After a soft opening earlier this spring, the Humane Society of Missouri launched the first Integrated Veterinary Pain Management Center in St. Louis on June 1. It’s located at Humane Society headquarters on Macklind Avenue.
Operated by HSMO’sAnimal Medical Center of Mid-America, the center offers an array of services for cats and dogs with injuries, disabilities or post-surgery needs. Treatments include: chiropractic care, underwater treadmills, platelet-rich plasma therapy and ultrasound therapy.
One such patient is Suzy Q, a puppy who suffered a nerve crush injury that left her hind legs mostly paralyzed. Maggie Mikel, a registered veterinary technician at the center, fostered the pup and is working to rebuild her nerves. So far Suzy Q’s treatment plan involves getting on the underwater treadmill every day, laser therapy and a range of motion exercises at home.
On Tuesday’s St. Louis on the Air, Dr. Travis Arndt joined host Sarah Fenske to share more about what the Integrated Veterinary Pain Management Center has to offer. He is the medical director of Animal Medical Center of Mid-America.
“We've been told that the laser that we're using is actually marketed on the human physical therapy side. It's the same type of laser that is being used by our professional athletes in St. Louis,” including the Blues and Cardinals, Arndt said.
Some therapies offered are designed to help stabilize a patient in just a few visits; others are done on a regular basis.
“There's a lot of different modalities available for treating chronic pain in pets. … There's not a one size or one therapy that works best for every patient,” Arndt added. “By having several different options for clients, we can kind of try to help tailor the one approach that's going to best fit each patient to the individual needs of that patient and client, and hopefully get the best results.”
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill and Lara Hamdan. Paola Rodriguez is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
