Electro-acupuncture and Chinese herbs for treatment of cervical intervertebral disk disease in a dog

Abstract

A non-ambulatory dog with tetraparesis following a pain episode that had evolved over 2 months was submitted for medical treatment and diagnosed with intervertebral disk disease at C3-C4 and dorsal extradural compression at C1-C2 and C3-C4 using myelography and computed tomography. The dog experienced ambulation recovery after 15 days of treatment with only electroacupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, with marked improvement occurring after only 10 treatments. Six months of followup demonstrated that the dog was stable and had no recurrence of symptoms. Therefore, it was concluded that the combination of electroacupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine was responsible for motor rehabilitation.

Fig. 1

Lateral cervical myelogram showing dorsal extradural compression pattern (arrowhead) at C1-C2 and C3-C4, probably due to yellow ligament hypertrophy, and ventral extradural compression pattern at C3-C4 compatible to disk disease (arrowhead).

Fig. 2

Transverse computed tomography image at C3-C4 after myelography showed a dorsal displacement of the ventral contrast medium column confirming the ventral extradural medular compression at C3-C4 (↓).

Fig. 3

Localization of acupuncture points: LI4- between first and second metacarpal bones, LI11- with the elbow flexed, at the lateral end of the cubital crease, LI15- at the midpoint between the acromion and the greater tubercle of the humerus, GV14- on the midline between the dorsal spinous process of the last cervical and the first thoracic vertebrae, BL23-lateral to the caudal border of the spinous process of the second lumbar vertebra, SP6-3/16 of the distance from medial malleolus of the tibia to the stifle joint and caudal to tibial bone, KI3-between the malleolus and the talus, BL60- opposite from KI3, GB39-opposite from SP6.