CHALLENGE CASE
STUDY # 2
Jill Golgosky challenges participants and practitioners to another case study. As a Small Animal Acupressure Practitioner, what would you do in the following situation:
Dog's Name: Flynn
Breed: Border Collie
Sport: Play
Age: 5 yr
Wt: ideal
Sex: MN
History:
Flynn has no unusual behaviors. He plays in the yard with his owner and their other dog. He has no problems with his appetite. No vomiting or diarrhea.
Current Situation:
One night last week the owner fed Flynn as usual and then they went outside. Flynn ran around a little bit with the other dog then came in the house. An hour or so later the owner noticed that Flynn seemed restless. He was panting even though it was not warm outside nor in the house. Shortly after that he started to vomit but was not bringing anything up. He continued to vomit with no success. That is when the owner noticed his abdomen seemed distended and was painful when she touched it.
How would you proceed given this situation?
Karen Solomon gave a very good response to this case study about Flynn. Her assessment and approach is as follows:
This is definitely an acute condition, probably stomach torsion, and the dog needs to get to the vet immediately! Panting can be a sign of pain, non-productive vomiting can indicate stomach torsion, and then add his restlessness - Flynn is in a life-threatening condition. On the way to the vet maybe you could use the following acupoints: St 36 for the grastrointestinal track; CV 12 for acute stomach pain; GV 26 for trauma; and maybe just work around the Ting/Jing-well points for general balancing.
Brenda Utzerath provided another good plan of action:
My guess is that it sounds like torsion or bloat and that as an acupressure practitioner I would get that dog to a vet ASAP. Now, if the dog shows signs of shock and so forth there are point I could manipulate (tip of ear?), but none the less it sounds like a vet emergency and not something I should try to handle on my own.
Thank you Karen and Brenda for your apt responses. This type of acute issue is dangerous and the dog needs to get to a vet as fast as possible. If it is safe to work on the dog while during transport or waiting for the vet to arrive, then the acupoints you selected, Karen, can help. If the dog shows any signs of being uncomfortable with the point work, stop and wait until the veterinarian and evaluate the dog.
Again, thank you both and may none of us ever have to deal with torsion!