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Acupuncture for Dogs:

Holistic treatment. Massages. Acupuncture. When do you consider it? When should it be an option?  Well, acupuncture is an increasingly popular veterinary treatment being used for a variety of problems, mainly to treat back problems in dogs who have not responded to drugs or surgery.

As for the most common causes of back problems in dogs, it’s trauma such as car accidents, falling, repeated jumping and twisting during exercises.  Typically the dog will demonstrate they’re in pain, unwilling to perform and may have lameness in one leg due to pinching of a nerve. 

While some dog breeds are more susceptible to back injury than others (mainly due to long back vertebrae such as dachsunds), sometimes it’s hard to detect the pain on an X-ray but your vet will notice that your dog is experiencing pain.  Often injections and medication does not help mainly since nerve pressure and trigger points on muscles are the cause of pain, not the joints themselves.  This is when acupuncture is the answer.

In particular, for dogs with a slip disc leading to sudden pain or partial or total paralysis of limbs, acupuncture is considered the treatment if surgery is not indicated. 

Essentially, acupuncture involves the use of needles to stimulate the body to good health. Based on the principle that life energy flows from the body organs, this Qi or Chi energy stream is attempting to be restored by the insertion of thin needles at certain points along the energy path.

As long as your dog does not resist or does not struggle during the acupuncture treatment, the feeling of insertion of the needles should be relatively painless.  Actually, many dogs relax during acupuncture treatment which can last from 10 seconds to 30 minutes.  Some ailments or injuries can be treated once but more complex injuries will take longer to resolve.  Once improvement is shown, treatments can taper off. Like all medical inquiries, you should consult with your veterinarian for input on acupuncture recommendations.

At The Dog Bowl, nothing is more important than your pets’ health and well being.  For more information about acupuncture and to shop for anxiety aids at The Dog Bowl storefront click here.