By Julia Crowley First Coast News

JACKSONVILLE, FL

Little Ricky is clipping along as he takes a stroll around the hallways of the Brentwood Animal Clinic. Everyone is happy to see how easy he moves. Because just two months earlier it was a much different story for the Dachshund.

“He was completely paralyzed in his rear legs and had problems in his front legs,” says Dr. Skip Hightman. The injury was caused by a slipped disc in his back. When his owner Richard Brown brought Ricky to Dr. Hightman, the little canine couldn’t walk at all.

The big change in Ricky didn’t come from any medicine. Dr. Hightman says Ricky got his movement back through acupuncture.

The ancient chinese practice has been used on people for hundreds of years. And recently the trend is moving into the animal world.

Dr. Hightman places thin acupuncture needles in some of the 150 acupuncture points on dogs. Ricky hardly even budges and never makes a sound.

“We normally leave them in for 20 minutes,” says Dr. Hightman. In the beginning, Ricky had treatments several days a week and even had electric acupuncture too.

Even after 14 years of Holistic Veterinary work, Dr. Hightman says results like those in Ricky still excite him. “I love it,” says Dr. Hightman. “It’s still like ‘yeah this is great’.”

In another patient room there is Electra, a Lab – Shepard mix. “This one’s problem is old age, golden years and arthritis in the back,” says Dr. Hightman.

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