Patient Stories

Louie’s story…

When Louie (aka Lulu) and I walked into Harmony Vet that day, and met Dr. Andrea, I was carrying Louie in her bed. She was unable to stand. After treatments and herbs she is up and running, literally. So much for the emergency Vet recommending Euthanasia! Kindness and compassion, as well as results, occur when entering the doors at Harmony Vet!

Much Love and gratitude.

~ Louie Mains and her mom

A note from Willie’s Family…

Willie started seeing Dr. Andrea and Dr. Lynne at Harmony Vet about a year ago. His improvement in mobility and quality of life has been astounding! Our 11 year old dog now seems half his age in energy and activity level.

Mimosa’s story…

Mimosa has had middle ear infections since she was adopted five years ago. She has been on antibiotics many, many times and they make her feel terrible. She even had surgery for her chronic ear infection at the University of Wisconsin Veterinary School. She felt great after surgery for about 2 weeks but then had to go back on the antibiotics. 

She started having acupuncture and Chinese herbal therapy in February of 2011. Since that time she has not needed ANY oral antibiotics! She is eating very well, has gained weight, feels great, and is playing at home.

A note from Mickey’s family…

Dr. Lynne has been working with my 16 year-old Appaloosa gelding, Mickey, to help decrease recent flare-ups of uveitis. Mickey has been battling uveitis for many years now, but not until recently has it impacted his health in a negative way. The uveitis has caused his left eye to obtain ulcers and has diminished his vision in that eye as well. Once the onset of ulcers occurred, I was administering ointments and other western medicine techniques. I was referred to Dr. Dennis at Harmony Vet  when I made it known to my vet that I wanted to try a different approach to treating Mickey.

The first acupuncture treatment went extremely well and I could see the positive results right away. The acupuncture was a great treatment for him.

Dr. Dennis has also prescribed him Chinese herbs to help with the control of the inflammation. Not only does he love the taste, but they also work extremely well! I am so elated that this route of treatment has worked wonders on my horse. I thank Dr. Lynne for all of her kindness, help, and expertise in treating Mickey and making him healthy again!

A note from Lucy and Ruby’s family…

Ruby (silver schnauzer on left) came to our family from the Dane County Humane society. About a year after we got Ruby our daughter called and told us about another schnauzer puppy who was needing a home. All of her siblings had been sold and she was left behind. With much pleading from the dad of this house, it was agreed we could add her to our family. We decided to call her Lucy (black schnauzer).We were all excited, especially Ruby. Ruby became Lucy’s mom and best friend. 

Everything seemed to be going well until Lucy turned one year old. She got sick and the vet told us she had bladder stones. She had surgery to remove them and we thought all would be OK.

Then when Lucy turned two years old the same thing happened. Our vet did another surgery and told us that if this happened again, surgery wasn’t an option. He suggested a holistic vet could possibly help Lucy with a different approach.

Our daughter had heard of Dr Lynne through a friend. We made an appointment and Dr Lynne did acupuncture on Lucy and an in depth analysis of the whole situation. We decided I would try cooking food for Lucy and add some herbal and cranberry supplements to her food daily. That was three years ago. Lucy is doing very well and has not had any more issues with bladder stones. Ruby is especially happy to have Lucy at her side and our family is extremely grateful that Dr Lynne was able to help her.

A note from Josie’s family…

If it weren’t for Josie’s acupuncture treatment, she would have had to be on medication for pain. I feel that I was able to increase the quality and duration of her life by taking her to acupuncture treatments. Josie would appear lethargic and “sunken” if it was too long between treatments; usually at about 6 weeks. After her treatment would be happy, smiling, and able to trot around. She loved going to Dr Lynne and even slept during her treatments.

Seeing the results for her – she obviously was not biased or faking – made me begin my own acupuncture treatment for an old shoulder injury that I had always just been dealing with, and it was much improved!

A note from Joey’s mom…

Joey’s start to life was rather rough, so we had to find ways to support his inadequate immune system, life threatening allergies and all the illnesses that came with that.

Dr. Lynne began treating Joey for allergies that caused hives that swelled his entire head up to the size of a basketball. After many emergency trips to the closest vet to relieve the swelling so that he could breathe, Dr. Lynne joined the fight to save Joey from the devastating effects of severe allergies. Joey is now maintained comfortably with western herbs, the occasional round of Chinese medicine and regular, ongoing acupuncture treatments.

Joey also had a mast cell tumor removed for which Dr. Lynne suggested Chinese medicine to ward off a reoccurrence of the tumors. After several years, there have been no signs of a return of the mast cell tumors, which are so prevalent in boxers.

