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Acupuncture |
Alternative Veterinary Medicine Centre |
Acupuncture for Animals
Veterinary Acupuncture is offered at the AVMC
History
Acupuncture, as part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), owes its origins
to the Ancient Chinese, dating from anything up to 4,000 years ago. The oldest medical text book
we know is the Huang-ti Nei-jing Su-wen, which describes the philosophy
and rationale in 'question-and-answer' form.
Traditional Chinese Medicine advocates the use of herbs, nutritional input (i.e. diet) and lifestyle modification, as essential companions to acupuncture. This may explain some of the failures of the modern type of acupuncture that is commonly performed in a 'non-holistic' and strictly reductionist ‘Western’ way. See also: Moxibustion.
The theory behind acupuncture is rooted in Taoist and yin-yang culture,
although some modern practitioners shun these traditional roots.
Energy, composed of a balance between yin and yang, flows through the body in
meridians or channels. These channels are related to the internal organs and
disease can reach those organs via their meridian. Imbalances between yin and
yang, or interruptions or disturbances in the flow of energy (‘Qi’), will
also give rise to disease.
N.B.: At the AVMC, we do not use or promote methods that may be of questionable animal welfare or 'conservation' impact. 'Orthodox' Traditional Chinese Medicine can include such 'remedies' as tiger penis, bear gall-bladder, rhinoceros horn, some threatened plant species etc. The AVMC does not use such remedies and cannot support their use.
Animal Acupuncture
There are very early records of the use of acupuncture in animals, but charts are still being devised for the main domestic animal species. This means that many of the 'meridians' and 'acupuncture points', so well-mapped for humans, are a matter of ongoing debate in animals.
Veterinary acupuncture may be carefully integrated with homeopathy, provided certain aspects are carefully considered and observed. Christopher Day has lectured and written on the subject of the careful integration of these two therapies, for health benefits.
Practical Application
"Tess initially seemed worse, then rapidly better over the weekend – now it is difficult to discern any limp at all – we’re obviously pleased with progress." (Tess was a 12½ year-old Border Collie with shoulder lameness of 2 months standing; reported after 12 days).
Image: Dalmatian acupuncture
Acupuncture, properly applied, is a holistic therapy and uses needling (or one of several other methods - see also LASER (Acupuncture-by-LASER) and moxibustion) for stimulation of certain 'points' along the meridians. These are called 'acupuncture points'. The points to be treated, in a given patient, may be located far from the perceived focus of trouble. Aquapuncture involves the injection of water, to relieve pain etc. At the AVMC, we also inject vitamins into acupuncture points and have applied the injection of homeopathic medicines into acupuncture points (the specific remedies must be chosen to integrate with the acupuncture treatment).
The AVMC offers canine acupuncture, equine acupuncture, feline acupuncture, although other species are treated, as necessary. In individual animals, many chronic and refractory diseases can respond, where conventional medication may have failed. This applies whether acupuncture for dogs, acupuncture for cats, acupuncture for horses, acupuncture for ponies or for other species.
These are the conditions which are most often presented for acupuncture, with a reasonable hope for success:
Acupuncture for horses / Acupuncture for ponies: injuries, back problems, neck problems, wobbler syndrome, navicular syndrome, lameness, laminitis, arthritis, kissing spines, spavin, and stringhalt. We have found that 'head shaking' (head-shaking or headshaking) cases can respond well and may require 'top-ups' during the season. One of our greatest surprises was the apparent ability to control most cases of 'periodic ophthalmia' (ERU, moon blindness, recurrent ophthalmia, recurrent uveitis, moonblindness) - the type of response that is now expected with cases of moonblindness is that a current attack can usually be brought under control quite quickly (two or three sessions) while successive attacks, treated promptly, become less and less severe, then eventually cease in most cases. Equine acupuncture (acupuncture for horses and ponies) is certainly particularly rewarding.
Acupuncture for dogs: injuries, arthritis, hip dysplasia, ruptured cruciate ligament (anterior cruciate ligament, cruciate ligament damage), spondylosis, lumbosacral disease (lumbo-sacral disease), OCD (osteochondritis dissecans), DJD (degenerative joint disease), limping, wobbler syndrome, lameness, shaker syndrome, chorea, dry eye, horner's syndrome, paralysis (including prolapsed disc disease - aka prolapsed intervertebral disc, PID) and other painful conditions. Canine CDRM has shown great promise, particularly if the dog is over 9 years old at the outset, when the symptoms (signs) start, for which cases reasonable control can often be achieved. Cases of canine epilepsy can sometimes be helped. Dog arthritis is a very common application, in which a good response has been seen in most cases.
Acupuncture for cats: injuries, arthritis, neck problems, back problems, paralysis, iliac thrombosis, lameness and epilepsy. It is quite surprising how tolerant cats are of acupuncture needling. Cat arthritis is a common presentation, in which a good response has been seen in most cases.
Other more complex diseases may respond to holistically applied Chinese Medicine, where simple 'needling' may fail (see outcome study).
Species treated with acupuncture by the AVMC include: horses, ponies, goats, donkeys, cats, dogs, cattle, pigs, sheep, llamas, alpacas, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs.
