By Diane de la Paz

It’s a thrilling day at MercyVet when a patient is wheeled in lying on a gurney and then, maybe half an hour later, walks out the door with a spring in his step.

“I’ve seen that happen so many times,” said Catherine Burnett, MercyVet’s office manager.

She’s talking about pets receiving acupuncture treatments from veterinarian Cindy Geisler, who joined MercyVet on Mercer Island last December. Geisler treats dogs, cats and horses with traditional Chinese medicine, including acupuncture. She has about 50 patients who come to her for acupuncture regularly at MercyVet.

Not every case is so dramatic as the gurney-in, walk-out kind, of course. But veterinary acupuncture is part of a drug- and surgery-free health care regimen for growing numbers of MercyVet patients, Burnett said. Humans and animals come from around the Puget Sound region to see the clinic’s homeopathic vet, Jacqueline Obando, and Geisler.

“The Pacific Northwest is a mecca for holistic medicine, and people want that for their pets,” said Burnett.

Geisler uses needles, massage, chiropractic and herbal supplements to treat mobility problems such as hip dysplasia, behavioral problems, seizures and incontinence. If her long list of devoted clients is any indication, these alternative modalities help.

Geisler herself is shy around other humans. But with animals, her touch firmly communicates: I’m here to make you feel better. With a decade of practice behind her, she’s studying for her master’s in Chinese medicine for animals. MercyVet, however, keeps her busy with patient after patient, every Wednesday and some Saturdays.

“She had clients literally waiting for her to get here,” said Burnett.

Like many humans who visit MercyVet, Geisler has firsthand experience with acupuncture. Before becoming a veterinarian, she was a professional tennis player, and found the needles helped her perform at her peak. Now, as a healer, she practices what she calls “complementary medicine,” a balance of Eastern and Western traditions. She is a graduate of Oregon State University’s veterinary school and of the Chi Institute in Florida.

Canine, feline and equine acupuncture works in the same way it does in humans. Its earliest practitioners, Chinese doctors some 3,000 years ago, believed that energy — chi — circulates through the body along well-defined channels called meridians. The meridians connect internal organs to muscles, joints and the nervous system. When the body’s energy or chi is interrupted, the person feels ill. When it’s in balance, the person is well. Acupuncturists study the points along the meridians that are connected to particular organs and muscles, and learn to insert needles at those points to stimulate the flow of energy and bring the body back into balance.

Grace, an 11-year-old Bernese mountain dog and breast cancer survivor, had surgery about a year ago at another veterinary hospital. But the operation failed to remove all of the malignant cells, and the cancer metastasized, said Grace’s owner, Sandra Tassel of West Seattle.

One vet suggested chemotherapy, but “I didn’t want to put the dog through it,” Tassel said. Instead she brought Grace to the Island, where she’s been receiving acupuncture treatments for several months.

“I can see an immediate effect with her comfort level,” said Tassel.

The acupuncture seems to relieve some of the soreness in Grace’s muscles, and her owner plans to continue the treatments, just to give the dog as much pain relief as possible.

“I feel like Dr. Geisler is a real partner in creating the best quality of life for Grace,” Tassel said.

Acupuncture is less costly and less invasive than chemotherapy, and “it makes me feel like I’m taking some positive action as far as the dog’s health,” she added.

In each session, Geisler, Tassel and Grace huddle together; owner feeds dog cookies, doctor inserts needles and everyone feels a little better. Tassel couldn’t say for sure whether the acupuncture is addressing Grace’s cancer.

“But the fact that she’s still alive suggests there’s something going on.

“I’ve also had acupuncture,” she added, “so I have confidence in its value.”

Acupuncture treatments cost $80 to $120 for initial visits and $40 to $60 per follow-up. Most patients receive treatments once or twice a month; a session lasts about 15 minutes. Just as the American Medical Association and many insurance carriers have endorsed acupuncture for people, Veterinary Pet Insurance policies cover it for defined health problems. Many MercyVet clients have VPI, said Burnett.

Still, acupuncture can be a little hairy for some animals and their people. Lady, a 14-year-old mixed-breed — possibly part chow, part coyote — gives Geisler a workout every other week.

“She’s one of my more opinionated patients,” the vet said of Lady, who’s undergone treatment for kidney problems since December.

Her owner, Erin Bristow of Tukwila, said the dog has regained her appetite and some of her vitality since starting her sessions with Geisler.

“I see a difference in her disposition,” said Bristow. “When she’s not on her biweekly schedule (of acupuncture), she’ll pace and pant a lot.”

Bristow declined to say what she pays for treatments.

“I find it to be well worth whatever it is,” she said.

“Hello, sweetheart. It’s OK. Good girl. Just relax,” Geisler whispered to Lady when it came time for her session. “Can we do a little bit on you, make you feel better?”

As the needles went into the dog’s back and a hind leg, she squirmed and turned her head to see what was happening. When a second needle pricked her leg, she let out a small yelp — probably, Geisler said, because that point is connected with her troubled intestinal tract.

In the end, Lady tolerated seven needles inserted about half an inch into her legs and back. Geisler gave her a massage, Bristow sprayed a calming herbal mist on her fur, and the tension disappeared from the room.

“I just do a little chiropractic to make sure she’s in alignment,” said Geisler, kneading Lady’s neck and spine. “She loves it: a whole body spa.”

Dog and vet have come a long way.

“I chased her around the exam room,” during Lady’s first visits, Geisler said.

Similarly, an 18-year-old feline patient who had acupuncture for hip dysplasia put up a fight during his first visit.

“It was horrible,” Geisler recalled. The following month, however, the cat was calm. Perhaps “he realized he felt better,” after acupuncture, she said.

Geisler noted, however, that needles aren’t for everybody. She said she will never muzzle a dog or force a cat to submit to treatments. Instead, she tunes in to the animal, and gives it time and lots of caresses.

That seems to pay off.

“So, she smiles,” Geisler observed as Lady finished her treatment. Sure enough, the dog sported a wide grin as she strolled out of the room.