Peak Animal Wellness Services

10/22/2026

It's nice to see more scientific evidence emerging and acupuncture techniques starting to be used in conventional veterinary medicine.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18cYnYxZpt/

A 2026 study published in the American Journal of Veterinary Research compared intramuscular (IM) medetomidine with subcutaneous (SC) administration at the governing vessel 20 (GV20/Baihui) acupuncture point in cats.

Researchers randomly assigned 16 healthy cats undergoing elective castration to receive medetomidine at 70 µg/kg via either route, with eight cats per group.

What did they find?

• Faster early sedation: Cats receiving medetomidine at GV20 had significantly higher sedation scores at 5 and 10 minutes post-injection. By 15 minutes, the difference between groups was no longer statistically significant.

• No significant change in intraocular pressure (IOP): IOP remained comparable between the two groups throughout the 30-minute observation period.

• Larger pupil diameter: The GV20 group had significantly larger mean pupil diameters than the IM group from 10 to 30 minutes. At 30 minutes, the mean diameter was 9.35 ± 0.98 mm in the GV20 group versus 6.94 ± 1.78 mm in the IM group.

• Prolonged early recovery: Following atipamezole reversal, cats in the GV20 group had higher recovery scores through 30 minutes, indicating greater residual sedation during early recovery. Scores were comparable between groups at 45 and 60 minutes.

What does this mean for veterinary practice?

Subcutaneous medetomidine administration at GV20 may provide faster early sedation in healthy cats without clinically detectable changes in IOP. However, the associated increase in pupil diameter may be relevant when evaluating ophthalmic patients, and closer monitoring during early recovery is warranted.

Bedir AGB, Yanmaz LE, Akçora Y, et al. Subcutaneous medetomidine at the governing vessel 20 acupuncture point provides faster early sedation than intramuscular administration without altering intraocular pressure in cats. American Journal of Veterinary Research. 2026. doi:10.2460/ajvr.26.05.0233.

10/16/2026

We would like to extend a warm welcome to Diana, who has joined the PAWS Group at Peak Animal Wellness and Aqua P.A.W.S to provide Animal Osteomyology (Osteopathy) services for dogs, cats, horses, and other small and large animals. To book with Diana, please contact us at [email protected].

07/01/2026

This is what I've been saying since the beginning! When I first heard about monoclonal antibodies against Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), my first questions was "what else does NGF do in the body?". It turns out it's more important than they thought and is not only involved in growing nerves in young animals, but it's also involved in the maintenance of healthy nerves, bones, and cartilage.

https://avmajournals.avma.org/downloadpdf/view/journals/javma/aop/javma.26.03.0170/javma.26.03.0170.pdf?fbclid=IwdGRjcASx6k1wZG9mA2ZkaWQWUJtzWqRxLSXlfcmDzkcn4JBeCH4nxGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR6JD5qL2_lIAVWoTRI1GWQ0f1PDdx6XD3MntB_mCM5p_HXrsyYaLQNkefhyGA_aem_KWAQIPgrwjnWPZkQ7DFrug

03/26/2026

Grateful to be a part of this project!
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14YsRPNsdDG/

Adopt, Don't Shop explores the pet adoption movement, revealing how choosing rescue animals over breeders transforms lives both for pets and the people who welcome them home.

03/06/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1EFhFYZjPn/

✨ The Rehab Treatment Pyramid ✨

Recovery isn’t just about rest—it’s a stepwise process that rebuilds your dog’s body from the ground up:

1️⃣&2️⃣: Control pain & inflammation – The foundation for healing.
3️⃣: Restore tissue integrity – Repair those injured tissues.
4️⃣: Restore range of motion – Keep joints moving freely.
5️⃣: Promote normal weight bearing – Balance & proper posture matter.
6️⃣: Restore reflex reactions – Reconnect the nervous system.
7️⃣: Restore muscle strength & endurance – Power up those paws!
8️⃣: Restore functional movement – Walk, run, jump—better than before.
9️⃣: Restore functional activity – Back to the activities your pup loves!

💡 Tip: Rehab is a pyramid—skipping steps can slow recovery or cause setbacks. Patience and progression are key!

HealthyPup DogRehabJourney

12/05/2025

I love it when mainstream medicine catches up to what us "granola crunchers" (just one of the many names I've been called by other veterinarians) has know for years!

https://www.facebook.com/share/1FLrMkwsMQ/

Sedation at the GV20 acupuncture point has been getting a lot of attention on social media lately—but how common is it in real-world clinical practice?

Have you ever administered sedation at the GV20 acupuncture point (top of the head), or is this something you’ve only seen online?

We’d love to hear your experience (or lack thereof). 👇

05/11/2025

Did you know that three different versions of the human equivalent of Librela (tanezumab, fulranumab, and fasinumab) didn't make it through clinical trials because it was shown to actually speed up the progression of arthritis in some of the people who were participating in the trials? Zoetis, the company that makes Librela (bedinvetmab), only looked at 89 dogs over the course of 3 doses during it's preclinical trials, and they did not take any before and after radiographs to look at whether or not the arthritis was progressing.
The independent researchers in following article did, and it's no surprise here that the same thing is happening in dogs, and more! "Ligament/tendon injuries, polyarthritis, fractures, musculoskeletal neoplasia, and septic arthritis were reported nine times more frequently in Librela-treated dogs." And this is just the musculoskeletal issues. What's happening to the rest of the body like nerves and the immune system?

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1581490/full?fbclid=IwY2xjawKNtp5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHioFHuoeaq40cty3HWTBtvTOafTONTYBbEdHUGQDX8Nu9gmKCpqwAigO1RzH_aem_OMaxN4d3nipZvA4hfZxnIQ

09/27/2024

Wow! Our favorite muscle supplement, Myos, is on sale through our partners at Canadian Pet Connection, plus they are having a site wide sale. Check it out!

https://www.canadianpetconnection.ca/?aff=39889

08/09/2024

☀️ 💦 Summer BOGO! 💦☀️
We are so excited about the re-opening of our Vancouver pool after a little facelift we wanted to celebrate with a fun limited time offer!!

From now until the end of September, Buy 1 swim and receive a 2nd at 50% off!! 😲
Hurry and dive in while you can!! 💦

Call us at 604-255-2295 or email [email protected] for more information or to book your appointment today!

*offer valid at both locations and cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts, including memberships & packages
Swims must be paid for together and are non-refundable*

08/09/2024

Call us at 604-255-2295 or email [email protected] for more information or to book your appointment today!