julie & punkin (ga)
Member Since 2011
day before yesterday
just got back from punkin's first acupuncture treatment. it was bizarre. the first few needles went on the inside of his thighs, which didn't thrill him. the vet said cats typically don't like anyone touching inside their thighs no matter why, which is definitely true on punkin. he didn't fight him or anything, you could just tell he would've rather been left alone.
he put a number of needles in his back end, then started putting them on either side of his spine. as the vet got a few in, punkin sunk down on the table like he was going to go to sleep. the vet finished putting the needles in - maybe 10-15 all together, and told me that some cats will purr through the whole thing. he said they feel a buzzing sensation with the needles in, and they release endorphins, which can make the dog/cat go limp, go to sleep, drool or purr. he set a timer for 20 minutes. he said if he puts in a lot of needles it can literally make the animal sleep for 3 days straight - they get this massive endorphin release that can just put them out, so with punkin, he wanted to start slow and easy.
as soon as he left, punkin wanted down off the table. the vet had said better to keep him up there, so i spent the next 20 minutes fussing with him. about halfway through i moved him to the bench where i had a corner to help me keep him boxed in. they can lay down with the needles in, but i was trying not to touch them. i think punkin felt funny and was looking for a hiding spot.
pretty interesting experience. just fyi in case anyone's interested, this first session cost $65 and lasted about an hour. the bupe i got cost $50 for a week, maybe 10 days - so for not much more i may have a non-drug solution for his pain. you go once a week for about a month, then start cutting back, ultimately getting to once a month. he said some animals don't respond to it, but most show a significant change in about 2-3 weeks. some show some improvement the first week, but often it is short-lived.
now we wait. i'm really curious what his BG is after the treatment, but anya is on my lap and i hate to displace her.
and did i say YAY? i'm off now til the 29th, so we increased punkin's dose because we'll be able to monitor him over break. today is my son's 23rd birthday.
just got back from punkin's first acupuncture treatment. it was bizarre. the first few needles went on the inside of his thighs, which didn't thrill him. the vet said cats typically don't like anyone touching inside their thighs no matter why, which is definitely true on punkin. he didn't fight him or anything, you could just tell he would've rather been left alone.
he put a number of needles in his back end, then started putting them on either side of his spine. as the vet got a few in, punkin sunk down on the table like he was going to go to sleep. the vet finished putting the needles in - maybe 10-15 all together, and told me that some cats will purr through the whole thing. he said they feel a buzzing sensation with the needles in, and they release endorphins, which can make the dog/cat go limp, go to sleep, drool or purr. he set a timer for 20 minutes. he said if he puts in a lot of needles it can literally make the animal sleep for 3 days straight - they get this massive endorphin release that can just put them out, so with punkin, he wanted to start slow and easy.
as soon as he left, punkin wanted down off the table. the vet had said better to keep him up there, so i spent the next 20 minutes fussing with him. about halfway through i moved him to the bench where i had a corner to help me keep him boxed in. they can lay down with the needles in, but i was trying not to touch them. i think punkin felt funny and was looking for a hiding spot.
pretty interesting experience. just fyi in case anyone's interested, this first session cost $65 and lasted about an hour. the bupe i got cost $50 for a week, maybe 10 days - so for not much more i may have a non-drug solution for his pain. you go once a week for about a month, then start cutting back, ultimately getting to once a month. he said some animals don't respond to it, but most show a significant change in about 2-3 weeks. some show some improvement the first week, but often it is short-lived.
now we wait. i'm really curious what his BG is after the treatment, but anya is on my lap and i hate to displace her.
and did i say YAY? i'm off now til the 29th, so we increased punkin's dose because we'll be able to monitor him over break. today is my son's 23rd birthday.
