Kelly Kennedy Bogdanowicz
Saber, a 14-year-old, white Arabian tries to steal cookies from his owner's fanny pack as Colorado Springs veterinarian, Darrel Kramer pulls four finger-long needles from his black bag and prepares to stick them into Saber's shoulder.Tap, tap, tap.
Kramer pierces the first layer of skin with one needle. The horse flinches slightly.
Kramer twists the needle in 2 inches deeper as Tina Hayes, Saber's owner, hands Saber a cookie. He doesn't seem to notice as Kramer taps and twists three more needles into place
"He almost went through the roof the first time we did it," Hayes says as Saber edges up for a forehead rub.
This is Saber's sixth acupuncture treatment to relieve pain in his left front hoof from ringbone, a type of arthritis. Hayes tried traditional medicine on her horse to get rid of the ringbone, but nothing worked. Then she heard about acupuncture from another horse owner.
"This has really improved him," she says. "He's still kind of lame, but he's definitely walking better."
Kramer, a member of the Boulder-based International Veterinary Acupuncture Society, is one of at least six vets who practice acupuncture in Colorado, and one of two in Colorado Springs. The American Veterinary Medical Association approved acupuncture in 1988 and now recommends it to be taught at veterinary colleges.
Kramer says acupuncture is becoming more popular as a means of treatment for animals because their owners have tried it themselves and found it effective.
"I think people are just sick of being drugged up," he says.
Acupuncture is nothing new, Kramer points out. It has been used in China for 3,000 years. The theory behind acupuncture is that energy flows along meridians, or paths, up and down the body. Injury or illness can knock the energy, called chi, out of balance. Acupuncturists try to restore that balance.
Needles are inserted in one of the 366 paired points along the meridians that correlate with different areas of the body. The 2 to 4-inch long needles are flexible, like hair-thin wire. Kramer leaves the needles in from 2 to 20 minutes, depending on the animal and the problem. The muscle actually "grabs" the needle, he says, and then "releases" it when energy is balanced.
Acupuncture has been shown to release pain-reducing endorphins and to increase blood flow to an area, helping the healing process, Kramer says.
He uses acupuncture for muscular-skeletal problems, such as hip displacement, paralysis and arthritis. Acupuncture often can work in tandem with traditional medicine to eliminate a problem. The combination is especially effective with hip displacement in dogs, Kramer says.
Acupuncture methods, some of which he blends, include:
- Injection of vitamin B-12 through a thin hypodermic needle to stimulate an area for up to three days.
- Acupressure, in which a point is massaged with the hands for stimulation.
- Electrostimulation of the points with electricity that flows through the needles.
For Saber, Kramer opts for electrostimulation. He hooks up wires to the four needles in Saber's leg and shoulder.
"This moves energy up and down the leg and also releases endorphins," he said.
He clicks on the hand-held machine and turns up the voltage, and Saber's shoulder begins to thump like a heartbeat. The horse tries to twitch the needles out, and succeeds with one.
As Hayes holds the machine and Kramer grabs another needle, Saber reaches over and licks Kramer's hand.
Kramer, who earned his veterinary degree in 1976 from Colorado State University, decided to try acupuncture six years ago to add another "tool" to his medicine chest. He earned his acupuncture certificate in 1991 through a 130-hour Veterinary Acupuncture Society class in California.
"It opened my eyes, not just as learning to stick needles in things, but it opened whole new diagnostic capabilities," Kramer says.
After finishing with Saber, Kramer and his wife and assistant, Sharron, head for Jackie Charbonnel's house to treat her dog and cat. Darrel Kramer uses laser acupuncture on dogs and cats because they wriggle needles out as soon as he inserts them. The laser emits varying frequencies of infrared light and ends out a red beam which stimulates the acupuncture points. The laser bothers the animals only because it beeps. Kramer says they can't feel it.
Cal, a 12-year-old orange, brown, and white calico cat, has a back injury. Most likely an old war wound from her four years in the wild, says Charbonnel.
"She hopped like a bunny, both back legs moving at the same time," Sharron Kramer states.
The first time they treated Cal, Sharron and Kramer sat across from each other with their legs "V'd" in front of them to keep Cal from running away. Now Cal is on her third treatment and allows Sharron to pet her as Kramer applies the laser points in her shoulders, legs, and back.
After treatments, Cal still walks with a little wobble, but it's an improvement. Before acupuncture, Cal only walked when she had to use the litter box, Charbonnel says.
"She was playing with a feather last week and we were really thrilled," she says. "There was a month when she didn't move at all. I thought I was going to have to put my baby down."
Kramer says he never knows how the treatment will work from animal to animal.
Kramer next treats Charbonnel's 14-year-old black Labrador, Susie, who has arthritis and has difficulty standing up. Kramer and Sharron again assume their "combat positions" with their legs out in front of them, Sharron at the front holding Susie's fluorescent pink collar and a couple of dog biscuits and Kramer at the rump.
Susie doesn't like the beeping and tries to jump away, but Sharron is quick with a biscuit.
"She's better than she used to be," Charbonnel says. "She's still a little stiff, but nothing like she was."
While acupuncture may not always cure the ailment, it often makes the animal feel better without using drugs, Kramer says.
"For arthritis, it doesn't really cure them, but these guys, they're happier," he says. "They're able to move around - you can see it in their eyes."
Kelly Kennedy Bogdanowicz
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