O ur hearts break thinking about Brody and Grady crying out to be with the herd and knowing that their bodies are in pain. As many of you know, they have very significant health issues and we continue to research solutions for these sweet cows. They have trouble walking, getting up and moving around because of musculoskeletal pain and weakness. Today we had Nicole Finazzo DVM come to visit with technician Laura. They were able to provide both Brody and Grady with cold laser therapy and acupuncture. It is so sad for us to see that these two young steers are not able to run around and be frisky and just have fun being cows.

Grady getting Cold Laser Therapy

So to explain about these two therapies and other options for treatment I will quote Nicole directly:

“Palliative and cold laser therapy will treat the pain and discomfort, they do not treat the actual disease process (osteoarthritis or hip dysplasia in their cases).

Options for palliative therapy include acupuncture and laser therapy. Acupuncture involves placing small gauge needles into different acupoints in the body. These acupoints are neuromuscular and/or neurohormonal junctions – in layman’s terms, this is where the body receives feedback that controls the release of various hormones and anti-inflammatory molecules. Stimulating the acupoint works directly to relax the muscles and release anti-inflammatory molecules in that area, and works indirectly by the release of neurohormones from the brain that lessen pain. There are a number of ways to stimulate the acupoint and the method will vary depending on the patient’s reaction to the session. Dry needling involves the placement of the small gauge acupuncture needles into various acupoints and leaving them in place for 10-20 minutes.

Laser therapy also known as cold laser therapy, involves low level light therapy to stimulate healing and reduce inflammation. Laser therapy is working on a cellular level. Photons from the light reaction with the components of the cells to release anti-inflammatory molecules. The laser therapy also mildly increased the temperature of the tissues which causes an increase in blood flow to the area which improves healing. Laser therapy is non-painful and most patient’s enjoy it.”

Brody getting assessed by Nicole & Laura

Brody and Grady reacted positively to the treatment today. They did not like the needles going in to their hind end at first but then started to relax and we even noticed that Brody’s muscles were not as tight in one area at the end of the session. We will watch them over the next few weeks to see how the treatment affects them. As we continue to search for solutions we would like to ask for your support and ask you to sponsor Brody or Grady with their health care. We will continue to give them pain medicine so they have consistent pain relief as there is no cure for their disease.

Lynn, Oscar, Nicole & Laura

We will watch them over the next few weeks to see how the treatment affects them. As we continue to search for solutions we would like to ask for your support and ask you to sponsor Brody or Grady with their health care. We will continue to give them pain medicine so they have consistent pain relief as there is no cure for their disease.

Can you help these kind souls to be as happy as they can be. Please donate so they can continue with the therapy sessions and medicine.

Love Cows,
Lynn

JP Farm Animal Sanctuary is a nonprofit, tax-exempt
501(c)(3) corporation (EIN 83-1674833)