TulsaPets Magazine March 2021

WRITTEN BY: A.W. Webb PHOTOS BY: Cindy Alvarez I needed to be convinced. In the world of pet parents and fur babies, there are a lot of prod- ucts you just don’t need. While, admittedly, I own sunglasses for my Aussie mix, and she has a decidedly sharp sweater despite her thick coat, I had no clue that not only is pet acupuncture important, it may change, or save, the life of your pet. After five minutes of conversation with Heather Owen, DVM, about her animal acu- puncture practice, Animal Acupuncture LLC, a few things became shatteringly obvious:  • our pets can’t tell us when and how they hurt.  • they try hard to make us happy—even when they are in pain. • their lives often end in euthanasia, dependent upon our best interpretation of their pain. If you’ve loved an animal, you’ve likely faced the same grim conundrum I have: you want the animal you’ve loved for a decade or more to stay with you, but if you know they’re in constant pain, you feel there’s nothing left to do but euthanize.  What I learned from Owen is that you actual- ly may be able to help reduce pain and give your pet those additional years. “It’s not the primary veterinarian’s fault. It’s not the owner’s fault,” Owen says. “No matter what—a tumor, a laceration, paralysis—your dog will serve you with a happy heart. It’s the key to being a dog.”  The problem here is that whether a pet is limping at home in its twilight years after a short walk or coming up lame after a big jump in a K9 competition, your animal can’t tell you how and where it’s hurting, meaning the cause may never really get diagnosed despite everyone’s best efforts. Owen’s practice is set up to address this prob- lem. She works alongside Dr. Cami Wallis, An- imal Acupuncture’s internationally credentialed acupuncturist, and Dr. Courtney White, the first ‘Giving a Voice to the Voiceless’ 8 TulsaPets • March/April 2021 Pain Trace Technology at Animal Acupuncture Dr. Owen evaluating her patient for pain