Acupuncture for Dogs and Cats
Did you know that pets like dogs and cats can benefit from acupuncture? Dr. Washington offers acupuncture services at our Downtown office for pets with varying ailments.
What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture, in its simplest sense, is the treatment of conditions or symptoms by the insertion of very fine needles into specific points on the body in order to produce a response.
The specific acupuncture points have been well charted for both humans and animals, and were conceptualized by ancient Chinese scholars to be connected with each other and various internal organs via meridians or channels. Many of these channels trace the paths of the body’s major nerve trunks.
What can acupuncture treat?
Acupuncture is used mainly for functional problems such as those involving noninfectious inflammation, paralysis, or pain. For small animals, acupuncture has been used for treating arthritis, hip dysplasia, lick granuloma, feline asthma, diarrhea, and certain reproductive problems. Acupuncture helps offer relief to pets with varying ailments such as:
- Musculoskeletal problems like muscle soreness, back pain, osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease
- Neurological disorders such as seizures, intervertebral disc disease, facial and nerve paralysis
- Gastrointestinal disorders such as diarrhea, gastric ulcers, colic, vomiting, constipation and impactions
- Other chronic conditions like skin problems, heaves, asthma, cough, uveitis, renal failure, chronic liver diseases, behavioral problems, infertility, Cushing’s disease, hypo and hyperthyroidism and geriatric weakness
- Quality of life care, cancer and hospice care
How does acupuncture work?
Acupuncture stimulates healing of some conditions, and provides effective pain relief in others. If properly applied, it may eliminate the need for surgery in certain conditions. Following surgery, it can improve the patients’ comfort level and speed up the post-operative recovery period. In some cases, it may reduce or eliminate the need for chronic medication.
Will my pet improve with acupuncture?
The earlier in the course of disease that acupuncture is started and the more numerous and frequent the treatments, the better the response tends to be. As a very rough guide, about ¼ of patients show major improvement, ½ show significant improvement but still have some symptoms, and ¼ show little or no benefit.
Are there any side effects from acupuncture?
Adverse reactions are rare, but may occur. Such reactions may include mild transient bruising or swelling at the needle insertion site; a mild worsening of the condition for a short time (usually 24 to 48 hours); difficulty removing needles because of muscle spasm; injury to an underlying tissue or organ; and infection at the needle site.
How often will my pet need acupuncture?
As with any therapy, not every patient responds to acupuncture. Owner’s often need to commit to sessions once or twice a week for at least 4 to 6 treatments, especially for chronic conditions. Although many patients may not need even 4 treatments to experience benefits, shorter durations and lower intensities of treatment may result in suboptimal outcomes. Acupuncture has both immediate and cumulative analgesic effects following repeated treatments.
