Acupuncture has been practiced for thousands of years and is especially effective in treating problems to do with immune system function, gastrointestinal function, and internal organ function. It is also useful for giving pain relief. Small companion animals such as cats and dogs as well as exotic animals are all candidates for acupuncture treatment.
Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine practitioners use acupuncture for a large variety of medical problems and diseases including behavioural disorders such as fear, anxiety, depression and anger, and cardiovascular problems such as cardiac arrhythmias, weakness leading to heart failure, and obstructive pulmonary disease. Acupuncture can also be used in emergency therapy situations for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (see Louie’s case). Pulmonary weakness that may lead to exercise intolerance, chronic coughing, frequent upper respiratory tract infections or chronic nasal discharge can also be successfully treated through TCVM methods.
Ocular disorders such as difficult to heal corneal ulcers (see Harry’s case), chronic conjunctivitis, and eyelid muscle weakness can all be helped through acupuncture. Many forms of dental pain, redness, swelling and inflammation can have symptoms greatly reduced or relieved. Some forms of chronic ear problems such as external auditory canal and middle ear inflammation can be relieved more rapidly through a combination of acupuncture and western medications.
While useful for treating a variety of disorders, acupuncture may be best known for the positive treatment of a large variety of gastrointestinal disorders including inappetence, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation, and bloating. Hepatic disease of both infectious and endogenous origin may be soothed with hepatic regeneration encouraged through such treatment. Various forms of renal disease including kidney failure and urinary problems such as inflammation, infection, and urinary leakage may be successfully alleviated and sometimes cured by acupuncture.
Most muscular-skeletal problems including pain, strain/sprain, inflammation, and weakness are amenable to significant benefit from acupuncture. Neurological disorders including paresis, paralysis, and vestibular disease may be resolved more quickly when acupuncture is added to the animal’s western biomedical protocol.
Cancer patients also benefit greatly from acupuncture treatment.
