Immune Mediated Meningitis in Dogs A.K.A

MUE or Meningioencephalitis of Unknown Etiology

  Creative Diagnosis, Dangerous Treatment!

By Kelly Thompson, DC

There is a new condition apparently that has been discovered in the field of Veterinary Neurology. It is called Immune Mediated Meningitis in dogs and strangely only affects Dogs. Now there is an old saying in medicine, “when you hear the sound of hoof beats think horses, not zebras."  This is an admonition to doctors to think of a more common condition that would yield the signs and symptoms that a patient presents with before conjuring up in their minds some rare or less common condition. Well some Veterinary Neurologist has just defined the existence of a Unicorn in the herd! It would be laughable if the consequences of their prescribed treatment weren’t so dire for our animal companions. I am hoping that this creative diagnostic and therapeutic “witch hunt” was born of the frustration in dealing with dogs suffering from chronic or intractable back or neck problems and not purely financially motivated. You can make your own determination. I will explain how I believe this came about. (Continue reading MUE)

Before considering Laser Treatments for your Dog

Read about a New Light Therapy Technology

By Kelly Thompson, DC

A brief history of therapeutic lasers is in order to give you a better understanding of the technology. Years ago Infrared Lasers found their way into the fields of physical medicine, physical therapy, and chiropractic.  To understand this newer light therapy technology that I utilize called PetLight®, let me first describe the original light therapy modality. Infrared laser is also called Cold Laser because it produces no or minimal heat.  Technically described as Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) to differentiate it from other more powerful laser applications used in the health care fields, this form of therapy had its origin in a serendipitous discovery by Hungarian professor and physician Dr. Endre Mester in 1969.  At the time Dr. Mester was investigating the use of high power lasers to destroy cancerous tumors.  In his early experiments he implanted tumor cells beneath the skin of laboratory rats and then “zapped” the tumor cells with his custom ruby (red light) laser. (continue reading New Technology in Light Therapy)

Read this before agreeing to Cruciate Surgery

Do all dogs with Cruciate laxity in the knee require surgery?

By Kelly Thompson, DC

To date the gold standard for dogs with Anterior (Cranial) Cruciate Ligament injury with laxity has been to perform an immediate  TPLO or Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy or a newer procedure called a TTA or Tibial Tuberosity Advancement.  The Internet has full descriptions of each of these procedures if you desire to "drill down" (pun intended) into the intricacies of the surgeries themselves. In this article I will, in addition to providing you with my personal experience treating Dogs with cruciate injuries, provide you with a Veterinarian and researcher's synopsis of the facts concerning these procedures.  In an article written in Veterinary Practice News, titled," Questioning Canine Cruciate Ligament Surgery. See why these 8 claims that surgery is the best option for your canine patients are false,  author Narda Robinson DO, DVM summarizes the research concerning Cruciate Ligament Surgery and the take home message is that these surgeries are not necessary in many of the cases that present themselves to Veterinarians with cruciate injuries. The link to the Article: https://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/questioning-canine-cruciate-ligament-surgery/ . Having personally observed the TPLO surgery being performed, I can attest that it is anything but a simple non-traumatic procedure and my viewpoint over the years mirrors that of Dr. Robinson.(continue reading Cruciate Surgery)

Is Animal Chiropractic Legal in your State?

For Chiropractors, find out in this Article

By Kelly Thompson, DC

This data was current as of September 2019 so please be advised that the following can not and should not be construed as the final word regarding whether it is legal or not in your state to perform chiropractic treatment on animals.  The following compilation took many months and involved contacting state boards in all 50 states and coding the data to make it easy to search and follow.  I did my utmost to provide accurate and current information on this subject but cannot certify complete accuracy inasmuch as state regulations can change at any time. So the responsibility is yours and yours alone to perform your own due diligence and to determine for yourself whether your particular state allows you to legally perform chiropractic treatment on animals and within which legal or regulatory parameters you are allowed to perform such treatments. I encourage you to follow the extensive links and contact information I have provided for each state to follow-up and determine the current status of your state for yourself.  (Link to Animal Chiropractic State by State)

Chiropractors Treating Animals

 The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Part 2 of 3)

Article in Dynamic Chiropractic

By Kelly Thompson, DC

 In the previous installment we discussed the many “good” aspects of Chiropractors venturing into the Veterinary arena. However, few worthwhile endeavors in life are all “sunshine and lollipops,” so let us now explore the other side of the ledger.

Although it isn’t necessarily bad to seek to improve your education and skill, know up front that what you learned in Chiropractic college is minimally adequate to the task. Furthermore, it is vital to learn about diseases, maladies, and time critical conditions that you must recognize in your animal patient lest you contribute through ignorance and inaction to their untimely demise.  Even your palpation skills will be challenged. Examining animal patients brings entirely new meaning to the concept of motion palpation.

 (Continue to Dynamic Chiropractic Article)

Chiropractors Treating Animals

 The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Part 3 of 3)

Article in Dynamic Chiropractic

By Kelly Thompson, DC

 “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” Arthur Schopenhauer, German Philosopher (1788-1860)

I put it a different way. “If you build a better mousetrap the world will beat a path to your door. But not before well entrenched mousetrap makers with political connections do their utmost to destroy you and your new improved mousetrap!” Kelly Thompson, DC, Armchair Philosopher.

It is a sad testament that when you are able with your knowledge and skill to bring a paralyzed dog back to full function at a cost of hundreds of dollars and by doing so prevent upwards of $13,000 going into the coffer of the local Veterinary Neurologist or Veterinary Orthopedic specialist who has insisted to the desperate client that an MRI followed by back surgery is their only hope at saving their beloved companion, you make enemies. (Continue to Dynamic Chiropractic Article)