The Story of Rusty
Rusty didn’t know he was a Persian, and spent his days and nights looking for the dirtiest places in which to lie. Every morning I would hear a feeble cry at the back door, and Rusty would saunter in looking like a drowned rat from spending the night in the rain.
Rusty didn’t know he was a Persian, and spent his days and nights looking for the dirtiest places in which to lie. Every morning I would hear a feeble cry at the back door, and Rusty would saunter in looking like a drowned rat from spending the night in the rain.
On one such morning, Rusty ambled in, climbed up onto his table to eat his food, and as he looked at me, because his bowl was not as full as he wanted it to be, I noticed that his one eye had been gashed open. I rushed him off to Southern Cross Veterinary Clinic, and thankfully they were able to treat his eye and I was able to take him home the same day.
A week passed and I took Rusty in for a check up (this was on a Monday). The vet was very happy with the progress with the eye, and wanted to see him again a week later. This was not to be ...
The following day, I did not hear the feeble cry at the back door, instead I was greeted by Rusty pulling himself along the floor to get to his table for his food. His back legs were lame! I rushed him back to the vets at Southern Cross Veterinary Clinic, who were very surprised to see Rusty so soon. Rusty had everyone in a quandary. The thought was that possibly he had a clot and therefore there was a blockage; subsequently there was no circulation in his cold back legs, no pulse and no movement.
Rusty was placed into hospital for the week. Every day I would phone to find out how he was progressing, only to hear that there was no improvement in his condition. We were told to leave Rusty a full week and if there was no improvement we would have to make a very difficult decision - one I was not ready to make. The vet was going to try acupuncture on Rusty - a new concept that had just been learnt overseas.
A week passed and I took Rusty in for a check up (this was on a Monday). The vet was very happy with the progress with the eye, and wanted to see him again a week later. This was not to be ...
The following day, I did not hear the feeble cry at the back door, instead I was greeted by Rusty pulling himself along the floor to get to his table for his food. His back legs were lame! I rushed him back to the vets at Southern Cross Veterinary Clinic, who were very surprised to see Rusty so soon. Rusty had everyone in a quandary. The thought was that possibly he had a clot and therefore there was a blockage; subsequently there was no circulation in his cold back legs, no pulse and no movement.
Rusty was placed into hospital for the week. Every day I would phone to find out how he was progressing, only to hear that there was no improvement in his condition. We were told to leave Rusty a full week and if there was no improvement we would have to make a very difficult decision - one I was not ready to make. The vet was going to try acupuncture on Rusty - a new concept that had just been learnt overseas.
A week on, I feared the worst - that there would be no improvement and Rusty would have to be put down. When I got home from work, my husband said we had to go and fetch Rusty from the vet! I couldn’t believe it.
The road to full recovery seemed long at the time, in retrospect it was only a few weeks of weekly acupuncture treatments. Rusty learned to be a Persian. He slept inside, and even climbed on our laps. Thanks to the acupuncture, slowly but surely, Rusty’s back legs came back to life.
The road to full recovery seemed long at the time, in retrospect it was only a few weeks of weekly acupuncture treatments. Rusty learned to be a Persian. He slept inside, and even climbed on our laps. Thanks to the acupuncture, slowly but surely, Rusty’s back legs came back to life.
Rusty has once again resorted to looking for the dirtiest places in which to sleep, and I wait for the feeble cry at the back door every morning. He saunters in, climbs up to the table where he insists his plate is full before he proceeds to eat.
Thanks to Southern Cross Veterinary Clinic - Rusty is Rusty again!
Read more about acupuncture
Thanks to Southern Cross Veterinary Clinic - Rusty is Rusty again!
Read more about acupuncture