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<\/a>Q. How can it be used?<\/p>\nA. One of the most frequently used applications is to help relieve muscle spasms and alleviate localized pain. The pain can be caused by a variety of things -- trauma, surgery, arthritis. The relief of pain is often very rapid and fairly obvious right away as the patient (your pup, in this scenario) becomes more relaxed and frequently walks away from the treatment with a much more normal gait than it arrived with.<\/p>\n
Less obvious are the effects on the circulatory, metabolic and hormonal systems. In dogs, cats and horses, it\u2019s most commonly used for any musculoskeletal problems, skin problems, nervous disorders, reproductive disorders, respiratory problems, poor immunity and internal medicine problems such as cardiac and renal disease.\u00a0 It is well documented to affect all major bodily systems. It\u2019s important to note that animals don\u2019t respond to a placebo affect (as humans can). So when you see an animal respond well to acupuncture, you know it\u2019s real.<\/p>\n
Q. How does acupuncture work in conjunction with conventional medicine or treatments?<\/p>\n
A. Acupuncture can be used to bridge the gap between medicine and surgery. For instance, your dog can have an orthopedic procedure and you can have acupuncture done to decrease surgical pain and increase speed of healing of skin and tissue around the surgical scar. It can also help the animal be more relaxed with the confinement after surgery, as well as to detox from anesthetics.<\/p>\n
Acupuncture can also be used in addition to medications for animals with allergies. The immune system gets more normalized, which can actually increase the threshold for allergens and decrease the need for anti-inflammatory drugs.<\/p>\n
A. Generally, no. The needles in acupuncture are very slender. They have nothing in common with a hypodermic needle, which is larger, thicker and built to transmit fluid. Acupuncture needles actually slide between cells -- they don\u2019t puncture cells.<\/p>\n Q. How do you find a veterinarian acupuncturist?<\/p>\n A. In an ideal situation, your regular veterinary practice has an acupuncturist on staff so that the acupuncture is fully integrated into the dog\u2019s care. But your vet can also consult with an independent acupuncturist, such as one in a holistic veterinary practice. Your dog\u2019s acupuncturists should be a vet -- not a human acupuncturist. You can look for one here<\/a>, although not all credentialed vet acupuncturists are listed here.<\/p>\n<\/a>Q. Since needles usually hurt, is there pain associated with acupuncture?<\/p>\n