Pet Acupuncture

Pet Acupuncture History

• Veterinary acupuncture has been practiced in China for at least 2000 years
• During the past 30 years North America has embraced veterinary acupuncture
• There are 361 acupuncture points in the body located on 14 meridians
• Meridians are energetic channels that connect the points to each other

Definition

• The stimulation of acupoints (acupuncture points)
• When acupoints are stimulated, physiologic changes occur
• These physiologic changes are what brings about a clinical result

Physiological changes as a result of acupuncture:

• Release of endogenous opoids (acupuncture pain relief or analgesia)
• Immune system stimulation (allows the body to heal itself)
• Blood pressure regulation (brings blood to an area to heal it, remove toxins, reduce swelling)

Location of Acupuncture points:

• At “motor points” where a nerve enters a muscle - stimulation of these points can increase nerve and blood supply to a muscle group
• Over nerves and nerve plexus - stimulating these points can affect nervous control of the target organs that these nerves influence. For example you could increase nerve impulses to the intestines, heart, or other organ systems
• At muscle-tendon junctions where they can affect the nerve and hormonal control of the muscles, tendons and ligaments

Ways to stimulate Acupoints:

• Dry needle
• Acupressure
• Aquapuncture
• Hemoacupuncture
• Inject saline, Vitamin B12, blood or air into AP points
• Electroacupuncture

From a Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective

• Health arises from a balance of yin energy and yang energy in the animal.
• Balance is achieved by the smooth flow of yin and yang energy or “Qi” in the body
• Acupuncture points are spots along a meridian where the energy comes to the skin surface such that you can influence the energy of the meridian by stimulating that acupuncture point.
• Because of the meridian relationships you can affect sites distant from the AP point (eg a needle in the foot can influence the eye)

What Conditions does it treat?

• Painful conditions like:
  • Back and neck pain
  • Degenerative joint disease (arthritis)
  • Abdominal pain (colic)
  • Post-operative pain
  • Soft tissue injuries (bowed tendon)
  • Muscle soreness

• Geriatric conditions like:
  • Degenerative joint disease, ring bone, navicular
  • Kidney failure
  • Cancer
  • Chronic diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease
  • Infertility
  • Asthma (heaves)
  • Chronic uveitis

• Sports Medicine issues like:
  • Musculoskeletal soreness
  • Tendon/ligament injuries
  • Performance and agility enhancement

ACUPUNCTURE IS USED WITH CAUTION

In cases of

• weak or debilitated animals (can exhaust the animal)
• Pregnant animals (can induce labour)
• Cancer (can stimulate the tumor)

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