Jean and Girard Ault’s passion for dogs is evident upon entering their Camas home.
Dog decor adorns the walls, including framed art, figurines and statues. Jean wore an evergreen-colored vest with a brown dog outline just over her heart.
Then, you’ll most likely be greeted by their massive, gray, 8 1/2 -year-old, 150-pound Irish wolfhound named Cliff, who on a recent Wednesday was about to receive a bit of an unusual treatment, at least by traditional Western veterinary standards: acupuncture.
“He would kind of fall to the side because he was so weak. He probably has a combination of a neurologic problem and some arthritis, but he’s really made some amazing headway in both,” said Dr. Megan Wickersham, who was making a house call to the home, located in a somewhat secluded, wooded area down winding roads and secured behind a gate.
She carried a bin of supplies, including different-sized needles and what’s called an electro acupuncture stimulator, which is used with the needles, to treat animals with neurological issues. She set up shop on the dining room floor.
“With Cliff here, we’re working on primarily his left hind leg. It’s the leg that doesn’t get good communication from the spinal cord, although he’s improved a lot,” Wickersham said.
She treats primarily horses and dogs, though she has some feline, sheep and cattle patients, and one alpaca.
She works four days a week doing in-home calls through her business, Northwest Veterinary Acupuncture, and one day a week as a “regular doctor” at Amazia Veterinary Service in Brush Prairie. However, she’s hoping soon to go full-time on her own. Right now, she does about 60 percent of business in-home, she said.
“I thought about building a little office, but we have to see about the logistics of that. I’m definitely not going to give up doing the in-home because I think there’s a big place for that,” she said.
Originally from upstate New York, Wickersham received a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2007. She met her husband, originally from Ridgefield, while a student in Kansas; he was stationed at Fort Riley Military Base. They moved to Clark County in 2009.
Skeptics
Wickersham is aware that some people consider the practice of acupuncture, and other Eastern medical practices, well, a sham, but she stands by it as an effective “tool in the toolbox” for treatment.
There aren’t many studies that indicate solid results showing the effectiveness of acupuncture. A 2006 systematic review of the practice found, “On the basis of the findings of this systematic review, there is no compelling evidence to recommend or reject acupuncture for any condition in domestic animals. Some encouraging data do exist that warrant further investigation in independent rigorous trials.”
Though that was 12 years ago, there still haven’t been many studies that show steadfast findings. A 2010 study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association did note success in using electroacupuncture on dogs.
Jean Ault said her husband, a retired “traditional Western-medicine vet,” wasn’t initially accepting, but has come around.
Wickersham believes more people are trying to move away from piling on medications.
“I was getting really frustrated as a regular vet with just saying ‘rest and pain meds.’ (Acupuncture is) just a different way of looking at a problem,” she said. “Yeah, it sounds (strange) you know if you’ve not ever been exposed to Eastern medicine.”
She was certified through the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society in 2012. Veterinarians must be certified to do acupuncture, which is considered a surgical procedure, she said, and they can’t turn around and do it on humans. The certification includes an online session, three on-site sessions, a 16-hour mentored internship, exams on live animals and a written exam, and a peer-reviewed case report, according to the IVAS, which was founded in 1974.
According to Debbie Prevratil, the executive director of the organization, there are around 3,000 veterinarians in the United States with acupuncture certifications. It has gained a little more steam in places like the Pacific Northwest, at least enough to provide Wickersham with almost a full-time job.
“Certainly it’s more popular in more progressive cities, however in the last 10 years veterinarians are responding to their clients asking for integrative medicine providing the best possible care for their family companions,” Prevratil said.
Banfield Pet Hospital, which is headquartered in Vancouver with more than 1,000 locations nationwide, has some veterinarians who practice acupuncture as well. They are encourage to advertise such services if it’s what the pet owner and veterinarian determine is best for the pet, according to Banfield spokesperson Ryan Bartholomew.
Needs for a giant breed
For Cliff, who is considered geriatric since Irish wolfhounds have a life expectancy of between six and 10 years, Jean is just trying to figure out how to give him a comfortable life.
“As a giant breed, or any breed as they get older, there’s just the wear and tear on their joints,” Jean Ault said. She has owned more than 100 Irish wolfhounds since the 1970s, including being involved in the show-dog world, and calls it a lifestyle. Both retired, Girard Ault operated a traditional veterinarian office in Tucson, Ariz., where the two met.
They moved to Camas in 2011, seeking a region with less scorching temperatures and that was more pet-friendly, Jean said. She had previously visited the Pacific Northwest for dog shows.
“We had a friend who was in Washougal with wolfhounds. They recommended to look around here. We wanted some property for the dogs to run,” Jean said.
Cliff isn’t doing as much running these days — although he was surprisingly mobile when Wickersham showed up.
“I was like, is Cliff moving like that? It’s like watching your 90-year-old grandpa run out to the parking lot,” Wickersham laughed. “OK, maybe not 90. More like 80.”
While gentle piano tunes played over a speaker, and with no resistance, Cliff laid down while Wickersham carefully placed small needles in his body at particular points, then hooked up the electro stimulator. The entire treatment lasted about 20 minutes. Wickersham charges $130 for the first in-home visit, plus a mileage fee that starts at $30 and increases depending on where the client lives. Check-in appointments cost $90 plus mileage.
“They’re all based on anatomy, and they all have different points. We’re doing things here to support the bones in his body and do others that will hopefully help with pain control, releasing some neurotransmitters that will help with pain control as well as maybe stimulate some nerves for regrowth,” Wickersham said. “So hopefully he gets better communication all the way down to his foot.”
Once the electro acupuncture stimulator treatment completed, the device played a little tune and then Wickersham carefully took out the needles.
Cliff stood up slowly with a bit of a limp; one of his hind feet had fallen asleep. Then he walked around, seemingly happy and normal.
“For the most part, it’s not terribly stressful on them,” Wickersham said.
Cliff, however, had no comment on the treatment.
