Veterinarian Dr. Sarah Frogget offers medical acupuncture through her new business Pajarito Veterinary Services. Courtesy photo
BY MAIREO’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com
Dr. Sarah Frogget, a veterinarian at Ridgeview Veterinary Clinic in Los Alamos, has started a new mobile veterinary practice in addition to her current position, offering medical acupuncture to small animals such as dogs, cats and birds. The business is called Pajarito Veterinary Services.
Initially, Frogget will provide services on Mondays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Los Alamos and Santa Fe. The first session usually take 60-90 minutes and includes taking a medical history, doing a physical examination and a complete myofascial palpation to obtain information about the animal’s health and disease conditions as well as the pet’s first treatment. Follow-up sessions are usually 45 minutes.
Frogget said pets are most comfortable in their own homes and she looks forward to sitting down with owners and hearing their concerns. Veterinary medical acupuncture is science-based and can help treat health issues from musculoskeletal issues such as arthritis respiratory issues like feline asthma or gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea.
“It’s a low side effect way to treat animals for a number of problems by stimulating the body’s innate anilities to heal and regulate itself using a process called neuromodulation,” she said.
Just like acupuncture for humans, small needles are inserted into tissue at different parts of the body. Every needle is sterile and never reused. Although the most common side effects are bruising, tingling and transient numbness at needle insertion site, Frogget said animals only experience a small amount of discomfort as needles are inserted and that most animals do not have a visible reaction to needle insertion.
How does it work? Frogget said acupuncture creates areas of microflammation resulting in the reduction of certain inflammatory mediators, upregulation of parasympathomimetic influences and neutralization of free radicals.
“The overarching results are increased healing and pain reduction. Most animals will be very relaxed following their session although some experience a heightened level of awareness and activity,” she said. “There are some animals, however, that do not respond as well as others so they will never reach the desired outcome. It’s not known why this is.”
Frogget graduated from Colorado State University in 2010 and has been practicing general animal medicine since then in New Jersey and New Mexico. She decided to get certified in veterinary acupuncture because she believes that wellness is more than medicine.
“The most important thing for me is keeping my patients as comfortable and happy as possible,” she said.
For more information call (505) 355-2103 or email doc@pajaritovet.com.