As Joey has aged, Dr. Lynne’s oversight, assistance, suggestions, and medical expertise have been key in maintaining Joey’s good health. He has very advanced arthritis in his spine, but no one would ever guess that when he is playing with one of his puppy friends.

Joe’s story…

Joe was diagnosed with a severe clostridial (bacterial) infection and this infection was the start of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Joe was a working obedience and agility dog – he still wanted to work, but I couldn’t risk the excitement of it for fear it would start another bout of the IBD.

Despite several rounds of different antibiotics, he still had severe GI problems, lost 15% of his body weight, and his previously beautiful coat was thin, dry and rusty in color. Joe’s health improved somewhat after we switched him to a lower fat, balanced, homemade diet. But he still wasn’t completely healthy and continued to have diarrhea whenever we would try to reduce the medication he was taking for the IBD. 

When Joe began seeing Dr. Lynne, she used a combination of acupuncture treatments, Chinese herbs and other western nutritional supplements. We were able to reduce Joe’s medication to a fraction of his previous dosage. Four years later, he is the picture of health and looks half his age. He continues to have an acupuncture treatment every 6 weeks and he has had no apparent side-effects from the herbs or medication.

A note from Jamie’s mom…

Jamie, a sable Shetland sheepdog, was born in a South Dakota Puppy Mill. Taken to a pet store in Minnesota, he was sold three times to couples wanting a puppy. Each time he was returned because the buyers said that “something” was wrong with him. The third couple had taken him to their own vet, who diagnosed him with a liver shunt. When they returned him to the store with this diagnosis, the pet shop owner said he was going to euthanize the puppy. The couple would not let that happen, and got Jamie across the border and into the Wisconsin Sheltie Rescue program.

Seeing his photo on the WSR page, I felt I needed to do what I could for this small puppy. He came to my home at 7 months of age, all skin and bones, weighing 9 pounds. Within a month, he was having liver shunt surgery at the UW Veterinary School. The surgery seemed to work; Jamie started gaining weight and acted as any young dog would. However, he continued to have problems, including numerous UTI and bladder infections. So, he underwent additional surgery at the UW and the vets discovered that the initial surgery had only been partly successful. The doctors told me that he would probably only live to about 5 years old.

I decided to try and beat those odds. Jamie was fed a very low protein diet and snacks. I took him for check-ups every 6 months and he started to receive acupuncture treatments from Dr. Lynne. At first, Jamie would have acupuncture every four weeks; when he was doing well, we were sometimes able to stretch it out to every six weeks and he was always so much better after one of his treatments.

Dr. Lynne also recommended a regimen of special Chinese herbs to help with his liver health. He was a picky eater, so I often had to disguise the herbs in his food, mixing them w/ a small amount of vegetable baby food.

Jamie passed out of this life three months shy of his 10th birthday. We beat the odds and I was able to have this wonderful boy in my life for an extended period of time. My thanks to Dr. Lynne for helping to make this possible.

Barbie’s story…

Barbie was 24 years old in October 2008 when she was first treated with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine at AHCS because her owner was worried she might not survive the winter in WIsconsin. 

She had been diagnosed with Insulin Resistance, Cushings Disease and Hypothyroidism (from a large thyroid mass). She was in very poor condition as her body tried to manage all of these severe metabolic diseases. Her heart was failing and she was losing weight quickly.

Barbie was treated with acupuncture every 2 weeks for three treatments and then monthly through the winter. She was started on a Chinese herbal formula for diabetes and started on pergolide.  By the summer she was a different pony! She had a beautiful coat, improved muscle mass and great energy.

Barbie continues to receive Chinese herbal medicine along with western medicine (pergolide) for her metabolic disease. She is also getting additional Chinese herbs for her arthritis and occasional sinus infection. She gets acupuncture a few times a year to help keep her comfortable, healthy and balanced. She is now a happy 27 year old!

Barbie after treatment

Barbie after treatment

From Jace’s owner…

Jace was found in a pet store living with his sister in a bird cage. He was emaciated, covered in his own feces, and suffering from diarrhea and ringworm. He also had a condition known as gingivostomatitis, a chronic inflammation of the gums. For most cats, removing some or all of the teeth will alleviate the symptoms of stomatitis, as it did for his sister. For Jace, this was not the case.

