I had always been one who didn’t hold much faith in alternative or holistic treatments. But Christy’s story definitely sparked both my interest and my hopes. I spoke with Lorelei’s vet, and explained to him that, among my other reservations about surgery, it was most definitely cost-prohibitive. He was very understanding. I asked what treatment, if he had to choose, that he would recommend as an alternative to surgery, and he said acupuncture.
That was pretty much all I needed to hear. I was still sort of skeptical, but at that point, I figured what did we have to lose – it couldn’t hurt to give it a try. By way of www.ivas.org I was able to locate a vet within reasonable driving distance for us who performed acupuncture - Dr. Mary Battistella, at Wayside Animal Hospital in Alexander City, AL.
On March 10, 2003, Lorelei had her first acupuncture treatment. It was explained to me that it would take several treatments, over time, to give Lorelei the relief that she needed. I understood this, but was ready to try anything that would ease her pain and help her to be able to raise her head higher than straight out. We sat in the floor with Lorelei as Dr. Battistella performed the treatment. It only took a few minutes. When it was over, Dr. Battistella removed the acupuncture needles and stood up – and as she did, Lorelei raised her head straight up to look at her! Needless to say, my doubts about this kind of treatment immediately vanished.
Lorelei had six acupuncture treatments between March and September 2003. Her only supplements have been Synovi G3 granules, and a Chinese herb called Du Huo Ji Sheng Wan. She did have a slight setback in June, probably caused by overactivity, but her next acupuncture treatment put her back on track. Her treatments are now spaced at three months apart. With luck we will be able to reduce the frequency of the treatments to 1-2 times a year.
I will post updates on her future progress, but for now she is going strong!
Terry Knighten, Hueytown AL 
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