By Liane B Sperlich, ACVBM Vice President

Sometimes there are medical situations where the medicine we use is not helping the situation! My veterinary practice is an integrative one, using all the conventional medicine tools I have plus acupuncture, herbal medicine, chiropractic, and food therapy. Putting aside my blossoming interest in tuning forks, in this article I provide information on what we can do when a patient “stalls out” on their pathway to healing.

Years ago when I was working on my degree in Western Veterinary Herbal Medicine from the College of Integrative Veterinary Therapies, I had the pleasure of meeting Wynter, an enigmatic Border Collie who needed help with her knee. It may surprise none of you to learn that she had injured her cruciate ligament while dashing and darting through her life, and she came through surgery well. Unfortunately, after several weeks she was not comfortable using her knee, with no obvious surgical site problems. It only takes a week of favoring a limb for muscle atrophy to start and I was able to see and feel the muscle wasting on the affected leg, as well as observe the painful, stiff joint. Rehabilitation therapy would certainly have helped this dog friend! I was brought on board to use acupuncture and herbal medicine to promote healing.

I used the knowledge I had gained from CIVT to create an herbal formula specific to Wynter’s condition. The treatment goals were to manage pain, reduce inflammation and promote connective tissue healing. Gotu Kola was a very important ingredient as it known for promoting connective tissue healing. In conventional medicine the usual approach after surgery is to use non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, which can help with pain but actually decrease the circulation, and can over time interfere with healing. Wynter responded very well to this approach and her knee healed completely. Years later she is still running around!

Inflammation does not just disappear; the body needs to actively resolve it. What I did not learn in veterinary school (I love you, Washington State University, go Cougs!) is about the stages of inflammation resolution. After an injury, infection, or an inflammatory episode, Western medications such as steroids can decrease inflammation and make the patient comfortable. But these cases sometimes do not completely heal, necessitating ongoing medication. As mentioned in Wynter’s case, decreased circulation can promote chronic inflammation, a deficient state that requires the return of blood flow to resolve. Using a Chinese medicine approach, the deficient state would be managed to correct the deficiencies to reverse degeneration and resolve chronic inflammation. Certain herbs that can decrease or resolve scar tissue, also known as fibrosis, which is so common after an inflammatory event. We use these herbal approaches for inflammation in the organs including the liver, kidneys, intestines and the skin.

This information is provided to encourage pet parents to seek veterinary advise when their pets are sick, and to seek further information if the situation does not completely resolve. Therapies such as herbal medicine, but also rehabilitation, acupuncture, nutrition and chiropractic can be used to help get that pet back up on all four paws.