Pepper Luedeman is in the final stages of her life.
Blind and deaf for a few years, she has heart failure and can't get around very easily these days due to hip dysplasia and severe arthritis.
Acupuncture is one of the few ways to manage the old girl's pain, and every three weeks she gets more than 30 small needles inserted into her back, hips and legs.
And then she gets a couple liver treats.
"That's a good girl," veterinarian Janet Forrer tells the 13-year-old basset hound.
Pepper is one of dozens of pets that receive treatment through the veterinary acupuncture program at Sunrise Pet Clinic, 5635 N. Swan Road.
Dubbed "acupuppy" by one former client, the program is similar to most acupuncture treatments performed on humans, says Forrer, who has handled most of Sunrise's clients since coming to the clinic in 2004. The program is intended mostly for animals that are in pain as a result of arthritis, herniated disks or torn ligaments.
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Though the therapy is considered a form of alternative medicine by state medical boards, Forrer says animal acupuncture is widely accepted among vets. She said she learned the technique after spending several years at another area clinic that also practiced animal acupuncture.
"It's not alternative in the minds of veterinarians," she said.
According to its Web site, the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society, founded in 1974, has more than 1,600 members worldwide.
"I think it's becoming more accepted," said Corissa Canny, a veterinarian at Companion Animal Clinic, 2626 N. Campbell Ave., who has done animal acupuncture for 1 1/2 years. "There's a lot of anecdotal evidence that it works. It does really seem to make a lot of them feel better."
Pepper has been taken to Sunrise for acupuncture for more than two years by her owners, who use another vet for the more traditional care of their two dogs and two cats. But they bring all of their pets to Sunrise for holistic treatments.
"I'm totally sold on it," Rene Luedeman said about acupuncture. "I need to do it for myself."
Forrer said most of her clients are dogs and cats, though she once performed acupuncture on a Chinese turtle, an endeavor that proved difficult because "he just kept pulling in all his limbs."
Though her patients are understandably skittish at first, Forrer said almost all of them learn to like acupuncture.
"Our patients don't just lie there still, but eventually they get used to it," Forrer said. "People will tell me, 'My dog knows it's their day to come, and they're just jumping into the car.' "
Forrer figures about 80 percent of the animals she treats show some improvement, and usually within the first few visits.
Luedeman said she noticed Pepper was getting better after she had her first couple of acupuncture sessions. Though she and her husband, Terrill Yuhas, have been told Pepper could die at any time, they want to keep her final days more comfortable.
"We will continue doing this until she takes her final breath," Rene said.
If you go . . .
• What: animal acupuncture.
• Where: Sunrise Pet Clinic, 5635 N. Swan Road.
• Cost: $62 per session.
• More information: Call Sunrise at 299-5044 or go online to www.sunrisepetclinicaz. com or www.ivas.org
