The ancient traditional Chinese technique of acupuncture used as a treatment to sustain or re-establish a balance between mind, body and spirit is today being rediscovered by both dog owners and veterinarians as an acceptable optional extra to normal western medicine as treatment for dogs.

The American Veterinarian Medical Association only just lately acknowledged acupuncture as an applicable veterinary option, and the World Health Organization deems acupuncture for dogs as a useful medical practice. The American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncturists has been created by veterinarians and is an organization that holds its yearly gathering at the annual conference of the Ohio Veterinary Medicine Association during February.

Dr. Brian T. Voynick made the following statement at the Ohio Veterinary Medicine Association conference on acupuncture for dogs and other animals: “Veterinary acupuncture helps strengthen the animal’s immune system, relieve pain, and improve the function of organ systems”. Voynick is a veterinarian and a certified veterinary acupuncturist as well who incorporates acupuncture at his clinic practice in New Jersey.

Dr. Brian T. Voynick went on to say: “Acupuncture can help such fundamental problems as paralysis, arthritis, feline asthma, gastrointestinal problems, certain reproductive problems, and pain. Treatments stimulate nerves, increase blood circulation, relieve muscle spasms, and cause the release of such hormones as endorphins and cortisol.”

Inserting the needles is effectively pain free so long as the dog isn’t highly stressed or fighting the acupuncture treatment. Most of the time dogs will be relaxed during acupuncture treatment which can take from 10 seconds to 30 minutes and the dog will stay relaxed for about one or two days. However, occasionally a few dogs and other animals can appear worse for anywhere up to 48 hours post acupuncture treatment. Dr. Brian T. Voynick stated the typical acupuncture for dogs and other animals at his clinic lasts around 12 minutes in total.

Many straightforward disorders and injuries only need to have acupuncture administered one time; however, more complicated issues can need a lot more time to be resolved. It is not uncommon for the requirement of weekly treatments of acupuncture for your dog or pet. Severe situations may even need as much as three weekly treatments. Once the dog or pet begins to display improvement from the acupuncture, the treatments can then be slowed down.

Acupuncture for dogs requires physical examination just as modern veterinary medicine does. Acupuncture practitioners examine the dog for exterior indications of illness which can include:, abnormal body smells, dreary eyes and coat, high or low temperature or breathing rate, and also discharges. Acupuncture practitioners will also test the dogs pulse, take x-rays, work joints, palpate the dogs abdomen and ask the dogs owner about possible unusual occurrences of the dogs daily behavioural patterns, water & food consumption, urination, defecation, procreation record, jabs, and history of medications & reactions. You will likely be able to get the examination done via your dogs existing vet who can forward the examination results on to the acupuncturist.

The meridian pathway contains a lot of acupuncture points. In the same way normal veterinarians would use particular remedies or ailments for the right disorder or medical problem; in acupuncture for dogs the points used for treatment are founded on the same analysis. When the acupuncture needles are in place at the specific locations on the dog they can be manipulated appropriately. How the acupuncture needles are operated depends on the treatment scheme and may include being rotated counter clockwise or clockwise, pushed down, raised up, or just left as is. Certain cases of acupuncture for dogs may require electric current to be utilized for shortening the time needed for treatment or for supplying further stimulus than is provided by simply manipulating the needles by hand.

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