Reid Park Zoo Veterinary Team Needles in on a New Treatment for an Elderly Goat
How do you treat arthritis in an aging goat?
When the Reid Park Zoo veterinary team found that traditional Western medicine had gone as far as it could, it added an ancient Chinese remedy — acupuncture.
Over time Ari, an elderly Oberhasli goat, had developed arthritis in several of her joints and wasn’t moving comfortably — symptoms that medications, massage and other procedures didn’t seem to be helping.
That’s when the Zoo brought in Dr. Lauren Genow. A noted certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, who is also certified in Veterinary Chinese Medicine and a Reiki Master Practitioner, Genow has been working with Ari to reduce her pain and restore mobility by administering acupuncture along with chiropractic and Chinese herbal medicine. The acupuncture therapy, which is given for about 20 minutes at a time, uses tiny needles that are inserted into specific points on Ari’s body to stimulate the nervous system and release neurotransmitters to block pain signals and relieve Ari’s joint pain and inflammation. The needles also release endorphins which help her to relax.
“In the beginning, we were doing every other week, then we moved to every three weeks, and we are now at five weeks,” says Genow. “We are checking where she has restrictions in her joints and muscles which tells us where to focus our treatment.”
Acupuncture has been practiced for over 5,000 years in both humans and animals. Today, it is used to treat a variety of species from horses to alligators, including targeting chronic conditions. In Ari’s case, the acupuncture is part of a comprehensive approach to pain management that is natural and doesn’t hurt at all.
“Ensuring quality of life is a must and why we tried acupuncture,” says Reid Park Zoo Chief Veterinarian Dr. Alexis Roth. “Ari loves human interaction and really enjoys these hands-on sessions. She has made significant progress and has been able to stop taking several medications,” Roth adds, “so she is getting around much better.”
“Reid Park Zoo provides cutting-edge, whole life care for every animal,“ she explains. “It’s uplifting to see Ari feeling better so she can get back to being the active goat she is.”
“The most important thing is that there are other options out there and sometimes one option may not work the best for that particular patient,” says Genow. “With Chinese medicine, combined with other modalities, we can individualize the treatment a little better. We need to have all these tools in our box to fix what the patient needs and listen to what they are trying to tell us.”
