Everything You Need to Know About Dog Acupuncture at Calusa Veterinary Center
What is canine acupuncture?
Canine acupuncture is no different than acupuncture for people or horses. It's a form of complementary medicine that involves inserting thin needles into specific points on the dog's body to stimulate natural healing.
What types of veterinary acupuncture are there, and how are they different?
Veterinary acupuncture, like acupuncture used worldwide in people, primarily uses dry needles. These are very thin, sharp needles about the size of a hair, used at specific points. Electric acupuncture is another form, where low-voltage electricity connects certain needles to enhance the acupuncture pathway through meridians. The third type is aquapuncture, where a liquid is injected into a point, remaining there after the needle is removed. A fourth method involves implanting a gold bead into the point, providing constant pressure. These are the four basic forms of acupuncture.
What health conditions can acupuncture address for dogs?
Acupuncture in dogs is commonly used to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, improve mobility, enhance healing, increase respiratory function, alleviate side effects from cancer treatments, and minimize gastrointestinal discomfort. It's generally used to improve the quality of life.
Is acupuncture painful for dogs?
I think part of what makes people think acupuncture may be painful for their dog is their needle phobia. Dogs have no idea that you're doing this. The needles are so thin, and if you have a dog that is food motivated and the way we do it oftentimes is we lie the dog down and either a nurse or the mom or dad's at the front end and we have this delicious treat, and they give them these little tiny pieces, and they're focused on the food, and they don't feel the needles.
Now you could definitely have a needle causing some dog to be uncomfortable because you're putting a needle in. But it is, I think, more in the head than at the acupoint, and some people find it really very, very relaxing. I personally don't find it painful when I'm putting the needles in a patient. And the vast majority of clients, when they come in, especially for the first time, are more nervous that their pet is getting acupuncture because they're needle-phobic. But the actuality, acupuncture is probably less painful for a dog than it is for a person.
Can acupuncture be used in combination with other treatments for my dog?
Most definitely! We use it in so many aspects of our rehabilitative mechanisms. But the interesting thing about acupuncture, whether you're coming in for, an injection of an anti inflammatory or whether you're coming in to have hydrotherapy for improved range of motion or whether you're coming in to go into hyperbarics because you're reducing ischemia or hypoxia for some neurological manifestation or post op from a neurosurgery, acupuncture has to be done last.
You can come in for a lot of different modalities, but when we do your dog’s acupuncture last, they should drift off like on a magic carpet, and not have another mechanism where they're being restrained and having another thing done. I always try to do acupuncture last, regardless of what other modalities of treatment they're having that day.
How can my dog benefit from acupuncture?
Your dog can benefit from pain relief, reduced inflammation, improved mobility, minimized gastrointestinal nausea, and more. Acupuncture alleviates stagnation in meridian points, improving the flow of life force, or chi.
A litte story: If you imagine a side of a mountain filled with pine trees that they are cutting down and sending to the lumber yard, the trees get sliced down and they slide down the mountain, and they all enter into the river, and they're all flowing down the river towards the mill. That is chi floating through a meridian. That is the life source floating through the river of life.
Suddenly, one of those trees turns and creates a log jam. That log jam, in traditional Chinese medicine, is called stagnation, and everything upstream from that log jam is now not moving. That creates pain. That's what is so uncomfortable. Stagnation is what you're trying to alleviate with acupuncture, one of the big events.
Now imagine you take a helicopter and you go with a log hanging from a chain, and you go right over the log jam, and you drop that log right into the middle of the log jam, and it goes, and it starts to rearrange all the different blocked logs, and they start to flow. That is the essence of what acupuncture does to stagnation in a meridian point.
Who is qualified to perform veterinary acupuncture?
Only a veterinarian is qualified to perform veterinary acupuncture. They should complete a certification program to learn the art of acupuncture.
There are human acupuncturists who perform acupuncture on people's pets, but it's much more of a friendly understanding as it would be if I, as a veterinary acupuncturist, were to put needles into a human. I do it for my friends and my family who want to have it done. What's interesting about acupuncture is that there are basically three hundred and sixty-one points. These points travel along twelve paired meridians, and I like to compare the meridians to twelve extension cords. And each extension cord is plugged into the other, and then they're twisted.
