Acupuncture for pain control?

[critterrx]

Has anybody ever heard of and/or used acupuncture for pain control with malocclusion? It's something my vet mentioned at Chico's last visit as another option when we get to where tramadol doesn't help. Another vet in the clinic does it and I think with chinchillas she uses injections of vitamin b12 at the acupuncture sites. I'm tending to think when we get to the point that tramadol plus meloxicam isn't helping it's time to seriously consider euthanasia. Any thoughts? ???

 

[threewingedfury]

Are you going to Avian and Exotic? I know they push acupuncture with a lot of their animals there.

 

[critterrx]

Yes, that's where I take my critters. The vet who would actually be doing the acupuncture (if I decided to try it) is one I don't trust. The other two are great, though.

 

[threewingedfury]

Unfortunately, I'm no fan of the vets at Avian and Exotic and I'm not afraid to tell it. I took my ferrets in there for their shots when I first got them and walked out with a $1000 bill just for a regular check up, shots and fecals. They wanted to charge me out the patoot each year for a USDA certification visit for my gliders, more than I made in a month's worth of work actually - at that point, I found another vet. I've come to the conclusion that the clinic is more out for money than the actual care of a animal. Me and one of the vets have had arguments on chinchilla and sugar glider care as their info sheets are highly inaccurate. The vets seem to have very little knowledge when it comes to chinchillas unfortunately.

If it's come to the point where the pain cannot be managed, I would highly consider euthanasia. I just don't see acupuncture helping a chinchilla with malo.

 

[critterrx]

I wasn't really liking the idea of trying acupuncture. I'll go with filings, handfeeding, and tramadol, and even add the meloxicam back in if needed, but when that's not enough I'm thinking we've run out of realistic options.

What vet do you use now? Are you happy with them?

 

[threewingedfury]

I use Dr. Carter at Rougemont Veterinary Clinic. Still a 40 min drive from me, but she's better than Dr. Johnson IMO and a lot cheaper. She's not an exotic vet, but she's been more open with me than any other vet I've had. I trust my instinct more than her judgement at times, but she's seemed to be my best option so far. In this area though, it's really hard to find vets that have a clue when it comes to chinchillas. I haven't been so lucky to find the right one yet.

 

[critterrx]

I've been using Dr. Leonatti. She's newer than the other two there but she actually seems to be pretty good with my boys. It's always nice to have a back-up plan, though, so thank you for that information.

 

[ticklechin]

Did it, did not work at all and the chin was not impressed.

 

[critterrx]

Okay, I guess that pretty much decides that for me.

We're not there yet with Chico. He's getting tramadol twice daily and that seems to be working pretty well. I've still got the options of adding a third daily dose of tramadol and a once daily dose of meloxicam to his current dosing. I'd rather think about the options now when I can be more objective than when he's not feeling well and I'm all upset.

Thank you both for the input.

 

[ticklechin]

Make sure you use famotidine if you are going to use those pain meds long term, there is always the option of a opiod such as buprenex with reglan if you are serious about pain management. I will be blunt and honest, if the tramadol does not work, nor are the filings and the chin is miserable don't make the mistakes I made being the hero Mom to my advanced elongation chins, elongation if you saw my pics of the skulls looks like it feels, 24/7/365 pain regardless of the pain meds used-even opiods. Hindsight bites me hard every time I think about the would have should haves and didn't, I try to steer malo parents to really think about quality of life over quantity of time on earth.

 

[critterrx]

If he's still playing, chewing soft things (softer woods and cardboard), and eating Critical Care okay, shouldn't his pain be pretty well controlled? I don't want him to be suffering all the time but I don't want to be too quick to opt for euthanasia, either.

I wish he could just talk and tell me how he feels!

 

[ticklechin]

When the dental pain is not controlled the chin will make a half hearted attempt to play then go hide, the dust bath becomes a chore or they stop all together, they will fight eating the syringe feed they like, they will stop sleeping in their normal sleep spot and if you have saw pain before then you can see it around the eyes, they become deflated looking.

 

[critterrx]

Okay, we're not there yet, thankfully. He must be doing okay for now. I'll definitely be watching for those signs, though.