The Sacramento Bee Excerpt from Paws and Effect: Veterinarians find physical therapy and alternative medicine benefit ailing animals by Cynthia Hubert, Bee Staff Writer March 10, 2003

Fred the Scottie blew out a disc in his back a few days before Christmas last year, and his romping days appeared to be over. After surgery, the dog's rear legs remained useless, and his doctors gave his human companions, Robert and Irene Flack of Auburn, little hope that he would walk again. But they referred the couple to another veterinarian who could pursue a final option, one virtually unavailable to small animals just a few years ago. Fred, they suggested, could undergo physical therapy in an effort to ease his pain and work his weakened muscles. So Fred and his family began traveling to Dr. Signe Beebe's office in Sacramento twice or three times a week for acupuncture treatments and sessions on an underwater treadmill, a device that allows him to use his legs without putting full weight on them. Today, Fred is able to stand, walk and putter in his yard with his sister, Ethel. "It's made a world of difference," said Robert Flack, watching a buoyant Fred tread water on a recent day while therapist Kathy Olson massaged his limbs. "We're thrilled." Fred is expected to make a full recovery. In California and across the country, veterinarians have discovered that, like humans, small animals with maladies from arthritis to spinal cord injuries and fractures can benefit from physical therapy and other forms of rehabilitation. "It's the hottest thing in veterinary medicine," said Beebe, whose Sacramento practice blends Western and Chinese medicine and includes a comprehensive rehabilitation program. "Everyone is starting to recognize the benefits of canine physical therapy." ...Robert and Irene Flack's two Scotties certainly quality as family, they said. Rescued eight years ago when they were puppies, the dogs sleep in the couple's bedroom and travel with them in their recreational vehicle. "They give us so much," said Irene Flack, a retired schoolteacher. So far, the couple has spent close to $5,000 on Fred's medical care and rehabilitation, including $60 per session for his treadmill therapy. "We had no hesitation at all," said Robert Flack, who is retired from the airline industry. "Our son Michael is quadriplegic, so I understand the silver strand of hope that physical therapy provides. It's no different for animals." As with human patients, an animal's condition dictates the type and length of physical therapy. One of the more common injuries in dogs is the tearing of anterior cruciate ligaments, the structures that hold the knee together. ACL injuries are common in human athletes, too, and respond well to physical therapy after surgery, experts said. Beebe is one of a handful of veterinarians in the nation whose practice boasts an underwater treadmill machine, a $37,000 device that is considered the state of the art for treatment of ACL problems and other injuries. ...At Beebe's office, canine hydrotherapy patients enter an empty glass chamber that slowly fills with warm water. A therapist switches on the treadmill and programs it for speed and time. Immersed in water, animals bear less weight on their limbs and while fully extending their joints and muscles. Therapy sessions last from five to 30 minutes. Most dogs actually enjoy the exercise, said Beebe. "After a few sessions, they usually jump right in," she said. Besides injury rehabilitation, the treadmill can be used to help overweight dogs get in better shape and maintain conditioning in working animals such as police dogs, said Beebe. "Of course, we can't bring every animal back to full function," she said. "But I really haven't seen any animal that has not had some benefit from physical therapy. No case is truly hopeless." A former emergency veterinarian, Beebe still embraces traditional treatment for some conditions but also uses herbs, acupuncture and other "alternative" approaches to treat conditions from cancer to heart disease. Her office is designed to promote serenity, with gurgling fountains, classical music and natural light. "It's no longer good enough to just practice one form of veterinary medicine," said Beebe. "One size does not fit all. With Chinese medicine and physical therapy, I can do so much more." On a recent day, Beebe inserted hair-thin needles along the spine of a frail brown tabby named Honey. The cat is 17 years old and suffers from arthritis and kidney disease, among other ailments. Acupuncture and herbal treatments, still considered fringe approaches by some veterinarians, "have totally turned her around," said her caretaker, Stacey Parker of Sacramento. "She has more energy. She doesn't vomit anymore. She is feeling much, much better." So too is Terry Nakashima's dog, Sonny, a burly German shepherd who lost use of his back legs to myelopathy, a degenerative disease that leads to paralysis. Sonny likely will never be able to herd sheep competitively again, Beebe said. But since acupuncture and treadmill therapy, "he can get up on the furniture now," Terry Nakashima said proudly, encouraging Sonny as he slogged through water up to his armpits. "Once in awhile, he can get up on the bed." And he is more than welcome to do so, she said. "He's my constant companion," Nakashima said. "He means just about everything to me."

Return to IVC News Menu