Acupuncture for the GERIATRIC DOG - Programme (subject to change)
Speaker: Lowri Davies
Day 1
09.00 - 09.30 Registration
09.30 - 09.45 Introduction
09.45 - 10.45 Pain and the geriatric patient The lecture will cover the neurobiology of pain. It will also look at the psychology of pain and the different coping strategies that individuals adopt. The concept of immune and autonomic changes within a chronic pain patient will also be covered. A brief outline of various pharmacological agents which can be used alongside acupuncture in the management of chronic pain will be considered.
11.15 - 12.30 Clinical examination and management protocols The concept of a systems based approach to examination and treatment will be introduced. How this systems based approach can then be used to improve acupuncture point selection will be considered.
13.30 - 14.30 Clinical examination practical The lab will focus on gait analysis, posture analysis and palpation. It will then further consider how our findings lead to strain patterns within the musculoskeletal system
14.30 - 15.30 Acupuncture considerations The lecture will consider various acupuncture points that are often effective in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain. It will also look at the longitudinal muscle system approach to acupuncture.
16.00 - 17.00 Acupuncture practical If possible, individual cases can be taken, a formula for needling designed and needles can then be inserted. If this is not possible then the practical will have to be limited to formula design and discussion on each individual patient.
17.00 - 17.30 Other adjunctive therapies and environmental management The lecture will briefly consider nutritional supplements that may be of benefit in management of the geriatric patient. It will also consider how environmental modification can assist with improving quality of life.
Day 2
09.00 - 10.15 Acupuncture in the management of organ conditions - cardiac, liver, kidney, GI tract. The lecture will consider whether acupuncture has a role to play in the management of cardiac, renal, hepatic and GI dysfunction in the older dog. It will discuss appropriate point selection.
10.15 - 11.00 Nutrition of the geriatric patient The lecture will look a the specific dietary needs of the older patient. It will look at how this can be met or otherwise by commercially available diets. The lecture will also cover how to successfully set up and manage weight clinics in the older patient.
11.30 - 12.30 Canine Osteoarthritis The lecture will consider the aetiology and pathogenesis of OA. It will cover how to assess a joint accurately and why this is such an important part of our clinical reasoning and pain management strategy. It will briefly review acupuncture point selection and consider why acupuncture is so effective in some cases and of no apparent value in others.
12.30 - 13.00 When to call it a day Often the acupuncturist is the last man standing with respect to treatment options for some of our most disabled patients. The ethical considerations of when continuing treatment may not be the most appropriate course of action for individual patients will be discussed.
14.00 - 15.00 Rehabilitation of the geriatric patient The lecture will briefly cover why rehabilitation works so well in conjunction with acupuncture. It will consider various rehabilitation strategies, focussing on the ones that can be easily implemented in practice.
15.20 - 16.30 Rehabilitation Practical This session will look again at designing a management programme through the appropriate choice of therapeutic exercises, hot and cold therapy and stretching and massage for clinical cases. (I have often in the past asked delegates to bring in their own dogs as this makes working on them easier from a legal perspective).