TulsaPets Magazine July 2021

28 TulsaPets • July/August 2021 Animal Acupuncture and Canine Sports Medicine Facility Heather Owen, DVM A nimal Acupuncture has evolved into Animal Acupuncture and Canine Sports Medicine Facility. Over the years, we have seen a rise in pet parents wanting to not only help their pets’ pain but also help get them back to full performance level, whether it is being a family pet, field trial Lab or even an agility athlete. At our facility, we incorporate state-of-the- art diagnostic technology, such as stance analysis, digital thermography, Pain Trace and musculoskeletal ultrasound, in addi- tion to traditional diagnostic capabilities, such as radiographs. We address and treat pain utilizing acupuncture, photobiomodulation (laser therapy), shockwave, neuromuscular stimulation, therapeutic ultrasound, regenerative medicine (platelet-rich plasma and stem cells), targeted pulsed electromagnetic waves, hydrotherapy and rehabilitation exercises. Our goal is to treat not only the problem the pet is having but also all of the compensatory changes your pet has undergone. We see patients when they are paralyzed, when they are post-operative and healing, and when they are suddenly lame, in addition to arthritis patients that need extra care and support. The best part about our day is seeing sweet patients start to walk again and do activities they have not been able to do in a long time. Capron Veterinary Hospital & Dental Clinic for Pets Ken Capron, DVM Specialty I am a general small an- imal practitioner and a board-certified veterinary den- tist and oral surgeon. We offer general services for dogs and cats as well as special services of dentistry and oral surgery, such as periodontics, end- odontics, orthodontics, metal crowns, routine and advanced cleaning and polishing, and intra-oral digital dental X-rays. We have a complete on-site lab; we do vaccinations, Class IV therapy laser, and other medical and surgical services. We receive veterinary dental referrals from the four-state area. Helping a living being (animal) that cannot help itself is what I love most about my job. Advice for Pet Owners Over the years, I have found many times the longer a person waits to take care of a medical problem for their pet, the worse the situations become, and it becomes more expensive due to more in-depth diagnostics, surgery, medications and dental proce- dures required. AVery Surprising Oral Examination and Surgery Recently, a client (a very elder- ly small dog) was referred to me by its regular veterinarian for a mass in the mouth. The client was holding the dog on the exam table as I was look- ing in the dog’s mouth. The mass appeared to be an oral tumor about the size of a person’s thumb. I begin talking to the client about what I observed in the dog’s mouth. The dog seemed to be an intelligent patient be- cause it would look at me “eye to eye” when I was talking to the client, and when the client spoke, it would look at its owner “eye to eye.” I begin talking to the client about a diagnostic and treat- ment plan consisting of pre-anesthesia blood work, gas anesthesia, intra-oral digital dental X-rays, surgical biopsy of the mass, and sending the tissue and a copy of the X-rays over to Oklahoma State Uni- versity Diagnostic Laboratory for a histo-path diagnosis by a pathologist. Then the dog really stared at me “eye to eye,” and then chomped down on the tumor and spit about half of the tumor out of his mouth onto the exam table. He looked back at me as if to say, “Here you go, Doc. Send it over to OSU path lab.” The client and I were both very surprised, and the mouth bled very little. The client agreed to get the path re- port. So I packaged the tissue up, sent it over to OSU and got the results back in about a week. It was a malignant form of oral cancer. I recommended to the client that we take intra-oral digital X-rays and remove the rest of the tumor—before the dog performed a repeat surgery. I gave the client two copies of the lab results so she would give a copy to her regular veterinarian. I have not heard back from the client yet. This is a “very” intelligent dog, doing his own oral surgical biopsy—and not even using sutures.  What I Want Readers to Know I discovered about 35 years ago that the more I learned about taking care of the “port hole” to the body (inside the mouth) of an animal (just like in people), the better the overall health of the animal. TulsaPets Magazine DVM Annual Feature