Chloe is a gentle, sensitive 6 year old spayed female Great Dane that came to me for lethargy, weight loss, hind end weakness, and panic attacks. On presentation, she was nervous, had significant neck pain as well as muscle atrophy over her lumbar spine. She shifted her weight off of her right rear leg due to an old knee injury. And, the owner pointed out that she had a sunken in appearance on both of her sides.

Based on her history and Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) examination, I suspected a Triple Burner Obstruction. Triple Burner Obstruction causes weakness in the back half of the body and excess conditions, such as anxiety, in the front half of the body.

In TCVM, there is a deeper Meridian in the body called the Dai Mai that goes around the waist. When it is unbalanced or too tight, the front and back halves of the body are unable to communicate effectively. The sunken in appearance on Chloe’s sides was due to an imbalance in the Dai Mai Channel resulting in Triple Burner Obstruction.

Chloe received acupuncture every 1-2 weeks to open the Triple Burner, strengthen her rear end, calm her anxiousness, and reduce neck and knee pain. She also received cold laser treatments and Chinese Herbs. We modified her homemade diet to address her imbalances based on her TCVM examination.

Chloe showed improvement very quickly. Her panic attacks subsided, her limp and neck pain resolved, she gained weight and her sunken in appearance went away. She is now a balanced dog with a zest for life! She continues monthly acupuncture treatments and Chinese Herbal supplements to maintain optimal health.

For more information on Chloe, see https://www.dragosveterinaryacupuncture.com/chloe-s-story