First Laser Therapy Visit

After discussing finances with the holistic vet, Dr. Grey, it was suggested that Claire try out laser therapy, which sends healing energy on a cellular level. That costs about half what the acupuncture comes to because it can be administered by a vet tech rather than by the vet herself. We're giving it a shot, and can always switch back to acupuncture (or do both) if we think this is not helping Claire.

Because this is our first visit, we were given an exam room and I was allowed to observe. In future, Claire may be seen in the back without me, while I stay in the waiting area. The procedure takes only a few minutes. Claire was very interested in noises in the hallway and entryway while we were waiting in a room. She eventually calmed enough to lay down, but had her ears back when the tech came in.

I was excited to show this procedure as I'd never heard of it before. But I ended up trying to keep Claire still and controlling her leash during the procedure, so I only got a few pics of the device before it was used. The humans in the room wore special glasses, but there weren't any for dogs. It was my job to keep Claire's face away from the laser. The laser is measured in joules. They targeted three areas for $55. They of course focused on the TL junction, the mid-spinal area where Claire's disc herniation is, but they also did a little laser treatment on her neck as well. I think it will be more valuable in the specific region of her injury, but I'm letting the vet's experience guide me in the beginning to see how it goes.

(the machine)

(the display)

(the laser head itself)

The BIG news: I FINally was able to put through verification of the PayPal account to get the ChipIn to read accurately. Now will have to redouble efforts via social networking to spread the word. The ChipIn is open and working on the blog at SponsorClaire.blogspot.com.

I also contacted The Onyx & Breezy Foundation to confirm receipt of the application I'd faxed in overnight, then emailed a copy of my taxes to complete the package.

(who can resist this sad, sick doggie's face?)

I had posted a request for a pet stroller on my local, North Hollywood Freecycle. Since it's been several days with no response, today I posted the same request on the wider Los Angeles Freecycle. It would be really handy, so please keep your fingers crossed for us!

In the mailbox was the DVD I ordered from Dodgerslist! It's all about IVDD, Intervertebral Disc Disease. I popped it in my computer and watched it in the bedroom with the pups while I ate my dinner.

(well, at least she hasn't lost her appetite....)

(and by contrast, Claire's brother Chance
can't sleep without being covered up,
even in 90 degree heat)

Claire's 2nd Acupuncture Treatment and the Zoom Room

Claire doesn't like camera flashes. She does like to be wiggly when getting acupuncture in front of mom, which causes the needles to fall out of her skin, which means they have to be re-secured. Mom hastily snapped a couple pictures before Claire went to the back of the clinic with the vet to get her acupuncture treatment in privacy, where she could sit calmly for the 15 minutes that the needles have to stay in. So these pictures don't show all the needles they use on her at once, but they show the size of the needles in relation to little Claire, and some of what it's like.

I expected our first visit to Dr. Grey to be a bit pricey due to the initial consultation. But I thought after we met and talked, the fee would go down since we'd be quickly in and out with only an acupuncture treatment. So I was surprised today when the fee was over a hundred bucks, and was told that though the receipt was split into office visit & acupuncture, that was simply "how the computer works" and the total was the actual price of acupuncture. Claire is supposed to have another session on Tuesday, but I left without making an appointment as I can't continue to spend this way. I'll have to call Dr. Grey tomorrow to discuss it with her directly and am hoping she can waive a portion of the fee.

I've started pulling back a bit on the pain meds. They seemed to be making Claire constipated, and that was just worsening the situation for her. I'm glad I have the prescriptions filled and at the ready, and if she starts yelping, I can react immediately. Claire's still on restricted rest, meaning I'm keeping her in the bedroom where she can't jump up on anything, and I'm trying not to pick her up. She's obviously not going on walks with Chance and me. She's eating the Dismuzyme pill Dr Grey prescribed a couple days ago, but the Traumeel, which is a dropper to be applied to the gums, isn't working well--Claire doesn't like anything to be squirted at her! I've also left Pedialyte in her crate, as I thought all the pain meds had been sapping her will to drink and leaving her a bit dehydrated.

My day started with receipts, taxes, and more receipts. I'm making progress and should finish up tomorrow, so we can start applying to private foundations for help with Claire's medical costs.

After several more phone calls, we finally figured out what's going on with PayPal & the ChipIn: I erroneously entered Claire's bank account as checking (it's savings), so the verification got rejected. It's corrected now, but we're back at the beginning of the process and have to wait another three or four days for it to go through. Ugh!

This evening to continue networking I contacted Jen's List, a Meetup Chihuahua doggy playgroup on the Westside that we've belonged to for quite a while, and my Compact listserv, which goes out to thousands of people daily. The word is getting out, and we're at 99 people on Facebook! I didn't want to waste raffle prizes when I didn't have a big group to appeal to but I think by next week I can set some of those up!

Thanks to a Facebook friend, I headed this evening to meet with David Essex, the owner at Zoom Room Culver City. Zoom Room offers itself as a space for dog training & canine social club. David kindly placed a collection jar for Claire at Zoom Room and is brainstorming how to help further. I wish Chance was a little bit calmer so he could enjoy agility! The dogs involved clearly loved it, and the handlers looked like they were having fun too.

MRI Films, Acupuncture, Another Collection Jar, and Insurance Claim Forms

(Claire & Chance at puppy school, Jan. 2011)

This morning I followed up on the ChipIn. Though folks have contributed, it's still reading $0 because my PayPal account is not verified and thus not linked up to the ChipIn. Unfortunately it looks like I'll be waiting a couple of days to verify the PayPal account--right now, the ball's in their court. The good news is that once that step is complete, the transfer of funds is easy.

I picked up Claire's MRI films and records from Dr. Gorgi today before picking up Claire and heading to yet another new vet--we met Dr. Jackie Grey at Limehouse Vet in Toluca Lake this afternoon, and Claire had her first ever acupuncture treatment. She was quite excited to be out of the house after being trapped in her boring crate for the last several weeks! Though she seemed to like Dr. Grey just fine, she definitely didn't like the needles being stuck in her back. The idea with the acupuncture was to have the needles in for about fifteen minutes. The vet had to take her out of the room to the back once the needles were in because she was so wiggly around me that the needles were falling out. We sat around the waiting room for quite a while after the appointment too waiting for medications and an insurance claim form. It was nice to get a feel for the vet by watching other clients come and go, and Claire got a bit more adjusted to the noises, sites, and smells.

I was so nervous about the appointment that it didn't occur to me to bring a camera and take a photo. We have our second treatment this Thursday, so I'll take one then. I had no idea what the needles would look like, where they would be placed on an animal, or how many of them there would be. I'm sure there are other people who wouldn't know what to expect either, so I'll try to show it.

Dr. Grey specializes in homeopathic medicine, and she put Claire on two new meds: an antioxidant enzyme pill called Dismuzyme and an anti-inflammatory liquid called Traumeel. I feel like I have at least five things to research each day of this process; tonight I'm looking up the meds.

After taking Claire home from the vet, I took a collection jar to our favorite neighborhood pet store, Pet Haven in Burbank. Chance and Claire go there monthly for non-anesthetic dental cleaning, and we order our pet food through them. They're generously doing what they can for Claire.

Oh, and my homework tonight is filling out insurance claim forms for all that's happened this month....that will pretty much vacate the cap on the category.