Acupet Integrative Veterinary Care

26/04/2026

The perks of a clinic in Northland…… beautiful places to explore 💚

13/03/2026

Very lucky to be able to explore more of Whangerei on a housecall this afternoon to treat lovely Jasper and his sister Janey. I thought these letterboxes looked like kids waiting for the school bus but it nay have been the humidity affecting me 😂

09/03/2026

Lily is a sweet old lady with a grand age of 15 years old. In mid January her kidney disease was worsening and her appetite was very reduced. Her heart disease was also deteriorating and drugs to support both organs were no longer enough. We started weekly acupuncture to support her heart and kidneys alongside a Chinese herbal formula containing Rehmannia to support kidney function. She has a western herbal tonic to help her cough. We also instigated a supplement to reduce her blood phosphorous which was worsening with poorly functioning kidneys. Her heart rate now has a normal rhythm. Lily is back to being full of vitality, more interactive and enjoying her food and life again 💚.

04/03/2026

Happy Birthday to Sephy who is 14 years old today 🥳🥳🥳🥳

28/02/2026

Just back from a three day deep dive into Traditional Chinese veterinary acupuncture and herbal medicine in Brisbane with the absolute master of Chinese Veterinary Medicine Dr Steve Marsden, teaching alongside his amazing wife, Dr Karen Marsden. We looked at the ways Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture and real food diets help to overcome the endothelial dysfunction underlying chronic inflammation, which underlies chronic disease. We analysed pulses and what they tell us about imbalance in the body. We then looked at how finding key active points on a body can change the pulse immediately to bring the body back into balance and in doing so resolve symptoms. Alongside this we looked at many clinical cases and how these dogs were helped integratively using acupuncture, chinese herbal medicine, supplements and diet. Lots and lots of amazing info from very experienced teachers. The lights were going on constantly thinking about my patients and how else I can help them.
This was a career highlight for me seeing Steve teach as he has inspired my holistic journey so far. It was amazing to connect with other vets buzzing about integrative medicine and talk all things holistic and rehab related. And Brisbane shone for its nightlife, birdlife and amazing botanical gardens.

19/02/2026

Poppy is chillin’ with acupuncture for her skin allergies.
Cotton wool is a useful barrier to stop her ear needle going places it shouldn’t!

15/02/2026

Congratulations to Bobo who just completed his second round of chemotherapy with the CHOP protocol for lymphoma and is in remission. This little guy is a true champion. 🤩🥳 Bobo was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2024 and finished his chemo at ARC last March. He had a lot of side effects from his initial course including facial hair loss and often very low WBCs which meant he would have to wait until his levels improved for the next chemo treatment. He also recurrent episodes of diarrhoea, inappetance and was generally lethargic over the many months of chemo. He only stayed in remission for two months after this course ended. Bobo had already started acupuncture at the time his lymphoma returned and he has had acupuncture weekly over his second round of the CHOP protocol. He has also had herbal medicine to support his vitality, organ function, immune system, improve gut health and reduce the side effects from chemo. This last chemo round he has aced… no low WBC, no hair loss, good energy, far fewer gut upsets, a good appetite, no missed chemo treatments and a much happier boy. His mum sees the big difference adding holistic support has made to chemo treatments. We will continue to support him holistically to remain cancer free. Go Bobo!! You got this!! 🦋💚🌸

12/02/2026

Baxter is a wee 10.5 year old Griffon X who is back to walking happily on his right hind limb after many months of poor weight-bearing. Baxter injured his RHL last July and it was found he had a partial cranial cruciate tear alongside a grade 2 medial patellar luxation. He also has a number of other issues that slow him down with a grade 2 medial patellar luxation of his left knee, arthritis in both hips, Addison’s disease and low grade heart disease. The latter two problems put him at a higher anaesthetic risk for stifle surgery, which is the preferred treatment option to stabilise his knee. To further complicate matters Baxter also has a lytic area at the top of his tibia which is either cancer or a bone cyst. A bone biopsy could not provide a definitive answer. Unfortunately poor bone healing and a possible fracture could result if surgery went ahead. So with surgery not being an option, Baxter was referred from the ARC for rehab.
Treatment for Baxter has centred on reducing both hip and stifle pain, increasing range of motion in these joints, improving stability of his stifle by reducing the tendency of the patella to luxate and strengthening his pelvic limb muscles. A rehab programme needs to treat all affected areas to improve weight bearing and mobility. Acupuncture, laser over his hips, manual therapy and therapeutic exercises have been used alongside multimodal pain relief and arthritis supplements. After four sessions of weekly rehab and a home physio programme he is doing fantastically. With rehab we look at the whole patient and their biomechanics to improve dysfunction and as a result we can see results that did not seem possible ✨The good news for Baxter is that the lytic area of bone does not appear progressing so cancer is also very unlikely ✨😇. rehabilitation

27/10/2025

New Satellite Clinic in Whangerei!!

Acupet is thrilled to announce the launch of our Friday satellite clinic in Whangerei, starting in November. Located at the beautiful Mill Road Vet Clinic, this new location will make it easier for pet parents across Northland to access Acupet's specialised services, including physiotherapy, acupuncture and holistic medicine.

If you have friends in the Northland region who might be interested, please let them know. Contact us via email at [email protected] or through
https://www.acupet.co.nz/northlandanimalrehab/ to make a booking.

We look forward to supporting Northland's cats and dogs back to health and mobility :).

27/06/2025

Finally a study that confirms what I have found with acute non-ambulatory IVDD dogs treated with acupuncture on top of physiotherapy. These dogs have a greater chance of mobility than just physiotherapy alone.

https://www.facebook.com/585099210/posts/10161893434119211/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

"Acupuncture has been widely incorporated into rehabilitation protocols for dogs and cats because of its potential analgesic efficacy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential positive effect of integrating acupuncture and electroacupuncture techniques on the recovery of ambulation capacity in non-ambulating paraparetic patients undergoing physiotherapy in the postoperative period following mini-/hemilaminectomy for thoracolumbar spinal cord decompression due to acute disc extrusion. Forty-one patients were included and underwent descriptive and analytical statistical analysis, divided into two groups: dogs that received a physiotherapy protocol with acupuncture and dogs that received physiotherapy only. The results showed that the dogs in the acupuncture group had a higher likelihood of regaining ambulation."