One of my cats has been looking unhappy for the last few months. She's also put back some of the weight she lost last year. She will be 12 years old in June.
I took her to Bishop Ranch the end of January and Dr. Baine noticed she was limping. He told me she has arthritis. He gave her a cortisone shot for the pain but it started wearing off in March.
I didn't want her to get another cortisone shot because long-term use can cause other problems. I thought she might benefit from acupuncture. One of the Vets at Bishop Ranch specializes in holistic medicine. So I called and made an appointment for April 2nd for an acupuncture treatment.
Kirsten Williams, DVM is described on the Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center web site as a "Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist". She also has training in traditional Chinese medicine. She "is one of only two veterinarians in the region who provide this care for dogs and cats." The other one, Dr. Cynthia Easton, also comes in once a week to Bishop Ranch. Dr. Williams is there on Thursdays and Dr. Easton is there on Mondays.
I was very pleased with the treatment Dr. Williams gave my cat. The cat however was not as pleased. She hissed and growled and snapped at Dr. Williams several times. Dr. Williams gave Molly a very thorough exam and asked a lot of questions about where she slept, what she ate, and how she got around.
She then inserted about 20 acupuncture needles into Molly, narrowly missing being bitten several times. She told me to keep Molly calm for about 20 minutes for the treatment to work and she left the exam room. I kept Molly still so she would not shake out any of the needles.
Dr. Williams came back after 20 minutes and took the needles out. Molly was still snapping and grumpy. Maybe I should take her to a talent agency as Grumpy Cat Too. At least it could pay for her vet bills. This bill was over $250 but I thought it was reasonable for a specialist.
Molly was still irritable when we got home, but she perked up the next day. It looks like the treatment worked but with a delayed reaction.
Molly appeared to be pain-free for about 4 days, but now she is moving stiffly again. I'm not sure if the acupuncture wore off or she is reacting to the change in the weather. I'm feeling it too. I call it "barometer pain." When the barometer goes down, my joint pain goes up.
Dr. Williams included a vial of Chinese herbs to give Molly for pain. She didn't need it as long as the acupuncture treatment lasted, but I shall start mixing the powder into her food this afternoon. I'm bringing her back in for another treatment with Dr. Williams on April 16th.
