Canine hip dysplasia, is an abnormal development of the ball-in-socket joint that makes up the hip. In a dysplastic hip, the ball which is the head of the femur, or thighbone, and the socket known as the acetabulum, do not fit together properly. Therefore when the dog bears its weight on the joint, it leads to painful and damaging friction.

Kobe is a feisty 5 year old Collie mix who was diagnosed with hip dysplasia and arthritis in the winter of 2007. He is a very active dog who had been training in agility and free-style dancing. He is also a therapy dog.

Kobe’s owner began to notice that he was limping and seemed to be in pain after his training sessions. Conventional medicine was not easing his symptoms so she turned to Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Kobe began his acupuncture sessions in late winter of 2008. In addition to acupuncture, we changed his diet to a better brand of dog food which did not contain any wheat, corn or soy. These ingredients can exacerbate pain and allergies.

A few supplements such as Halo’s Hip Hip Hooray was added to his regime as well. A Chinese herbal liniment was used in conjunction with Tui Na (a form of Chinese massage). The liniment helped to ease his pain and reduced inflammation which seemed to be worse on cold damp days. Kobe seemed to enjoy his massage after each session.

After his third acupuncture session Kobe chased a rabbit and after his sixth session, Kobe was able to return to his Freestyle dance class. His owner said “He still has a bad day every now and then, but those sad, pain filled eyes are gone and my happy, loving therapy dog Kobe is back!”

To read more about Kobe and other dogs who have been helped with Traditional Chinese Medicine, visit the Happy Dogs page on the Four Paws Acupuncture website.