We traveled 325 miles with our standard poodle, Paris, from Baton Rouge to Destin.  She has some arthritis and after that long ride and then days on hard surfaces, where we were vacationing, she was noticeably stiffer, limping and in pain.  We called our vet at LSU School of Veterinary Medicine and they helped us find Dr. Amy Van Dyke.  Dr. Amy and her assistant, Sarah, actually came to the beach house to treat Paris.  They were very professional, kind, careful, patient, and attentive.  They made sure to note Paris’s unique symptoms and did not make us feel bad for letting her get in the state she was in.  After a treatment, Paris dramatically improved!  We were given instructions on how to massage and care for her.  Dr. Amy assured us she could come back if needed.  We would not have been able to enjoy or even continue our vacation without Dr. Amy’s superior services!

CeCe is a Fox Terrier who was rescued on a roadside in 2015. She’s estimated now to be about 8-9 years old. I adopted her from her rescuers on Thanksgiving Day 2016. I knew she had issues when I agreed to take her. She’s deaf and has/had separation anxiety. She would hyperventilate and bark continuously when I would go to work or leave the house. There wasn’t a holistic Vet in my area so I had to resort to using Xanax which being an RN I knew this was not what I wanted her to have to take every time I left the house. Upon arriving in PC area I located Dr. Amy and off CeCe and I went to see her. After a thorough physical Dr. Amy prescribed a calming Chinese herbal supplement which I was thrilled to see it make a huge difference in CeCe’s ability to deal with my leaving her. She now goes and gets in her bed and naps when I leave. I am so grateful for Dr. Amy’s help and I’m “thankful” for my Thanksgiving gift.

Lacy (Irish Wolfhound) has had spinal arthritis for some time now.  She is 13 years old.  She has had hind leg weakness for some time as well.  She would often fall because her rear legs were so weak.  Although her traditional vet has helped control her pain, I felt it necessary to try absolutely everything.  So, I decided to try holistic medicine.  Dr. Amy Van Dyke and her staff are awesome.  Dr. Amy is a very kind, knowledgeable and caring doctor.  She was amazing with Lacy.  She has truly helped Lacy get more strength in her rear legs, and she is not falling too much anymore.  I almost lost hope in that there was nothing else that could help her.  Not true!  Dr. Amy is a true blessing.  I cannot give enough thanks for all Dr. Amy’s help.  And if Lacy could talk, she would be giving thanks too.

It was truly amazing how much function she regained overnight and with continued acupuncture sessions!  After just under two weeks, we are having to keep her from running as she is now able to move and use both of her legs!  She still has a lot of recovery in front of her but seeing her walk again is incredible!!

Wolfgang suffered from a sudden hind limb paraparesis resulting from intervertebral disc disease.  Emergency surgery was his best hope to ever walk again.   After the surgery, the surgeon recommended acupuncture.  He had seen tremendous results with acupuncture.  Acupuncture doesn’t sound believable to me.  However, Dr. Amy and Sarah from Animal Health Center had been Wolfgang’s veterinarian and technician for years.  They were performing acupuncture now, and we had already invested so much in Wolfgang’s care that we figured we would give it a shot.   When he had acupuncture, it had been 9 days since his surgery.  Maybe it was a coincidence and he was already healed to that level by the surgery, but that night he stood up on his own for the first time since his back first went out!  He stretched out comfortably that night to sleep for the first time since his surgery.  He improved rapidly to the point that 2 days later, he was walking unassisted (like a drunkard, but walking!) and comfortably stretching out and rolling over to scratch his back on the carpet.  He still had a ways to go to recover, but the one session seemed to jump-start his recovery.  In the end, I’m glad we tried acupuncture whether the improvement was due solely to the surgery or whether it was sped along by the acupuncture.   We needed to know that we tried everything available for him.  He still walks a little wobbly, but I am glad he is back to his walking, running, and spirited self again!