Client Name: Sheri
Patient Name: Marzi
“Sweet little Marzi came to us a little over a year ago with neck pain episodes. Since she that time, we have improved her overall mobility, and her neck episodes have greatly improved.”
Brief History of Pet
Twelve week old Marzi found us in late October of 2017, ten months after my mother passed away after a long illness and 8 months after we lost our sixteen year old Schnorkie. Marzi was the nickname of my mom Marlene.
Now eight years old, our little Marzi the Morkie (Yorkshire Terrier/Maltese mix) is a little over six pounds. She excelled at the obedience classes we took her in her first year with us and is a fast learner. When she was 18 months old, she was badly burned by a warming blanket while undergoing surgery to remove six baby teeth. Although we came very close to losing her, it was still a long, tough recovery. Once she was almost healed, I decided to start her in trick classes to stimulate her mentally. I wanted to start building up her strength again as well.
Why VSMR?
When I asked our veterinarian about additional rehabilitation options and potentially acupuncture, he highly recommended VSMRHG and Doctor Amber. Several friends have had success with acupuncture for their dog’s injuries and I thought we should try it. Again, the information he gave me led me to the Chicago rehab place. This time I dug a little deeper and I was able to connect with VSMRHG.
In late 2023, Marzi started having stiffness in her neck. We are not quite sure what caused it. We initially thought it was an acute injury. She had water treadmill & physical therapy at a different rehab center. (Ironically at the time, our doctor at Burr Ridge Veterinary Clinic recommended VSMRHG but I when I called the number he gave me, it connected me to a different group in Chicago, so I chose a rehab center in the northern suburbs).
About six months later, she started having the stiffness and pain again more regularly. Our veterinarian suspects she may have IVDD. So besides starting her on pain medicine, we modified the tricks she performs to reduce the strain on her neck and shoulder area.
How VSMR has helped
We are thrilled the acupuncture and massages are working! Marzi has been getting acupuncture and massages since last year. We continue to do strengthening/stretching exercises at home. As a result she has significantly less pain episodes and doesn’t need as much pain medicine. Together with Doctors Amber and Brittany, we have determined a maintenance schedule of every three weeks works best for Marzi. Typically she will start to have noticeable stiffness and pain if we wait longer.
“We love Marzi the Morkie! She’s a talented little girl, and we are so happy we can keep her comfortable and doing what she loves.”
“Marzi is the sweetest little girl! She is always so well behaved and loves to show her talents every time she comes in!”
Additional Information
Six years later, Marzi still takes trick classes, has performed in numerous trick shows including performances with our school (For Your K9) at the International Kennel Clubs Great American Dog Shows. She has earned her DMWYD Novice, Intermediate, Advanced & Expert Trick Titles and knows over 100 tricks.
Marzi has appeared in a Bil-Jac social media ad playing the piano and her photo has been in several articles published in Purina’s myPurina application. Along with her human mom she has worked on a couple of television shows as a background actor.
Marzi has her own social media accounts:
Instagram – @MorkieMarzi
TikTok – @MarziTheMorkie
Non-Profit Organization
Hinsdale Humane Society
