Bruno's Blog

April 2008 – Acupuncture Session Surprise

Holistic Medicine for Pets

In April 2008 Bruno and I arrived for a scheduled appointment with Dr. Yamate. We checked in, weighed in and proceeded to a treatment room. After a brief wait, a woman that I had never seen before walked and introduced herself as our new treatment doctor. Surprise…Dr. Yamate was no longer with the clinic. I had not seen that coming and had no time to absorb this.

Holistic Medicine for Pets

Dr. Madeline Yamate and Bruno – Center for Integrative Animal Medicine

Introductions were made, backgrounds were discussed and our new doctor reviewed Bruno’s file and Dr. Yamate’s notes. We were ready to put the big guy up on the table and get the session started. Throughout the insertion of the needles, Bruno was fidgety and watchful of this new person. Because he would not stay still, he kept knocking out needles that then had to be reinserted. Finally, everything was in, connected and ready to go. This process had taken almost twice as long as normal and Bruno was a bit stressed, and I was a little frazzled.

A month later, the second session with the new doctor went about the same as the first session. She made no effort to engage Bruno before treatment and he was not comfortable with her working on him. On our way out I inquired about Dr. Yamate and all I got was that “she had moved on”. Well, duh!

After Bruno’s second session with our new doctor, I mentally evaluated our situation. Bruno’s current condition and symptoms had neither improved nor had they declined. This doctor was obviously qualified and knew what she was doing so why did I feel like I was not getting my money’s worth? I missed Dr. Yamate.

Dr. Yamate’s treatment style was aggressive and thorough. She worked at making a connection with Bruno and had earned his trust. Also, she was passionate about what she was doing. In my gut, I knew that Dr. Yamate would do everything in her power to give Bruno the best care while keeping him as pain-free as possible.

I decided to deploy my Nancy Drew detective skills to find Dr. Yamate. Within a couple of days, I had tracked her down and made contact with her. She was glad to hear from me and wanted an immediate update on Mr. Bruno. I was happy to oblige and happy to hear she was doing in-home appointments.

Dr. Yamate arrived at my house for Bruno’s next treatment session and we were both glad to see her. The appointment went smoothly and Bruno was enjoying the extra attention he was receiving at home in his surroundings. Under Dr. Yamate’s care, I felt confident that Bruno would continue to fight and hold his own against this horrible disease.

*Originally posted May 20, 2010*

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