What is dog acupuncture?
Dog acupuncture is where we put needles into certain acupoints that run on meridians, which is how energy moves throughout the body. In TCVM, we think about a clock, and energy moves through the clock at certain times of the day. The acupuncture points are located on those meridians, and we can use them to help your pet with specific issues. There's a lot that we can do with acupuncture; it's really great.
Dr. Alexandra Clifton
Newport Harbor Animal Hospital
Is there more than one type of dog acupuncture?
There are several different modalities that we can do with acupuncture. The most common is dry needling, where we put the actual needles into your pet. We can also do aqua acupuncture, which involves injecting something like saline or B12 into a point for longer stimulation. Other methods include moxibustion (heat over the acupoints), acupressure, and electro-acupuncture, where we apply electrical stimulation through the meridians and connect different points together.
So how does use of acupuncture impact the health and well-being of your dog?
The whole idea of Chinese medicine is to bring the body back into balance. Acupuncture can be really good as a maintenance tool to keep everything flowing smoothly. It can also be used to help bring the body back into balance when it gets out of sync. It's really good for conditions like arthritis and more.
How old does your dog need to be to receive acupuncture?
Dogs of any age can get acupuncture. There aren't many contraindications for it; we mostly avoid it if the dog is pregnant. If they don't like it, we can work with them to get them to accept it more through short sessions and happy sessions with acupressure. There's no age limit.
What are some conditions that would benefit your dog by receiving acupuncture treatments?
Our most common condition for acupuncture is definitely osteoarthritis or arthritis pain. But acupuncture has a wide range of applications, including treating diarrhea, asthma, IBD, general musculoskeletal pain not from arthritis, post-surgical pain management, and more. Anything you can think of, you can probably try acupuncture for.
Would acupuncture complement my dog's current treatments?
Often, it will. We view acupuncture as an adjunct treatment, not necessarily meant to replace Western medicine like pain meds or antibiotics. We're trying to complement the existing treatment plan to provide a different modality, treating everything multimodally. This way, we can use fewer medications or maybe even stop their pain meds if they're doing really well with just acupuncture. We always aim to complement their Western treatment plan with our traditional Chinese treatment plan.
How can dog acupuncture be integrated with Western medicine?
We can integrate it by using the different modalities alongside their traditional medication. For example, if your dog has intervertebral disc disease, we would still do the NSAIDs and cage rest, but could add weekly to bi-weekly acupuncture sessions during a flare-up to support them as best we can.
How will a veterinarian determine if acupuncture is right for my dog?
If you want to do acupuncture, we'll have a consultation first. We can sit down, discuss what's going on, discuss your goals, and determine if acupuncture would be a good modality or if you might need to consider a different modality or just Western medicine.
If you have any other questions, please give us a call at (949) 612-2756. You can also email us at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we are able. Don't forget to follow us on social media: Facebook and Instagram
Dog Acupuncture - FAQs 1
Dr. Alexandra Clifton
Newport Harbor Animal Hospital
What do I need to do to prepare my dog for acupuncture treatments?
So you shouldn't really need to do much. We just ask that you come with an open mind and think about your goals with the different treatments. We tend to tell you not to do a giant hike before acupuncture, so kind of keep them calm. And then for the rest of the day, they may feel a little bit tired. So we say that their prescription is a nap for the rest of the day.
What will an acupuncture session be like for my dog and how long will it last?
An acupuncture session at first will start by talking about everything that's been going on. I'll then do a full Western exam. And then I do a TCVM exam, which may look a little bit different, but it definitely complements our Western exam. After that, we'll place some needles, and then we usually let them sit for anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes. So hopefully you'd be done in like 45 minutes to an hour for the initial consult and then like 20 to 30 minutes for follow-ups.
Will my dog tolerate acupuncture?
A lot of the times the dogs will surprise you. They usually do really well because we have some calming points that we do first. So usually that calms them down and it feels good. And it's also not like a traditional appointment. We're not necessarily taking them to the back. We're not doing vaccines. They kind of just get to sit on their comfy bed and relax for the hour.
How soon will my dog experience results from acupuncture treatment?
It's kind of on a case-by-case basis. Some dogs you'll see results after one treatment. Some of them it'll take a couple more. So we usually say give it about three to five treatments before you see things. The results can also be very small. So say your dog couldn't jump into the car. It might be as simple as that, or they couldn't reach around to scratch their butt because it was too painful. It can be very minute details, but over time we hope to see more results with multiple sessions.
What can I expect after I bring my dog home from acupuncture treatment?
You can expect that they might be a little bit tired. We're asking a lot of them, we're moving a lot of energy and sometimes that can make them sleepy. Sometimes they can be a little sore if they had a needle in a piece of muscle that was really tight. But most of the time, you shouldn't see too many side effects.
How effective is veterinary acupuncture and what are some of the side effects of it?
Veterinary acupuncture is really effective and it's also a very safe modality. There are not very many side effects. Most of them being pain if we get a needle in a really tight muscle, a little hematoma if we touch a blood vessel. A lot of the times these acupuncture points are located where vessels are running, so that's a possible side effect. And then also if they eat a needle, that's considered a side effect, which hopefully wouldn't happen.
Are there any risks associated with veterinary acupuncture?
There are not many risks. It mostly is the same as the side effects. So we have the risk of them eating a needle or a little hematoma, a little bit of pain, a little bit of being tired afterwards. But overall, the side effects are pretty minimal as well as the risks because we tend to try to be very specific about where our needles go so that we don't have accidental puncture into a body cavity or the eye or anything like that. So if you think that your pet could benefit from acupuncture or if you have any more questions, just call and schedule, and we can set up a consultation to chat.
What are other forms of therapy I can use for my dog?
We also offer cold laser therapy. Please click this link to learn more about this service.
If you have any other questions, please give us a call at (949) 612-2756. You can also email us at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we are able. Don't forget to follow us on social media: Facebook and Instagram