Acupuncture

Acupuncture for Companion Animals:

Ancient Treatments Still Prove Successful for Many Conditions

Deanna Purvis, VMD, DACVECC, CVA – C.A.R.E. Hospital

2500 years ago, the Chinese developed a method of healing that has stood the test of time. This method of healing is acupuncture. Acupuncture involves the placing of thin needles into specific sites on the body in order to elicit a response in that body. The ancient Chinese belief was that energy moved through the body along lines or meridians. Deficiency or excesses of this energy, or blockages in the flow of energy caused illness. Acupuncture was performed to increase, decrease or help to unblock the flow of this energy. Today, we are discovering that stimulation of the acupuncture points discovered thousands of years ago, lead to changes in the body that can be measured. Many people are finding acupuncture to be valuable in treating their ailments and are interested if such treatments might give their canine companions similar relief.

Western Science Supports Acupuncture:

Figure 1 - Acupuncture’s nerve Connections

Conditions currently treated with acupuncture include:

Pain due to degenerative arthritis, surgery
Kidney Failure
Liver Disease
Spinal Cord Injuries
Immune System Disorders
Seizures

How Acupuncture Helps:

Pain Relief:
Acupuncture is used for pain relief. When the needle stimulation travels to the brain – it has been shown to lead to the release of endorphins or natural pain relievers.

Nerve Injury:

Figure 2 – Connections from spinal cord to internal organs via autonomic nervous system.

Acupuncture is also used to retrain nerves following injury. For example, when a dog suffers a spinal cord injury, acupuncture increases usage of nerve tracts that are still present to bring about improvement in neurologic functioning.

Internal Organ Disease:
Acupuncture is also helpful in improving organ function in organs such as heart, liver and kidneys. Just like ours, the dog’s internal organs are innervated by what is termed the autonomic nervous system (sympathetic and parasympathetic branches). Stimulation of an acupuncture point travels to the spinal cord where the sensory nerves carrying the initial stimulation – connect with nerves that form the autonomic nervous system and travel out to the different internal organs of the body. It is via this stimulation that changes are thought to occur in the many different bodily organs.

Is the canine patient comfortable during the treatment?

Canine patients receiving acupuncture appear to feel quite relaxed. This is likely due to the release of the body’s natural opioids or endorphins. Each acupuncture session is 20-30 minutes in length. The lights are turned down and typically, the patient rests or sleeps during this time (the owner may as well!!)

Is acupuncture painful?

There is a sensation felt when an acupuncture needle enters the body but acupuncture treatments are not painful. Most times, canine patients do not even seem to notice that the needles have been placed. Other times they may notice placement of a certain needle; however, their response is surprise not pain.

What is involved in the Acupuncture Treatments?

On their first exam, the patient undergoes an initial assessment – at this time the acupuncture practitioner examines the patient and discusses with the owner whether acupuncture is an appropriate treatment modality and whether the owner’s expectations are realistic. Simply, there are some conditions that respond to acupuncture better than others. It is important to realize; especially in our age of the “quick fix”, that acupuncture typically takes time to reveal its benefits. It is recommended to have 5 or 6 treatments performed on the patient, typically at weekly intervals and to assess changes in the patient at that time. There are some instances where acupuncture yields benefits quicker and some instances when acupuncture does not yield the desired results within the 5-6 weeks. If the desired response does not occur in 5 or 6 treatments – treatments may be stopped, or changed. If treatment is determined at that time to be successful, then the interval between treatments can be gradually increased to provide a maintenance program that keeps the patient in that improved state.

If you are interested in exploring the option of acupuncture for your canine companion – I welcome your inquiries. Besides myself, there are others in the community that also provide acupuncture treatments, including some that are able to perform these treatments in your home. For a list of providers in Santa Barbara County – please speak with your primary care veterinarian to see who they recommend. There are a 4 or 5 local certified veterinary acupuncturists. To speak with Dr. Deanna Purvis, at CARE Hospital, please call 805 899-2273 (CARE). You are also welcome to visit our website at www.carehospital.org