Tui-na Therapy for Shoulder Pain in a Young Great Dane

Abstract

A 9-month-old male Great Dane developed acute non-weight bearing lameness of the right front leg after he slipped and fell while playing. A tentative diagnosis of soft tissue injury of the shoulder was made. The recommended conventional medical treatment of oral analgesics was declined by the owner who instead opted for traditional Chinese veterinary medicine (TCVM) therapy. The TCVM treatment included dry needle acupuncture (DNAP), Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) and Tui-na with improvement noted after the first TCVM session. In addition to Tui-na used during the TCVM sessions, simple techniques were taught to the owner to administer at home to support improvement and mobility recovery. The dog began using the leg again on the day after the first treatment, without the use of analgesics. After 2 weeks of TCVM therapy, the young dog was able to walk and run without evidence of lameness in the right front leg. This case highlights the benefit of augmenting TCVM therapy with Tui-na, particularly to manage acute soft tissue musculoskeletal injuries in dogs.