Earlier this year, two heart warming stories about acupuncture for animals were published and I want to share them with you.

Enola, an owl from Arkansas, received life saving acupuncture treatments at the Hawk Center in Russellville, Arkansas. Enola (named after the town where the accident took place) was hit by a car and vets thought they would have to put her down until they tried acupuncture! One week after her first treatment, Enola showed improvement and in March, Lynne Slater, the executive director of the Hawk Center where Enola was treated, reported she was making great progress.

“From her being unable to stand and her falling over on one side now she can stand and perch on a branch and she can actually move her foot some. She’s even self-feeding.  She wasn’t even able to feed herself,” Slater is quoted as saying.

To see a video of Enola getting acupuncture, click here.

Smiling? There’s more…

Teddy, a rockhopper penguin from the waters around Cape Town, South Africa, arrived at the Two Oceans Aquarium in 1999. It’s believed that, “Teddy’s feet were bound together for a long time while he was being held on a fishing vessel. As a result, he limps and suffers from arthritis.” I am hearing a lot of ‘oohhhhs’ about now. The caretakers at Two Oceans employed many tactics to help improve Teddy’s quality of life and now they’ve chosen to include acupuncture!

In February, the Aquarium reported, “At the moment, he is undergoing an extended series of acupuncture treatments and receives a herbal supplement daily.”

To see pictures of Teddy getting acupuncture click here.