FAQ - GREY PAWS ACUPUNCTURE AND REHABILITATION

FAQ's

How do I make an appointment?

Appointments can be booked by phone or text at (970) 316-3227, or by email at [email protected]. Please be aware that I am often seeing patients so can rarely return calls immediately. I will return phone calls, emails and texts by the end of the business day.
After you make your appointment, your confirmation email will have a link to a New Patient Form that can be completed online. Having this information in advance of your first appointment allows me to spend as much time as possible with your pet and helps me make an individualized treatment plan, so please fill it out prior to your first appointment!

Do I need a referral from my primary veterinarian?

Whether this is a new condition or an exacerbation of a previous injury, I prefer that your family veterinarian has evaluated your pet prior to making an appointment with Grey Paws so that any needed diagnostics can be performed and we can have a full picture of what is ailing your pet.
Heart disease, kidney disease and other medical problems can mimic the signs of arthritis (and cause pain) and need to be evaluated and treated by your family veterinarian.
My practice is limited to Integrative Therapies such as Acupuncture, Rehabilitation and Veterinary Spinal Manipulative Therapy. These are complementary to, but not in replacement of, your pet's care by your family veterinarian and I am dedicated to working with your family veterinarian as a team for the best care of your pet.
I have no diagnostic capabilities (other than my hands) and as such I rely on your pet's primary veterinarian for these diagnostic tools. I will refer you back to them for bloodwork, monitoring or any other diagnostic tests.
I do require that your regular veterinarian has examined your pet within the past year prior to you making an appointment with Grey Paws.
I send my findings and treatment plan to your primary veterinarian so they are kept informed about what is happening with your pet during their therapy sessions. This can be discussed further at your initial consultation.

What are your payment options?

Payment is expected at the time of service by credit card, Venmo, cash or check.

Many pet insurance plans cover rehabilitation, laser and acupuncture treatments! Check with your insurance company for more details.

Do you perform general veterinary services?

No, Grey Paws Acupuncture and Rehabilitation services are limited to acupuncture, rehabilitation and spinal manipulative therapies only. You will need to continue seeing your family veterinarian for any routine or emergency veterinary care.

What happens during the initial consultation?

When evaluating a patient for the first time, a full physical, neurologic, and myofascial exam will be performed. After these examinations are completed, an individualized treatment plan will be discussed with you. If indicated, initial treatments will be performed. This session usually takes about 75-90 minutes.

For routine orthopedic Post-Operative Care, an initial personalized home care plan will be sent with you at the first visit.

There is often a lot of information to discuss at the initial consultation. As such, some treatments may be scheduled for follow-ups. In addition, due to the the complexity and chronic nature of most of the conditions that Grey Paws treats, a personalized home exercise program and other lifestyle modifications and home care options are often more thoroughly discussed during follow-up visits.

Dr. Kori will email a report to your family veterinarian about the examination and treatment plan after the visit.

Do animals really tolerate acupuncture treatments? Isn't it painful?
I use treats to keep your pet occupied while the needles are placed. Most animals don't notice the needle placement, although a few are more sensitive and need some distraction. If an animal doesn't tolerate needles (which is a very rare occurrence), laser acutherapy can be performed as a substitution. Once the needles are in place, most animals relax. Laser therapy is also very relaxing for our pets. After a few sessions, most animals get excited about their treatments and love their sessions!

Can you perform acupuncture and rehabilitation on cats?

Absolutely! We move very slowly with cats and provide lots of petting while the needles are placed. Many cats, just like dogs, relax during their sessions. For the cat (or dog) that will not tolerate needles, photobiomodulation (cold laser) is a nice alternative to needles. pEMF (pulsed electromagnetic field therapy) is also a great alternative to needles and can be used at home quite successfully.
As cats are not usually as cooperative with exercises and massage as dogs are, our rehabilitation techniques and therapeutic exercises are greatly modified for cats.

How many follow-up treatments will my pet need?

Unfortunately, there is no standard answer to this question. It depends on the condition being treated and your goals for treatment. Every patient's care is individualized and often there are many things like lifestyle modifications, supplements and home exercises that can be done by you at home that will make a big difference for your pet's quality of life.
That being said, many conditions such as arthritis and chronic pain do require acupuncture, manual therapy and other rehabilitation treatments on a regular schedule initially for the best outcome, followed by periodic maintenance treatments since these conditions are usually not curable, but rather managed.
Neurologic injury responds best to frequent treatments in the acute stage, tapered to less frequent treatments as the body heals and the pet regains mobility.
A personalized care plan will be made and discussed with you at your initial evaluation.

Grey Paws Acupuncture and Rehabilitation would like to extend a special thanks to Patches, Gabe, Larry, Tamah, Rocky, Peanut and Molly for their wonderful wags, paws and pictures!