Willows Specialist Pinpoints Cure For Dog's Chronic Neck Pain
4 years ago 
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A sharp-thinking specialist at one of the country’s most advanced small animal hospitals has helped pinpoint a quick and painless cure for a dog’s chronic and persistent neck pain - acupuncture!
Tayto, a three-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, was referred to Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service, in Solihull, after conventional pain relief and management had failed to alleviate his debilitating problem.
Just a week later, though, he was well on the road to recovery after undergoing a course of acupuncture under the expert care of Willows’ specialist in anaesthesia and analgesia, Jacques Ferreira.
Jacques explained: “Tayto’s owners were very concerned about him because he had become inactive and very wary of interaction with humans and other animals. He’d also been crying out in pain.
“They highlighted an incident where he may have injured his neck whilst playing with another dog as a possible cause of the problem.
“He’d been given pain relief and medication for several weeks but that had left him sleepy and lethargic, while his pain had not improved.”
Tayto’s first port of call was the neurology department at Willows, which is part of Linnaeus, with specialist Simona Radaelli requesting an MRI scan.
Fortunately for Tayto, the MRI ruled out any structural problems and Simona transferred him to Jacques for further analysis in the hospital’s innovative chronic pain clinic.
Jacques said: “I carried out a clinical examination which revealed multiple muscle spasms and myofascial trigger points in the neck and back muscles.
“Taking into consideration the side-effects Tayto was experiencing on his pain plan, we decided a ‘less is more’ approach would be trialed instead.”
Jacques duly recommended the spaniel should begin a short course of acupuncture focusing on the neck and back region.
The acupuncture proved to be an instant success and delivered remarkable results for the reinvigorated pet, with Jacques saying: “Tayto was a great responder from the very first session.
“He immediately relaxed and within minutes of the needles being placed, he was fast asleep in his owner’s arms.
“Within a week of treatment, Tayto had already begun to show more interest in play and he returned to normal daily walks and energetic ball chases in the park not long afterwards.”
To find out more about Willows’ chronic pain clinic and wide range of specialist services, visit www.willows.uk.net or search for Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service on Facebook.
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