Image: French Lop rabbit acupuncture
The AVMC accepts referrals in Veterinary Acupuncture, Veterinary Homeopathy, Veterinary Herbal Medicine, back problems in dogs, back problems in horses, back problems in cats, back problems in all species. Chris Day, acupuncture vet, has more than 25 years experience in the field of veterinary acupuncture and is willing to share experiences, understanding and ideas with veterinary colleagues, veterinary students and animal owners.
Image: Horse acupuncture
Pain control by acupuncture is now widely accepted as a valid procedure. Research has demonstrated several known mechanisms. Among these is the release of endogenous 'opioids' (endorphins - distantly related to morphine), which serve to relieve pain and anxiety. This can explain some of the obvious pain-relieving and relaxation effects. The deeper holistic effects of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, in the treatment of complex disease, remain an enigma to modern reductionist medical minds, however. The lack of explanation of precise mechanisms does not seem to obstruct the popularity of the therapy, when modern medicine has failed.
Animals accept acupuncture very well, clearly perceiving that it is offered for their benefit. If they object or show marked fear, something is wrong with the technique used for that animal. They should happily present themselves for a repeat treatment, if not upset by the technique. They may show relaxed drowsiness during (and sometimes for one or two days after) treatment or they may become ‘activated’ or ‘energised’ soon after. We have found out, from experience, that if treatment has failed after three sessions to relieve the symptoms, acupuncture is probably not going to help that animal’s problem.
From hard experience, we have found that acupuncture will often fail, if proper chiropractic work has not been performed alongside it. This phenomenon is not difficult to reason, once discovered, since normal nerve function and energy communication can be seriously disrupted by vertebral and other misalignments and by the resulting muscle spasm. In fact, the Ancient Chinese were using spinal manipulation in therapy, possibly from as early as 2700 BC! It is sad that this synergy is not more widely exploited. At the AVMC, we integrate these therapies in every case, in order to maximise healing benefit.
Janssen & Prins published a study in 1989, which seemed to highlight acupuncture as the 'treatment of choice' for thoraco-lumbar disc disease (Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association (1989) 25, 169-174).
The story of Garrison Savannah often comes back to the forefront.
Species commonly presented for acupuncture: dog, cat, horse, pony, donkey and goat.
See also: Birds, Cage Mammals, Reptiles, Wild Animals
Chris Day has used
acupuncture in veterinary practice for 25 years. He is a member of the
International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS)
and the
Association of
British Veterinary Acupuncturists (ABVA).
He has given a half-day session at IVAS Congress (Minneapolis) on the
integration of Acupuncture with homeopathy.
The Law
The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 restricts the treatment of animals (other than your own) with acupuncture, by anyone other than a fully qualified vet. Qualified acupuncturists who treat humans are not legally able to treat animals, unless they have a veterinary qualification (MRCVS).
Holistic, Alternative, Natural or Complementary?
http://www.veterinary-acupuncture.co.uk
We can visit from Wales to London, from Devon to Kent, from South to North and from Bristol to the Wash and East Anglia.
Copyright © AVMC - March 2007
Associated websites: http://chris-day.blogware.com/ - www.acupuncture-animals.co.uk - www.holistic-vet.co.uk - www.veterinary-acupuncture.co.uk - www.veterinary-holistic.co.uk - www.alternativeveterinarymedicine.co.uk - www.alternativeveterinarymedicinecentre.co.uk - www.avmc.co.uk - www.chiropractic-vet.co.uk - www.naturalfeeding.co.uk - www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~avmc - www.chinhampublications.co.uk - www.any-uk-vet.co.uk/day - http://vetontheweb.co.uk/vet-directory-detail.asp?id=3946 - http://www.vetclick.com/referral-practices/view_detail.php?PracticeId=2508&ReferralId=1
Our pages refer to: acupuncture vet - acupuncture veterinarian - acupuncture for animals - acupuncture for horses - acupuncture for ponies - acupuncture for donkeys - acupuncture for dogs - acupuncture for cats - acupuncture for goats - acupuncture for llamas - acupuncture for alpacas - acupuncture for rabbits - dog acupuncture - cat acupuncture - pony acupuncture - horse acupuncture - dogs acupuncture - cats acupuncture - ponies acupuncture - horses acupuncture - veterinary acupuncture - veterinary acupuncture referrals - acupuncture referrals - holistic vet - horses back problems - dog back problems - ponies back problems - donkeys back problems - acupuncture back problems - acupuncture backs - acupuncture laminitis - acupuncture founder - acupuncture head shaking - acupuncture moonblindness - acupuncture arthritis - acupuncture arthritis horse - acupuncture arthritis dog - acupuncture lame horse - acupuncture lame dog - acupuncture lame cat - acupuncture lame goat - acupuncture lame donkey- acupuncture horses - acupuncture dogs - acupuncture horses back - acupuncture horse back - acupuncture pain horse - acupuncture back pain horse - acupuncture pain dog - acupuncture back pain dog - dog arthritis - cat arthritis - horse arthritis - acupuncture dog arthritis - acupuncture horse arthritis - acupuncture cat arthritis
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Copyright © 2007 Alternative Veterinary Medicine Centre
Chinham House, Stanford in the Vale, Oxon SN7 8NQ (UK)
Tel.: #44 (0)1367 710324 - Fax: #44 (0)1367 718243
www.alternativevet.org
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Last modified:
January 25, 2008
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