After a year of intense veterinary care provided by Dane County Friends of Ferals, even with all of his teeth removed, the inflammation in his gums had not subsided whatsoever. His mouth resembled raw ground beef, red and swollen, far worse than any pictures of “severe” cases of stomatitis I could find. He was constantly drooling a stringy, bloody saliva.  His fur was matted and dirty, as he nearly never groomed himself, and he was underweight, indications of the pain of licking and eating. It seemed that he ate just enough to survive, and no more. With his throat nearly swollen shut, he did not vocalize except for hissing, which he did often. He wanted nothing to do with any human contact. Jace was not aggressive, as long as he was left alone, but he certainly had a host of behavioral concerns that made it clear that he was a very unhappy cat.

Thus began our journey together…

I had grown very fond of Jace, and decided to adopt him, despite his best attempts to keep me away. I believed that there was more to him than met the eye. When I first brought him to HarmonyVet, I didn’t know what to expect from treatment with acupuncture, but what I did know was that all other treatment options for Jace had failed or were inaccessible to me…  the only remaining options were a prohibitively expensive experimental therapy requiring Jace to travel long distances, a course of treatment requiring drugs not approved for use in the United States, or acupuncture.

At our first visit to HarmonyVet, Dr. Lynne Dennis carefully examined Jace, reviewed his treatment history and most recent blood tests, and discussed his case with me. Having determined a course of treatment, she administered his first acupuncture session. As the first needles were placed, the tension seemed to visibly flow out of Jace. He began to purr; something I had never heard him do before. He let me hold him in my arms for the first time as he drifted in and out of sleep. When it was time for the laser light therapy, at first he was nervous, but soon was purring and leaning his jaw into the wand.

Over the course of the next year, Jace became more and more friendly… He has stopped drooling entirely, and his fur, which he grooms often, is soft and well-kept. He meows and purrs, and he eats so much that we are now concerned if he might be a little too plump! Recently, we were able to obtain a new picture of his mouth. His recovery is nothing short of stunning. His gums are now smooth and a healthy pink color, and the swelling is gone.

It is no mere coincidence that Jace has become a happy, friendly cat as his health has improved. He is still nervous and skittish at times, which is unsurprising, given how mistreated he was and how little reason he was given to trust humans. Yet every day, he surprises me with some bold new gesture of trust in me, letting me hold him a little longer or pet him a little more on his belly. As his pain recedes, so too does his fear.

Dr. Lynne’s course of treatment with acupuncture, laser light therapy, and herbal supplementation did more than resolve Jace’s stomatitis symptoms; it helped me to reveal the tender, loving cat that I knew him to be all along.

For that, Jace and I cannot overstate our gratitude.

Jace after treatment

Barbie after treatment

Danny’s journey…

Our dog Danny is a 12 ½ year old English Springer Spaniel. He used to be very active and loved playing Frisbee and fetching balls. Above all, he loves food.

Danny had his regular wellness checkup at his regular vet. All was well with Danny except his arthritis and some minor skin issues. Due to achy joints, Danny was reluctant to take a walk and would only be willing to walk a short distance. So, we asked the vet for a pain medication refill for his arthritis. The vet recommended Galliprant.

Little did we know then that this was the day when Danny’s fortune would change. In the week following Danny starting Galliprant, we notice he became increasingly drowsy during the day. One week after starting Galliprant, he became drowsy, weak and refused to eat solid food. We thought he might just need a little rest. As I was gardening Danny came outside and walked to the far corner of the back yard, and dug out a place under a bush and lied there. I went to check on Danny and saw some fresh stool with a little dark red stuff on top.

Gastritis, a reaction to Galliprant, crossed my mind. I wanted bring Danny back in the house but could not coerce him to follow me. As a trained physician, I knew we needed to stop giving him Galliprant. I thought he would get better. A few days later, I went to nudge him to go outside but he was too weak to stand up. With my husband’s support, Danny managed to stand and passed out a large amount of maroon colored soft stool. We also noticed that Danny’s gums were very pale. 

We called UW Veterinary Emergency Service right away. Thirty minutes later, Danny was in the ICU. His blood-work confirmed a diagnosis of hemorrhagic shock and also showed marked liver and kidney damage. Because Danny’s condition was so critical, we were told that Danny might not survive. Luckily, after a blood transfusion and a three-day intensive care stay, Danny’s condition stabilized. 

While Danny was in the ICU, my husband and I resolved that, if he survived, we would switch Danny from conventional medical care to a holistic approach for his arthritis. We formed a plan as follows:

1. Stop all medications and seek acupuncture to manage his arthritis.
2. Replace kibbles with home-cooking to remove the root cause for arthritis and skin issues.
3. Swimming exercise to strengthen his muscles.
4. Continue to give Danny Joint supplements (fish oil and Cosequin)

I found Dr. Andrea Lanphear at HarmonyVet Acupuncture and Spine Care, and what happened next was nothing short of a miracle.

