Laser Acupuncture Treatment in a Ferret with Spinal Cord Injury
Keywords:
Ferret, Laser acupuncture, Posterior paresis, Traditional Chinese Veterinary MedicineAbstract
Acupuncture is the use of a small needle to treat numerous diseases in traditional Chinese medicine. It has been performed on domestic and non-domestic animals as a main, alternate, or multimodal treatment that synergizes with other therapies. Currently, ferrets have become more popular in various countries, including Thailand. Spinal cord injury is one of the common diseases observed in ferrets. According to this presenting ferret, she visited Panalai Veterinary Hospital with posterior paresis after falling from the 8th floor of a building 3 days ago. The physical and neurological examination results showed normal vital signs except for posterior paresis grade 3. The radiograph and abdominal ultrasound results were unremarkable. The differential diagnosis included spinal cord injury from trauma or Spinal Qi/Blood Stagnation and Kidney Qi Deficiency as the traditional Chinese veterinary medicine diagnosis. Laser acupuncture treatment is the primary treatment for this case. Each acupoint was treated with laser therapy (M-Vet, MLS®) in Laserpuncture mode. The parameter of laser acupuncture was 611 Hz, intensity 1%, total time 5 seconds, 4.44 J/cm2 and repeating 3 times per point. Treatment sessions were twice a week for 3 treatments, then once a week for 9 treatments. As a result, the patient achieved complete recovery in two months after 12 therapies. This successful treatment enabled the patient to regain the ability to walk normally, even on slippery surfaces. This case report describes the effectiveness of laser acupuncture treatment in a ferret with posterior paresis resulting from a spinal cord injury.
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