Acupuncture is a non-invasive natural therapy to help pets with a variety of issues. It is generally well tolerated by pets & some relax & may even fall asleep during treatment. It is a natural approach compared to long term medications & it doesn’t have the potential side effects medications can have. It is often used with medications & may even be able to eliminate medications in time in some cases. Acupuncture is usually used for dogs & cats, but has been used on other pets including rabbits & guinea pigs with gastrointestinal stasis. My dog Sam had acupuncture for about 9 years to control seizures & it really helped. I wrote about Sam’s life in my posts # 80,81 & 82. Sam is the dog pictured in this blog post.
Acupuncture has many uses & you might not be aware of how it is done or its uses. Very tiny needles are inserted in certain areas of the pets body, depending on what issue the treatment is for. My Veterinarian used to often start by putting one on the top of Sam’s head (dogs happy spot). She varied where she put them depending on how his pulses felt & how he was doing overall. Sometimes he had 10 & sometimes closer to 20. He was quite comfortable & he would lay down or against me or the assistant if he couldn’t lay down because of the locations of certain needles. It didn’t hurt for him to lay, but certain ones needed to stay in place & laying might move them.
Acupuncture can be used for:
1. Pain management
2. Musculoskeletal injuries: back pain, lameness, stiffness & improving mobility.
3. Nerve damage
4. Help with treating arthritis
5. Back pain
6. Mobility issues
7. Rehabilitation after surgery, such as repair to ligament.
8. Skin issues: helps manage lick granulomas, allergies, & hot spots by reducing inflammation.
9. Helps with anxiety: calms & helps the nervous system. I saw a Border Collie or Australian Shepherd (can’t recall which) the first time I took Sam for acupuncture treatment. The owners & the dog were in the reception area & the dog had a needle sticking out of the top of it’s head & the dog was sitting on the bench by its owner. I had to ask why this dog was getting it, as my dog was about to get the treatment. First & asked if that was an acupuncture needle & yes was the reply. Then I asked why he was getting treatment. They were the 4th or 5th adopted owner of this dog & his last hope. He was so hyper & it caused a myriad of issues & they said it was helping so much, they said he couldn’t sit on the bench with them before they started this treatment with him. That particular day he was in the waiting room with the point still in because the Vet wanted the point in a little longer, but they needed the acupuncture room for Sam & I.
10. Digestive disorders
11. Reduce inflammation
12. Promoting Natural Healing.
13. Hip dysplasia
14. Spinal disorders
15. Cancer related discomfort
16. Disc disease.
17. Promotes immune system support: boosts blood circulation & immune support.
I am a big advocate for natural treatments when possible, sometimes they need to be used with conventional treatments. In Sam’s case he couldn’t handle the traditional medications used for seizures so we did acupuncture along with herbs & it worked well for him. We varied how often he went for treatments, during the seasons of more yard chemicals & stuff in the air (late spring, summer & early fall) we went about every 6 weeks. In the winter months sometimes only once. Sam was very chemical sensitive & they could trigger seizures. I will do a post sometime on seizures, it was a hard time, but I researched & learned a lot.
I hope this post has given you some information you weren’t aware of. The goal of my blog is to educate pet lovers of all kinds. If you have a subject you would like to see me write about please email me: echoinggreatpetcare@gmail.com I have 131 other posts on this blog & you can find the table of content on my home page under the show tab. Then you can go back to the home page & scroll down to the posts you want to read. I hope you are enjoying my blog & will come back soon & visit often. I want to reach as many pet lovers as I can & would really appreciate your help. There are several ways you can help me get the word out: visit often, click the like button below, subscribe to my blog, share the link below with your family & friends on your social media sites. Comment on something you liked or learned. Thanks, Debbie
Echoing Great Pet Care 