After Danny’s first acupuncture session with Dr. Andrea, he slept the whole way home. When he got out of the car, Danny started running on the lawn, as if he had just broken free from confinement. We could not believe our eyes. Could acupuncture be that effective? After three weekly sessions, Danny’s arthritis improved significantly and he was even able to walk all the way to the neighborhood park. He was almost back to his pre-arthritis days.

Danny continued with maintenance acupuncture sessions and laser therapy from Dr. Andrea and started taking a Duralectin supplement for his arthritis at her recommendation.Danny has been doing great without taking any medications: walking the neighborhood or swimming in the lake. He climbs the stairs with much less effort and even runs up sometimes.His skin issues are all gone, as well. No dandruff or hot spots!

 We are thankful to Dr. Andrea for her great care for Danny.

A note from Honey’s family…

“My 12 year old Rottweiler Honey was struggling with a variety of geriatric issues. The cartilage in her knees had degenerated and she was having difficulty getting around. Honey would lie around the house uncomfortably and refuse to walk or play.

I started seeing improvement in Honey’s condition after the first acupuncture session. She was more energetic, and was in less pain. Honey’s mood improved with every session. She is much happier and more playful now than before we started acupuncture. Dr. Lynne also prescribed some Chinese herbs that seem to give my dog Honey increased energy and youthfulness.

I was surprised to see how much my Honey loves acupuncture! Although Honey can be a high-maintenance dog, she always settles down happily after Dr. Lynne starts the session. Dr. Lynne uses a combination of needles and laser light therapy. These sessions really make my dog happier and healthier.”

A note from Ladybug’s family…

In April 2006, a request came in for Green Acres Boxer Rescue to take in a rescue with mange. 

If you’ve seen pictures of dogs with severe demodectic mange, they had nothing on Ladybug. Nobody in our rescue had ever seen anything like her before. She had so many infections from the mites that her toenails were green, her skin was bright red and her ears were too swollen to fit a Q-tip in them. And she was completely bald. 

It took a lot of care and patience to get Ladybug back from the edge. Her first year in rescue consisted of skin scrapings, Hydroxyzine, Prednisone and Cephalexin. And baths. And Benedryl. And lots and lots of itching.

After her mange and infections cleared up, Ladybug was still very itchy. She used to have so many “hot spots” that she would scratch her face raw and chew her feet and tummy incessantly. Already on the maximum dose of Benedryl, we turned to Dr Lynne Dennis. Dr. Lynne recommended Chinese herbs and acupuncture to calm her itching and soothe her skin. 

Ladybug has been taking External Wind and Four Paws Damp Heat for four years and is much more comfortable. She rarely needs acupuncture and is now getting Benedryl only once per day (versus three). Occasionally we have backed off the herbs to get a sense of how she is doing and she flares up almost right away. She is much happier on her herbs.

And Ladybug got adopted…by us! After fostering her for two years and going through all of the health issues with her, how could we let her go?

Our “Buggie” is proof that you can beat mange and control allergies if you are patient, provide a good diet and combine traditional and non-traditional methods. Her coat is still pretty thin but she is happy, healthy and sweet as can be.

Ladybug before treatment

A note from Oliver’s owner…

For the first year we had him, Oliver was a healthy, normal cat. But at 18 months of age, Oliver had his first set of annual booster vaccinations. Immediately following these vaccinations, his behavior and health began to decline. He refused to eat and slept all day. When his condition did not improve, my vet tried treating him for an allergic reaction and then for a possible infection. Neither treatment resulted in any improvement in Oliver’s condition. 

Oliver began to lose weight.  He is normally a slender cat, so he had no extra fat to lose.  His coat also started to look horrible – dry and disheveled. He would only eat a couple of bites of “bribe foods” at a time… The vet had no idea of what could be wrong with Oliver, and told me to continue to weigh him weekly and bring him back to the clinic if he got worse. 

In desperation, I asked Dr. Lynne if she thought she could help Oliver. Although he is a very sweet cat, he is often fearful. I could not imagine how Oliver would tolerate acupuncture, but I felt we had to try. At his first treatment, Oliver snuggled down into the fleece cover on the exam table as Dr. Lynne calmly petted him and put in the needles. She also sent us home with some herbs to add to his food. After we got home from that treatment, Oliver climbed to the top of the cat tree and slept the rest of the day. The next morning, he woke up and ate his first full meal in a month. I took Oliver back for a second acupuncture treatment a week later. After the second treatment his behavior and appetite were back to normal.

