Shanghai: Looking like a furry brown pincushion, eight-month-old French bulldog Dan Jiao whimpers nervously as he waits for the end of a Chinese acupuncture session aimed at curing partial paralysis caused by a puppyhood injury. Dan Jiao (Egg Dumpling), would obviously rather be chewing on a bone somewhere than sitting strapped against his will into a harness that resembles a medieval torture device, pricked by several long needles hooked up to a mild electric current.
But the Shanghai clinic of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner Jin Rishan at least provides hopeful owners an alternative to putting down the beloved family dog or cat, the typical fate of pets immobilised by severe spinal and nervous system injuries.