Dogwood Pet Hospital

Dr. Prull recently wrote  for The Rabbit Advocates’ Fall 2009 newsletter about the benefits of acupuncture for rabbits:

Because animals, especially prey species like rabbits, hide symptoms of illnesses from their caretakers, they can be difficult patients. Veterinarians are at a disadvan­tage because pets can’t say where it hurts, for how long, or why. Furthermore, some­times illnesses are not easily treated with standard western medicine. When injuries or illnesses fail to respond to traditional treatments, acupuncture can be a valuable resource.

One day Rabbit Advocate Tonie Calabrese discovered her bunny Barley could not use his back legs. A series of x-rays showed that Barley had a luxation of his spine, so the vertebrae had moved against each other and were pinching his spinal cord. Desperate to help her bunny, Tonie treated Barley with medications to alleviate pain and discomfort and offered him a variety of foods to keep his digestive system going. Stable in every way except for his inability to pull his legs underneath him and hop, Tonie found Dr. Becky Prull at the Dogwood Veterinary Hospital in Gresham.

Dr. Prull is a doctor of veterinary medicine and is a certified veterinary acupuncturist. She treats many rabbits with traditional medicine, and has had some success with rabbit acupuncture as well. Dr. Prull uses acupuncture to treat a variety of illnesses and injuries in other pets, and has treated spinal injuries in dogs. She confirmed that Barley’s spinal luxation is frequently seen in rabbits. Barley, while unable to use his back legs, maintained an upright posture and had feeling in his back feet.

Prull, Dr. Rebecca.  “Ancient Treatment Can Help Modern Day Bunnies.”  The Rabbit Advocate. Fall 2009
<http://www.adoptarabbit.com/newsletters/Fall_09.pdf>.