My husband and I are so grateful to Dr. Lynne for helping our sweet kitty Oliver. We believe that she saved his life.

A note from Cache’s family…

When our 14 year old heeler-mix, Cache, ruptured his right CCL, we thought it might be the end of him. Due to his age, we felt TPLO was not a viable option (or expense), and instead opted for a PRP (platelet rich plasma) site injection and Physical Therapy. 

Our chief concern was pain management, especially surrounding the PRP injection, as anti-inflammatories were prohibited for 14 days. And afterwards, pain mitigation would be critical to him fully engaging in the prescribed PT exercises. Enter Dr. Lynne Dennis. 

Already a chiropractic patient of Dr. Lynne’s, Cache (a characteristically wary heeler) had responded well to her adjustments and calming dogside manner. We turned to her for alternative pain management and were so impressed with her multi-pronged approach, offering a suite of non-pharmacological options, including: laser therapy, acupuncture, tPEMF

(pulsed electromagnetic field) devices, herbal supplements, massage, and other no/low-cost do-it-yourself methods. 

Strategically, we incorporated all of them in some form or fashion, with acupuncture and supplements as the centerpieces. Unsure how he might respond to needles (and sitting still), Cache has been a surprisingly—remarkably—cooperative patient. He tolerates 30+ minutes of treatment, including low-voltage electrostimulation for much of that. Of course, the lamb lung treats certainly help!

While the two weeks without anti-inflammatories were stressful for us all, we made it through and Cache was able to perform his PT regimen at least twice per day throughout. Thankfully, this gradually resulted in increased mobility, strength, balance, and liveliness. 

We have continued to employ acupuncture and/or chiropractic every 5-6 weeks to manage his pain and adapt his body to evolving mobility changes. Cache still does his PT 2x/day, and gets a 30-40 min daily walk (albeit slower than he used to). He seldom appears to be in any pain and we’re so happy to have preserved a meaningful, if compromised, quality of life for him, thanks to Dr. Lynne’s expert advice, alternative techniques, and exceptionally compassionate care.

A note from Barley’s family…

Dr. Lynne has been amazing at helping with Barley’s elbow arthritis. The acupuncture really helps him in a way that medicine (anti-inflammatories and glucosamine supplements) just sometimes can’t. 

The acupuncture also helps with his persistent seasonal allergies which bring him a lot of discomfort and cause him to scratch his ears and lick his paws. Dr. Lynne targets the specific areas Barley is having problems with on any particular day (ears, hot spots, elbows, etc.) and Barley always feels so much better after his treatments. He and our other dogs love to see her!

Dr. Lynne’s willingness to provide mobile treatments is a huge plus for us… and she always goes beyond the acupuncture to focus on his overall health, asking what he’s eating and what other problems he’s having.

A note from Rambo’s family…

Following some hind end weakness, Rambo slipped and twisted his back. He, cried out in pain, and lost bladder control and the use of his back legs. We rushed him to the emergency vet where we were told that he had ruptured a disk in his spine and had no reflexes or deep pain sensation in his back feet. Surgery would be prohibitively expensive and he would be likely to relapse. We were told by several vets we may want to put him to sleep. Since he was 9 years old and such a sweet and loving part of our family, we just had to try to save him.

He was put on steroids and several pain/anti-anxiety medications and we assisted him to urinate and defecate. A friend recommended electro acupuncture and laser therapy, so we called Harmony Vet. Dr. Andrea started treatment three days after Rambo’s injury and the results were lifesaving. During the first treatment his body relaxed and he was able to fall asleep.

Three weeks later we were able to discontinue his steroid medication. Dr. Andrea recommended Chinese herbs and natural medications to prevent urinary infection and strengthen his hind quarters. His reflexes began to return and we called a rehabilitation vet, who recommended function stimulation exercises in between acupuncture and cold laser therapy. Rambo looked forward to his visits with Dr. Andrea, and so did we.

One month later, Rambo was able to feel his back feed, scratch his ear, and potty on his own. His pain was greatly reduced and was able to only be on one pain medication, along with his natural supplements. After 16 weeks of crate rest, we made a PVC pipe wheelchair for Rambo and began trips to the rehab center along. The rehab vets were astounded by Rambo’s progress and by 6 months post injury he was walking on his own with Toe Grips (nail grippers).

Over 2 years later, he is very lively and wants to run around the yard. He still visits Dr. Andrea occasionally for “tune ups”. We can’t thank Dr. Andrea and Harmony Vet enough for helping Rambo.