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Wondering if dog acupuncture is a good idea for treating what ails your pup? The only one who can answer that question is a vet trained in traditional Chinese veterinary medicine. However, we can teach you a little about TCVM, canine acupuncture, and why you might want to consider it to help improve your pup’s health.
Acupuncture For Dogs Benefits
The application of TCVM treatments (including acupuncture) can be integrated into western treatments. This results in a more thorough evaluation of a pet’s full body, resulting in a full prevention and treatment plan.
Acupuncture can help with your dog’s different life stages and an array of health conditions. It is commonly used to treat symptoms of dogs suffering from arthritis, degenerative joint disease, allergies, asthma, GI issues, incontinence, chronic pain, traumas (i.e., surgery, falls, etc.), cancer, or metabolic disease. The goal is to help the body heal by correcting energy (or chi) imbalances.
What Does Animal Acupuncture Do?
Pet acupuncture can help with many things. Some of the possibilities include its ability to:
- Stimulate the body to do its pain-relieving and release anti-inflammatory substances
- Relax muscles where the needle is inserted which results in relieving local pain
- Improve blood flow and oxygenation
- Remove metabolic wastes and toxins
Additionally, there are no side effects for your pet’s internal organs (unlike over-the-counter medicine). So, medications and acupuncture can be used together without any bad side effects (due to acupuncture).
How Does Pet Acupuncture Work? (Video)
Acupuncture helps improve blood circulation, stimulates the nervous system, and releases hormones that aid in pain relief. So how do you achieve these things? By inserting very thin needles into your pet’s body by a professional. The professional inserts needles at acupuncture points, where nerve bundles and blood vessels meet.
Watch this video to see how this procedure helped this pup and why this vet finds it so necessary.
Acupuncture Alternatives For Dogs
The needles are tiny, and your dog will barely feel anything, but if you are not comfortable or looking for other solutions, there are other forms of acupuncture your dog could benefit from.
Acupressure
Acupressure is administrating pressure to acupuncture pressure points on dogs and is comparable to inserting needles. This works well for locations that are hard to reach and is used commonly on behaviorally challenged pets.
Aquapuncture
Aquapuncture is injecting liquids (i.e., diluted vitamin B12, homeopathic, etc.) under the skin. This pushes tissue out of the way.
Electrostimulation aka Estim
Estim is putting an electric current into the body between needles. It relaxes muscles that spasm and aid in healing nerve damage.
Laser
Laser energy stimulates the acupuncture points. The lasers are not hot. They are cool, so there is no burnt skin or hair. This needle-less acupuncture is ideal for pets who aren’t good with needles.
Moxibustion
Moxibustion is the application of a heated Chinese herbal mixture to the treatment needles. The heat helps older or suffering pets with joint stiffness or muscle soreness.
How Much Does Dog Acupuncture Cost?
The price of acupuncture for dogs varies by practice and location but, it can range anywhere from $25 to $300 per session. Acupuncture is typically administered about three times a week during the initial weeks. Some pet insurance providers offer coverage for acupuncture. Read our article to find out more about Pet Insurance.
Your Dog’s Safety & Comfort Comes First
It is best to administer in a place where your pet is comfortable, most likely at home. Many pets experience stress when taken to the vet, so be sure to administer the procedure in a stress-free environment. Find out other holistic treatments that can help with pain management and more including CBD, CBG, and holistic dog food.
Tagged With: Holistic
