Class IV Laser & Pain Management Evaluation Today
 She still runs around the yard for brief periods but she isn't putting full weight on her right foot at times. She sits at times rather than standing. Some nights she jumps up on the bed, others she'll go in the bed room and come back out signaling me to give her a boost. She's now got some swelling at the elbows likely from having to compensate for what's lacking in the back end. She can get up pretty good still... she needs no assistance. I'll try to share the experience for others who might be considering this treatment. We'll see how she does over the next couple of months... |
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| Poor lady, hope the treatment helps. |
I hope Panda gets some relief.  She does look pretty pleased with herself, scoring an outing and leaving everyone else at home!  |
The developments in pain management are amazing. I hope that this gives her some relief.  |
| good luck to panda girl!! |
| Sure hope it helps. |
| Jaci, you've described Bear's symptoms to a tee. We're going through the same exact thing. I will say that the combination of anti-inflammatories, pain meds and laser treatments have shown dramatic improvements in him in the last month and a half. Like Panda, he wasn't putting weight on one his legs all the time and sometimes he'd knuckle over. Since starting the treatments, the knuckling has completely stopped and, even when he does favor his leg, it's nothing more than a momentary limp rather than an entire lift and carry as it was before. For the first time since he was maybe a year old, he jumped into the car (all four feet in the air) the other day. It's not something I want him doing and I was shocked that he did but, at the same time, so happy that he felt strong enough to actually do it. He can now climb stairs with no issue (although going down is still a bit stiff and slow), he stands for longer than a few seconds at a time and his tail never stops wagging. We were doing treatments every 2 days for a few weeks and now we're scaling back to once a week with the intent of getting it down to once every two weeks. It's been worth every penny. I hope Panda has the same results. Is she on any other medication for the pain? |
We're going to do the first 7 treatments over the next 2 weeks and reevaluate. They did x-rays but I asked them not to put her on her back in order to get whatever that view is called. That leaves her in pain after... thinking it's due to her back- She does have arthritis in her hips, back, knees, elbows... just about everywhere they looked. Except for the hips and back, the arthritis is said to be mild to moderate. They'll target all these areas... I thought he said 42? We'll repeat a second series of 7 treatments if things go well with the hope that we'll be able to maintain her with less frequent treatments later on. This vet is just minutes down the road from us so it's convenient. He said he's going to attend a seminar in Texas in the next couple of weeks on V.O.M. treatments... Panda had that early on and did benefit from it though it looks like some hocus pocus thing. I obviously don't understand it.  So we did the first treatment today which included an Adequan shot. She wasn't fazed at all by the shot... I guess I thought it was given differently. We all donned our laser protection glasses and Panda fell asleep during the treatment. Jill, I was thinking of you and Bear often while we were there. I didn't know you had started the treatments... it's the reason I was sharing this experience! I'm SO happy that Bear has found relief!  I bet it brings tears to your eyes sometimes seeing a severely debilitated dog now mobile again... it brought them to mine just reading your post. And the stinker jumping into the car...  It takes you by surprise when they do things they haven't done in years. We have treated Panda more homeopathically... Glycoflex III, Devil's Claw, DGP... she also gets a few other supplements. After adding the Devil's Claw she was jumping up to put her feet on top of the Dutch door again... something she hadn't done for a few years. But maybe her spine had fused more?? It's so hard to know. She would give Tramadol only when she showed signs of limping or was sitting... when she's in more pain she'll sit. And like Bear, she would eventually sit down if she'd been up too long. I was honestly debating whether I should take her down with Bumble to MSU for his next visit and have a consult with an ortho surgeon to see if it was time for the FHO. But then she improved again... though she's now left with the right foot thing... not putting full pressure on it at times. What meds/supplements are you giving Bear? It may be difficult to judge how well the laser treatments alone are working because we are going to keep her on Tramadol... 1 tablet 3x daily to stay on top of the pain. Panda takes Betaine Hydrochlorid because of a digestive/urinary thing and NSAIDS are contraindicated... but there are other opiods that could be used. I did video her gait before treatment... Dr. Peck's waiting room is open and long so I had Jim walk her. I couldn't do that here at home. Just something to refer to. By the way... I love this vet's floor! got sheep wrote: She does look pretty pleased with herself, scoring an outing and leaving everyone else at home! You got that right! She's such a good sport too.Panda says, "Thanks for the well wishes!" |
| Wow! I didn't even know something like this was possible. My poor Drez suffered so much with her HD, even after we had the FHO done on her right leg. She was on meds for a few years before we lost her, which helped a lot but of course was not a cure. Science has come so far in the past 3-4 years! Hopefully this will help Panda get some much needed relief. I kinda cringed when I saw her first picture. She's smiling SO big, but I can see her not wanting to put any weight on the right paw. Poor baby!! Gentle hugs to that special girl, and extra white lights coming your way. (Tell Bumbles he has to share them!) |
Thanks Chris!  You're right... she was in pain from having been on her feet much more than usual and probably me lifting her in/out of the car. We had tried laser and V.O.M. treatments on Panda a few years ago but it wasn't a Class IV and then our holistic vet retired. Still, there was something about it that seemed to offer relief but her condition has progressed over the years. Below is a brief video from when we were waiting for the first shot and treatment. The vet is about 5 minutes down the road from us so we returned rather than leaving her. She was excited about being somewhere new so the limp isn't as pronounced. She was also getting treats because she was bring a good girl. But it's the right back leg that is currently causing her the most pain. You can still kind of catch it in her shuffle, more of a tiptoe walk and favoring it slightly.The video's loud... I tried not to talk... volume control in the right bottom corner. http://oesusa.com/PandaWalking011312-B4.html |
| Thank you for sharing Panda's story with us as I'm sure many (like Bear for example) learn and can share their experiences. You've educated many of us and in turn may help others whom are experiencing this. Panda looks adorable in the first pic and I smiled at the photo of her sleeping during her treatment. She's sure lucky to have such wonderful parents. Sending her belly rubs and hope the treatments make her feel better. Marianne |
| the video of her just makes me want to hug and love her up |
Max had these treatments after his spinal injury, and we attribute them to his remarkable recovery. He didn't walk for 8 months-- we carried him and used a sling. We started the Laser treatments and within two months he was standing, and the progress continued. Now, he has a "tune up" every few months. Such blessing. And Jaci-- the pictures  . Like Darcy, I just want to squeeze that precious baby! |
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