As acupuncture use increases in human medicine, some pet owners and veterinarians have turned to acupuncture for four-legged family members. Around the world, millions of vets and veterinary assistants are trained in acupuncture!
In the hands of a skilled practitioner, an acupuncture treatment does not cause discomfort — this goes for humans and pets. Slender, flexible needles are inserted to stimulate particular locations in the body. Acupuncture is based on the idea that energy flows through an animal’s body along meridians; a blockage in one of the pathways can cause all sorts of health issues.
Sometimes, the effects are immediately noticeable after an acupuncture treatment. More often, it takes four to eight sessions before you will notice a difference. Acupuncture may be chosen as a last resort treatment when a pet’s condition has not responded to other treatment methods. It is generally a complimentary medicine, and can be used in conjunction with most other treatments.
What can be treated with acupuncture?
- Chronic and acute pain
- Incontinence
- Arthritis pain
- Reproductive disorders
- Neurological disorders
- Digestive issues
San Francisco recently opened the city’s first all-holistic veterinary clinic — which offers acupuncture, among other treatments. The clinic shares a building with the city’s only twenty-four hour emergency room for pets, Pets Unlimited. In the holistic clinic, the walls are painted in soothing colors like sage and salmon. The lights are soft and the rooms are filled with the soothing sound of running water from a Japanese fountain. Clinic administrators believe that the soothing atmosphere is as good for the owners as it is for the pets. By the way… San Francisco was the first major city to take up the no-kill movement in animal shelters back in the 1990s.
Looking for a veterinarian who uses holistic treatments like acupuncture? The American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association has more than eight hundred members across the country. Acupuncture is not recommended for excitable pets who may not be willing or able to lay still for treatments.
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