When my beloved cat of nearly 17 years fell 12 feet from a mezzanine wall inside our home, he suffered something called a tail avulsion and nerve damage that limited his mobility in his back end/hind legs and rendered him incapable of controlling his feces or urinating on his own. The emergency hospital originally suspected he would have to have his tail amputated. Within several weeks of his fall, our veterinarian, who was not in favor of amputation, referred us to Dr. Waldman and CARE. Within less than a month after starting physical therapy and acupuncture sessions at CARE, Oscar had regained a substantial amount of his mobility to the point where he was able to jump short distances and move about comfortably on his own. While his beautiful tail never had full sensation or motion again, it was otherwise healthy and did not need to be amputated. While he never regained fecal control and never fully regained his ability to urinate on his own, he did improve markedly. He went from not being able to urinate on his own at all and needing his bladder manually expressed 6-8 times a day to having some bladder control and much more comfort. About two months after treatment started, Oscar was diagnosed with chronic renal failure, further complicating his condition. In addition to the typical fluid and diet treatment for CRF, Dr. Waldman and her team incorporated treatment for his renal failure into their acupuncture therapy. I am certain that the treatment Oscar received at CARE helped him heal and live longer than he would have had he not had this treatment. I am so grateful for everything everyone at CARE did for Oscar and for helping him enjoy a better, more comfortable quality of life through his final days. All of the doctors and therapists at CARE are amazing, knowledgeable and compassionate. They got to know Oscar and the idiosyncrasies of his personality and needs as if he was their own. They were also very accommodating and understanding in helping me find the right balance and course of treatment given my financial constraints. They gave me exercises and stretches to do at home and they also provided great suggestions for helping improve Oscar’s condition through enhanced nutrition. And, not unimportantly, the front desk staff was always warm, friendly and accommodating. All in all, we had a great experience at CARE and I would not hesitate to take another pet in need back should it become necessary.
Anne Marie Burke
January 2013