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Thank you letter from “Harley”
We received a wonderful thank you letter from one of our clients. It was so touching that I wanted to share this. We want to send our condolences to the Moser family on the passing of their beloved “Harley” who lost his battle to cancer.
Sincerely,
Dr. Howard & Staff at Twin Oaks Veterinary Hospital
Dear Dr. Howard and Joan,
Just wanted to give you both my heartfelt thanks for what you did for my best friend “Harley.” He was in very bad shape when I brought him to you. He looked like a seal pulling himself along by his front legs. It broke our hearts.
Our vet told us the only answer was surgery- with an eight-week recovery period. In addition he may have to have additional surgeries to correct his back problem. Price range $5,000.00 to $15,000.00 with no guarantee of success- bottom line, after all that, he may not walk again. We could not bear to put him through that process.
We searched the Internet and found you folks. You can imagine what my first reaction was. I mean really, Chiropractic and Acupuncture for dogs- let alone horses! I was willing to try anything- so we did.
Turned out, it was one of the best decisions I ever made. After three treatments Harley was actually standing by himself. At 5 treatments he was walking on his own. It was hard to keep him down and not let him go. Now you can’t stop him. He is one happy little guy and both my wife & I are- well we can’t put it into words.
The guys that scoffed at me- are now eating crow. Many have asked if they themselves could come in and get a treatment. I told them no, you guys are for the dogs. (humor)
We can’t thank you enough. I will be bringing Harley in for his maintenance treatment- so we will be in tough. Thanks again for giving us back our best friend.
– The Moser family and of course HARLEY
“Winston” Case Study
In the summer of 2011, “Winston” came in to Twin Oaks Veterinary Hospital with a concern of “difficulty getting around.” “Winston” is a 10 year old 140lb Great Dane. The owner stated that when she had returned home from vacation, she noticed a big decline in “Winston’s” movements, eating and attitude. After talking to the pet sitter about “Winston’s” condition, she learned that “Winston” had fallen. On examination it was noted that “Winston” had nerve deficit problems causing weakness in his left hind leg. He also could not raise his head past his shoulders. X-rays were taken and Intervertebral Disc Disease was diagnosed. Its involvement was located in his neck, lower thoracic and lumbar spine. “Winston” was immediately put on pain medication with confinement. Dr. Howard recommended acupuncture and possible chiropractic treatments for “Winston”, his owner agreed to move forward with treatments.
After a few treatments “Winston” was doing notably better, but still couldn’t raise his head. Chiropractic adjustments were added to his treatments and “Winston” had a major improvement. He was again able to raise his head near normal as well as improvement in getting up and moving around. According to “Winston’s” owner, “he is off all pain medication and we have a happy bouncy 11 year old Great Dane.” He is on an acupuncture/chiropractic maintenance program of every 45 to 60 days and is doing well. “Winston” enjoys getting his acupuncture/chiropractic treatments. As a note “Winston” is featured in Dog Fancy’s “Natural Dog” Summer 2012, pages 16-21.
“Bucky” Case Study
“Bucky” a five year old American Bulldog was referred to Dr. Howard at Twin Oaks Veterinary Hospital for possible Acupuncture/ Chiropractic treatments due to chronic pain and difficult walking. “Bucky” was adopted as a 3 year old and came with a large bottle of Prednisone (cortisone) to help control pain. Sometimes the pain would be so severe that “Bucky” would literally crawl on his chest to avoid painful standing.
On examination it was evident that “Bucky” was suffering from pain emanating from the spine, just behind the shoulder blades to the pelvis. Radiographs were taken and revealed a severely arthritic spine with areas of inter- vertebral disc disease (slipped discs) and limited range of motion of the spinal vertebrae.
“Bucky” was taken off Cortisone because of possible adverse side effects from prolonged use and put on a non-steroidal anti- inflammatory (NSAID) product. The (NSAID) controlled pain but did not aid in healing, “Bucky” began to experience pain again and Acupuncture treatment was started. After the first treatment he began moving better, after the second treatment pain medication was reduced and by the fifth treatment “Bucky” was totally off all pain medication. “Bucky” is now on an Acupuncture maintenance program of a treatment every three to four months. Acupuncture not only helps with pain management, but also improves healing, his owner states “Bucky” likes his Acupuncture treatments is like a “normal dog”getting up and down and moving much better.
“Jackson” Case Study
“Jackson” is an 8 year old miniature Dachshund that came to us for a second opinion with a history of back pain (Inter vertebral disc disease or IVDD) and hind leg weakness. Surgery had been discussed with the previous Veterinarian, but due to cost (over $5,000.00) and invasiveness of the procedure with no assurance of favorable outcome, the owner wanted to try acupuncture. After reviewing the x-rays and examining “Jackson”, a guarded to favorable prognosis was given. “Jackson” was on medication for inflammation, pain control and muscle relaxants prescribed by the previous Veterinarian. A series of Acupuncture treatments were started, after the fourth treatment, medications were reduced and later discontinued. By the sixth treatment “Jackson” was off all medications and enjoying a normal pain free life. “Jackson” had another episode of IVDD about four months later, but this time the problem was centered in his neck. Acupuncture treatments were instituted concentrating on the neck area and now “Jackson” is living a normal life and receiving an Acupuncture tune up every three to four months.
Welcome to the New Twin Oaks Veterinary Hospital Website!
We are working to continuously improve the website and will have more updates in the near future. Please come back soon to see the new changes.
Donald Howard D.V.M., C.V.A., C.A.C.
Donald Howard DVM is a veterinarian who has practiced in the Salem area for over 25 years. His specialty is focused on working with companion pets such as dogs and cats, as well as horses. Dr. Howard is certified in animal chiropractic (AVCA) and acupuncture (IVAS). This gives him a unique ability to work with your pet to treat a number of conditions.
In the Salem area Dr. Howard has established a leading animal hospital, which focuses on the:
- Medical needs
- Surgical needs
- Dental needs
Bring your animal in today for loving medical care. We look forward to helping your pet live a long and healthy life.
Call today to schedule your pet’s appointment.
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