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by Krista Wermerskirchen When the Michael Vick’s dog fighting operation was busted in April of 2007, there were 51 pit bulls that were rescued. It was a very controversial case because of how elaborate the operation was. One of the pit bulls, Little, was adopted by a woman who had to be patient with her and work with Little’s trauma that she will have for the rest of her life. Little receives acupuncture to help alleviate some of her stress that she still has from being a fighting dog earlier in her life. This has been a helpful alternative to enhancing her life and helping her in her journey of recoverment. Little is just one of many non-human animals who benefits from alternative therapies used on animals. There is a wide array of alternative therapies that are now practiced on non-human animals. This can be anything from acupuncture to water therapy to physical therapy and anything in between such as herbs, massage therapy, chiropractic medicine and aromatherapy to name a few. Acupuncture, water therapy, and physical therapy alternative therapies will be the focus. Similar to how they are practiced on humans, these alternative therapies can be used to treat ailments, diseases, or overall wellbeing of non-human animals. Acupuncture is mostly practiced to help with pain management, musculoskeletal issues, skin issues, gastrointestinal issues or respiratory issues. This is done by injecting surgical steel needles into the area being treated. Water therapy can be a great tool where the animal is put into a pool or a tub and it allows them to regain strength and balance. This type of therapy also benefits the non-human animals because they are typically able to push themselves harder than they would if they were on land and not in water. Just like in humans, physical therapy may be necessary after surgery or to regain strength, in a different way to the water therapy. Non-human animals can also receive multiple types of alternative therapies at once and this can be seen in different cases later on. Acupuncture helps to enhance blood circulation and stimulate the release of hormones to help correct imbalances in the body. It can also be used to help the animal to relax, this was seen in Little, one of the pit bulls saved from the Michael Vick dog fighting operation. Non-human animals with musculoskeletal problems such as arthritis, hip dysplasia, or nerve injuries may also benefit from acupuncture. Vinny, an opossum that was rescued after a dog attack now receives acupuncture and physical therapy. His progress has demonstrated that he was able to recover successfully after receiving these alternative therapies, rather than euthanizing him. Another group of animals that can really only survive with a variety of alternative therapies are those born with swimmer’s syndrome. This can occur in puppies and kittens and is a birth defect that splays the legs outward leaving the infant non-human animal with the inability to walk, sit, stand, or comfortably lay down and causes them to have flat chests. While uncommon, swimmer’s syndrome occurred in about 2.13 percent of the 2443 puppies from a study conducted in Thailand and it was also found to be more common in English Bulldogs with an occurrence rate of 8.33 percent. Mick is just one puppy that was saved from euthanasia by using a variety of alternative therapy methods including strapping his front and back legs together, using a harness several times a day to help him stand properly, and water therapy in the tub. With just a little extra patience, Mick and other puppies, like Flounder can gain the strength to move independently like healthy, able bodied individuals. Non-human animals do not have to be born with swimmer’s syndrome to receive assistance with water or physical therapy methods. There are times when a non-human animal may benefit more from water therapy than acupuncture to help regain strength and balance by walking on a treadmill in a water tank. This can be beneficial for those with joint pain from arthritis in older dogs. Because of the viscous element of water, this gives the non-human animal resistance as they walk through the water. Water therapy can also be a good tool to help with swelling of the joints because of the water compression. It is safe to say that just like in humans, not all non-human animals benefit from these alternative therapies, though. There are some instances where a non-human animal is too sick or in too much pain that it is almost cruel to put them through any variety of alternative therapies. In these circumstances when the non-human animal’s quality of life is compromised, it may be time to put your beloved companion out of misery and consider euthanasia as an option. Euthanasia is when the non-human animal is injected with lethal dose of medication that puts them to sleep forever and end the reason they are in excruciating pain or terminally ill. A case where alternative therapies was not the best option was for a disabled Bulgarian dog named Bobi. After being examined, it was found that he had a poor state of health with possible internal injuries to add to his disabled hind legs, incontinence, and pressure sores. He was taken to five different veterinarians that all said that Bobi’s best option was to be put to sleep. While alternative therapies could have been used to keep Bobi alive, it really would have been more so for humans to delay the decision to euthanize him in the first place and let him go for his benefit rather than keep him alive longer for their benefit. Alternative therapies for non-human animals should be practiced more to help enhance their quality of life for whatever their reasoning is. There are so many different options for non-human animals to be assisted in times of pain or stress, like Little, a former fighting dog with high anxiety and stress who was treated with acupuncture; when they are born with certain birth defects, like swimmers syndrome that was seen in Mick and Flounder; or water or physical therapy alternatives that can be used to regain strength and mobility. There is always an exception, like Bobi, though, where no amount of alternative therapies will truly enhance their quality of life and in those circumstances, euthanasia may be the most humane practice. References 5 Health Benefits of Acupuncture for Dogs | PetCarRx (n.d.) Bryan, S. (2011, Sep 20). ALTERNATIVE THERAPY FOR PETS IS BOOMING DAVIE VETERINARIAN HAS A FULL WAITING ROOM. South Florida Sun - Sentinel Diaconescu, A. M. (2012). Euthanasia. Contemporary Readings in Law and Social Justice, 4(2), 474+. Gorant, J. (2008). What happened to Michael Vick’s dogs…Sports Illustrated. Nganvongpanit, K., & Yano, T. (2013). Prevalence of swimming puppy syndrome in 2,443 puppies during the years 2006-2012 in Thailand. Veterinary Medicine International. RSPCA in row over recommended euthanasia of disabled bulgarian dog. (2013, Dec 30). Telegraph.Co.Uk Springmill pet wellness clinic provides alternative therapies for pets. (2015, Aug 16). NASDAQ OMX's News Release Distribution Channel Chan, W.W., Chen, K.Y., Liu, H., Wu, L.S., & Lin, J.H (2001). Acupuncture for General Veterinary Practice. Review Surgery. J. Vet. Med. Sci. 63 (10): 1057-1062, 2001 AUTHOR BIOKrista Wermerskirchen has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Environmental Sciences from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She is currently pursuing a Geographic Information Systems Certificate at the University as well. Her passions revolve around justice- for the environment, for non-human animals, for people, and for the health and well-being of all living beings. More from KristaComments are closed.
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This is a website about nonhuman animals, written by human animals taking a Society and Animals class at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Archives
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