spinal prolotherapy patients. This extremely sweet and lovable dog has been in excruciating pain for almost a whole year. He had become a fearful dog and most of the time he was trembling just in anticipation of pain.

His x-rays showed multiple calcified discs in the spine over the neck and all along the back.

An integrative treatment protocol was devised for pain management which included acupuncture, chiropractic, laser therapy, Western and Chinese pain medications. While this helped to alleviate pain to some extent, he still continued to be distressed and cry out with the smallest movement. Pretty soon he had to be carried with the help of a sling keeping his back and neck straight.

It was time for intervention at another level. I elected to perform prolotherapy along the entire length of his spine. Injections of dextrose with lidocaine (pain reliever) were injected in multiple anatomical locations of his vertebral column under intra-muscular sedation using strict aseptic protocols. Slinky was provided laser treatment prior to the procedure followed by acupuncture after the procedure. His short term sedation was reversed and he was discharged, still moderately painful.

Three days later Slinky had already showed significant improvement. Three weeks later, he ran into my clinic a pain-free happy dog wagging his tail and bouncing around.

In my career as an emergency veterinarian, I have found dogs with back pain to be the most challenging cases, both emotionally and medically. I am grateful that I now have another viable non-surgical treatment option to alleviate pain and promote healing.

I am proud to be a holistic veterinarian and it is really amazing to practice integrative medicine using my extensive Western medical as well as holistic training.

Thank you to Dr. Barb Fehlau and Dr. Marlene Smith for inspiring me.