Along those extension cords are three hundred and sixty-one very, very specific points, and each one does something completely different. And each point is about the size of a nickel. How many different places the size of a nickel could you put a hair needle? Quite a lot. And it's very, very different. It's almost impossible for me to choose fifty points that I'm going to choose on a dog because the points are very, very important in deciding what you're going to be doing based on the diagnosis.
But I could see that dog ten times, and every time I put that point in the bladder eighteen, do you think I'm hitting exactly where that point went every single time? No. Acupuncture is like painting by the numbers. You can have ten people with a canvas, each one using the same color in the same space, and when you look at the paintings, they're all going to be different. So it really is in the hands of the artist who's doing it that creates the end game and the end result. So, a veterinarian who's licensed is someone who will provide acupuncture for a dog or a pet.
How frequently will my dog need to receive acupuncture treatments?
The frequency depends on the condition being treated. Some cases require only one session, while others may need multiple weekly sessions over months.
What dogs are good candidates for acupuncture?
Almost all dogs are candidates, especially those with neurological issues, back pain, arthritis, joint problems, post-operative needs, spinal cord diseases, and brain trauma.
Are there any dogs who should not receive acupuncture treatments?
Dogs that are pregnant, have bleeding disorders, seizure conditions, or electrical implants like pacemakers should not receive acupuncture. And we also want to stay away from pets with cancer.
What are the alternatives to acupuncture if it's not suitable for my dog?
Alternatives include homeopathy, massage therapy, acupressure, Reiki therapy, hyperbaric oxygen, laser therapy, and more.
Are there any risks or negative side effects of canine acupuncture that owners should know about?
The main risks involve pregnant dogs, dogs with seizures, and those with blood disorders. However, it is generally a safe modality for most patients.
How much does a veterinary acupuncture treatment cost?
The cost ranges from $70-$200, depending on various factors like time, size, duration, and number of needles used.
What can I expect for my dog during an acupuncture session?
The needles are placed once the patient is comfortable. And if we're adding electroacupuncture, then we connect to the electroacupuncture access, and then the needle stays in for about fifteen minutes. Most of the time, I wind up leaving because I find that the patients are much more comfortable after the guy who's standing behind them, tweaking them, is out the door, and the vast majority of them go to sleep.
On the electro acupuncture tables or the floors where we do them on the blankets, there is a beeping sound that's connected to the amplitude and the frequency of the stimulation on the electro side. And as it ends as a Chinese song that plays, that they kind of wake up, and that means the needles come out.
How can I tell if acupuncture is effective for my dog?
You're going to see it. You're going to see a dog that is stiff and uncomfortable walk out of here with a kick in their step, a change. Part of the reason that modern science believes that it works is that the needles, when they go in, release these micro-doses of endorphins, which are Mother Nature's natural anesthetics.
So even if it didn't solve the problem, it created a blood level increase of a natural anesthetic that makes them feel better. And that very well may be what it does because the needle sometimes is not going to change a severe osteoarthritis bone rubbing on bone issue. It's going to make them feel better.
How does acupuncture benefit senior dogs or those with chronic conditions?
This works in senior dogs, the same way it works in any other age of dog. Again, it's going to decrease pain. If you decrease pain, you'll increase your range of motion because you'll feel better when you take a walk. Increasing your range of motion is going to stretch you out because the end plates, the end marks that your range of motion was restricted by, are now extended. So, you don't feel as much pain. So, your gate can improve, and if the gate improves, you're extending your painless stride.
And it's really obvious in people who have a positive experience. Not every case is going to be positive to acupuncture, but the vast majority of them will.
What should I do if my dog is anxious about acupuncture treatments?
Your dog won't be anxious about the acupuncture treatment, you will. Food motivation is the best mechanism to take their minds off the fact that somebody's standing behind them. However, if we really believe that the acupuncture serious treatments are going to be really beneficial, we might premedicate your dog with some mild anti-anxiety medications like a little bit of gabapentin prior or even some trazodone just to take the edge off so that they can get the benefit of the treatment.
Are there any home care or follow-up instructions after an acupuncture session?
Oftentimes, the client will watch where the points are on their dog, and I will tell them that they can actually massage their dog, it's called the art of Chinese massage, in the same point areas that we are putting needles into, and the pressures of those points can really be beneficial.
So, acupressure using the points that are designed for that dog, just with your fingers, can be really, really beneficial, and that's something that you could do at home.
If you have questions, we would love to answer them for you. Please give us a call at the office at (561) 786-1100, or you can email us at calusa@cvcboca.com. Our staff would love to talk with you!
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