ÿþ<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"/> <meta name="Author" content="temp"/> <meta name="GENERATOR" content="Mozilla/4.51 [en] (Win95; I) [Netscape]"/> <title>Ludlam-Dixie Animal Clinic - Coral Gables Gazette</title> </head> <body text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFCC" link="White" vlink="White" alink="White"> &nbsp; <center><table cellspacing="3" cellpadding="8" width="700" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <tr> <td> <center><img src="graphics/TOP.GIF" height="144" width="700" alt="header"/> <br/><u><font size="+2">Coral Gables Gazette</font></u> <br/><b>January 13-19, 1999</b><font size="+1"></font> <p><font size="+3">Vet gets the point</font> <br/><font size="+2">Animals also need-le alternative medicine</font> <br/><b>By Wendy Doscher</b></p></center> <p><font size="+1">&nbsp;She stands brave, balanced on the steel examining table.&nbsp; She remains calm, even as the 32 gauge needles pierce her furry flesh.&nbsp; And with not even a flinch, she sits while the one-inch, blunt instrument is pushed in one last time - into her head.</font></p> <p><font size="+1">&nbsp;And then just when it seems she can't possible take any more, the last one is inserted and 15-year-old Chow Mein rolls over - and waits to be scratched.</font></p> <p><font size="+1">&nbsp;This is what happens when Chow Mein, a Chow, gets her dose of medicine, or when she gets "needles" in the confines of Dr. Robert Ferran's - an Animal Acupuncturist - office.</font> <br/><font size="+1">&nbsp;Like many dogs and cats who visit Ferran, Chow Mein needed a remedy to deal with an ailment.&nbsp; In her case it was elbow dysphasia.&nbsp; In Chiffy the Dobermans' case it was paralysis.&nbsp; And, often times, the bet remedy is an alternative.</font></p> <p><font size="+1">&nbsp;"We gave her medicine to try to keep her walking, but when she finally fell over, that was it," Owner Cindy Dunn said.&nbsp; "My husband thought I was totally insane.&nbsp; Everyone that knew me thought I was drawing straws.&nbsp; My vet through it was a waste of money, but I went to Dr. Ferran's office and told him I was going to give him a try."</font></p> <p><font size="+1">&nbsp;That was October 1997, when Chiffy was nine-years-old.&nbsp; But the trials paid off well and the acupuncture was such a success that now the Dunn's are enjoying a happy, healthy Chiffy.&nbsp; Cindy Dunn describes her meeting-up with Dr. Ferran as "fate".</font></p> <p><font size="+1">&nbsp;"She runs, she walks around with me and swims in the water at the beach," Dunn said.&nbsp; "Before I took her there she used to lay around and just cry in pain.&nbsp; We had planned on putting her to sleep.&nbsp; But she wasn't a sickly dog - it's just she had bad hips.&nbsp; My vet was just beside himself when he saw she was better - he got tears in his eyes."</font></p> <p><font size="+1">&nbsp;Chiffy rated between a 3 and a 4 on a scale of 1-4 for an animal's receptivity to acupuncture.&nbsp; A four is the rating for least receptivity.&nbsp; And, although she wobbled in the beginning, within three months Chiffy was walking.&nbsp; Now, at 10.5 years old and after one and one-half years of treatment, Chiffy is back.</font></p> <p><font size="+1">&nbsp;"My mom and dad came down and said they couldn't believe it," Dunn said.&nbsp; "She had lost strength in her back legs.&nbsp; We literally could not even stand her up without her falling - she would just drag her back feet.&nbsp; When she began to walk again she would take little teeny, teeny steps.&nbsp; I figure she's going to be around for a while now."</font></p> <p><font size="+1">Ferran recently opened his practice at the Ludlam Dixie Animal Clinic after spending nice years as a veterinarian on South Beach.&nbsp; He moved his practice and re-opened with a new approach, one he calls "integrative medicine."&nbsp; Ferran uses alternative or conventional treatments on animals, depending on what suites them.</font></p> <p><font size="+1">"I don't believe animals should live in pain," Ferran said.&nbsp; "And not every pet can sustain surgery.&nbsp; Acupuncture is less invasive and easier."</font></p> <p><font size="+1">&nbsp;Ferran, trained as a vet, was encouraged by a friend to study acupuncture.&nbsp; Once he got certified in human acupuncture, he decided to take it one step further and learn how to practice on animals.&nbsp; He received his training through the IVAC - International Veterinary Acupuncture Center based in Colorado.</font></p> <p><font size="+1">&nbsp;Now, he estimates that he works on about four animals per day, all of the canine or feline variety.&nbsp; Although he has worked on people, Ferran prefers to needle animals. <br/>&nbsp;"With people there is a lot of anxiety," Ferran said.&nbsp; "But that is not the case with animals." <br/>Teddy the 10-year-old Yorksire Terrier had just completed its seventh acupuncture treatment for neck and shoulder ailments.&nbsp; Owner Lynn Milnes said X-rays revealed Teddy would need surgery to fix problems with his vertebrae.&nbsp; Milnes was a little skeptical but decided to give acupuncture a try.</font></p> <p><font size="+1">"I kind of believe in acupuncture so I said let's try that because surgery always leaves something else to deal with after surgery," Milnes said.&nbsp; "The dog has been responding very well to it.&nbsp; In fact, I started responding to it and asking questions.&nbsp; In our culture we're brought up Western and believing in different systems."</font></p> <p><font size="+1">&nbsp;Milnes was so impressed she started going to acupuncture herself for throat problems and found it to be beneficial which makes her "even more of a believer." <br/>&nbsp;"I think it's a healthier way to go," Milnes said.&nbsp; "The dogs are much healthier because of it."&nbsp; After the seventh treatment, one which consisted of laser acupuncture, a deeper treatment therapy, Milnes said Teddy "just can t wait to get out."</font></p> <p><font size="+1">Laser acupuncture and electrotherapy are two other methods Ferran uses in addition to traditional acupuncture.&nbsp; The laser method is good for tendon and ligament problems while electrotherapy is especially good for treating paralysis.</font></p> <p><font size="+1">&nbsp;Acupuncture works by stimulating and soothing the 365 points in humans or less than 100 points in animals.&nbsp; The points correspond with 12 organ systems in the body.&nbsp; The blunt, one-inch, stainless steel needles are manipulated and twisted, to achieve a stimulation or sedating effect on the patient.</font></p> <p><font size="+1">&nbsp;If left in for second the effect is stimulating.&nbsp; If left in for minutes the effect is to sedate.&nbsp; Acupuncture causes endorphin secretions 10-100 times stronger than normally excreted.&nbsp; In fact, pets often go to sleep during the procedure because they find it so relaxing, Ferran said.</font></p> <p><font size="+1">&nbsp;"When we have big dogs here," Ferran said, "and after a few moments they being to lean."&nbsp; The effects of acupuncture are cumulative, Ferran said, so effects are seen for a long time after treatments.&nbsp; Acupuncture is not a "mystical thing" Ferran said, but affects the neuroendocrine system.</font></p><center> <p><a href="Default.aspx"><img src="graphics/BACKHOME.GIF" height="100" width="100" alt="home"/></a></p></center> </td> </tr> </table></center> </body> </html>