URBANA – Oh, the comfort of a nice face and ear rub while a veterinarian is inserting tiny needles into the fur on your back.

The needles are part of the acupuncture treatments Pompey, an 11-year-old pug, gets twice a week – and they represent her only hope of standing on all fours and walking again, says Dr. Stuart Clark-Price, a University of Illinois veterinarian.

Some dogs need a lot of cookie therapy to sit still for these treatments, Clark-Price says, but not this little dog, who raises her wrinkly face now and then to look around, then lowers it for some more comforting rubs, please.

Never mind the doggie treats. Pompey will sit still just for the love.

Laura Hill of Urbana says she adopted this affectionate dog about two years ago, and Pompey's legs were a bit wobbly even then.

Last fall, Pompey's hind legs gave out completely and, unfortunately, surgery didn't help. She's been unable to walk ever since.

"I was told the prognosis in these cases is pretty grim," Hill said.

Still, she and Clark-Price weren't ready to give up on Pompey.

A specialist in anesthesiology and pain management, Clark-Price says Pompey suffers from intervertebral (between the vertebrae) disc disease. A comparable condition in a person would be a herniated disc, he said.

For a dog with disc disease, the first line of treatment may be anti-inflammatory medications and cage rest if the dog is still walking, Clark-Price said.

If the dog is immobile, the option may be surgery as quickly as possible. For those dogs that can still feel deep pain, the chance of walking again is about 40 percent to 50 percent, he said.

For those that can't feel deep pain (Pompey fit into that category) the prognosis for motor recovery isn't so bright.

Clark-Price believes acupuncture, which is also used for pain and muscle relief, may help Pompey walk again by retraining some of the nerve function she has left to take over for those that have been damaged and assume a brand new function.

He sticks about 15 half-inch needles into a channel along Pompey's spine – plus one into one of her legs – inserting the needles into specific nerve points, and then adds a tiny bit of electric current.

For some animals, the treatments are done "dry" or without current. It depends on the animal and the condition, Clark-Price said.

The length of treatment also varies. Some dogs will shake out the needles in five minutes.

In other applications, such as pain relief, these treatments can serve to override nerves that transmit pain signals to the brain, Clark-Price said.

Pompey looks up and yawns during a recent treatment, and Clark-Price says that may be due to the massage she's getting or another factor of acupuncture: It often produces a release of feel-good endorphins.

"Most of them sleep pretty well afterward," he adds.

With more than a half-dozen treatments behind her, Pompey has shown slight improvements that are encouraging to Clark-Price.

"She's still deep pain-negative, but she is able to move her tail and her legs a little bit," he said.

Hill says she's seen some hopeful signs. Twice, since starting acupuncture treatments, Pompey has stood on all fours at chow time.

Being immobile is hard on Pompey, one of six rescue pugs at Hill's home and the undisputed leader of the Hill family dogs. She's not in pain and she can scoot around a bit, but she cries when she wants to get somewhere she can't. And she shows frustration by being unable to fulfill her roll as top dog.

Meanwhile, Hill and her daughter work with Pompey on range of motion exercises in the evenings. Pompey's care is a big commitment for a dog owner, Hill adds, "but if you're committed, a dog can still have a good quality of life."

Hill once had her pugs organized in two groups of three for their daily walks. For the moment, it's a group of three and a group of two.

She could make it two groups of three again by getting a cart to hold up Pompey's hind end, but she's holding off on that to give the treatments a chance to help Pompey walk on her own.

"I don't know how far she'll go," Hill said. "But I want to give her every chance."