Can Acupuncture Help Your Dog?

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Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine used as an alternative treatment for chronic pain in humans, but did you know that more and more dog owners have started to take their dogs to acupuncture sessions?

Acupuncture has been around us for over a thousand years, and it has proven beneficial to us. Many of us regularly have acupuncture treatment since we do know that it helps us, so the same should apply to our dogs, don't you agree?

Acupuncture for dogs is also an alternative veterinary practice that involves inserting needles into a dog's skin to stimulate healing. If your dog is in chronic pain, and traditional meds do not seem to work, maybe it is time for you to try acupuncture for your dog.

What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a form of medicine that focuses on restoring the energy balance in the body. Their theory is that the body will heal itself once it corrects energy imbalance. Inserting small needles in certain body points, usually called acupuncture points, and from this point, the energy is transmitted to all parts of the dog's body.

These needles will allow your dog to have better circulation and stimulate the dog's nervous system, which will increase pain-relieving substances that will help your dog.

What dog conditions can acupuncture treat?

There are a variety of problems and health issues that can be treated with acupuncture. If you want to try acupuncture for your dog, the best thing you can do is to talk with your vet and ask for his advice. He will give you the best advice, and maybe he will have a recommendation for the veterinary acupuncturist.

The most usual conditions that are treated with acupuncture in dogs include

• Arthritis
• Joint problems
• IDD – intervertebral disc disease
• Side effects of cancer
• Different hormonal conditions
• Different trauma
• GI problems
• Skin problems
• Epilepsy

The most common reason why dog owners start to take their dogs to acupuncture sessions is because of arthritis and joint problems. These could be very painful conditions for the dog. Although there are traditional veterinary treatments for these problems, more and more dog owners turn to acupuncture since it efficiently helps their dogs. They are able to heal much faster.

Dogs can feel pain for various reasons, and no matter what is the main cause, acupuncture can help them. Acupuncture is an excellent way of reduction of pain in dogs since it provides better circulation. Acupuncture would not be so popular among dog owners if it didn't provide good results.

Will acupuncture help my dog?

All the studies and evidence surrounding acupuncture in dogs come from dog owners who take their dogs to acupuncture sessions. Although they all can confirm that acupuncture helped their dog, this is still a subjective opinion.

Currently, there is no definitive answer that will say that acupuncture is highly effective for treating different problems in dogs, but considering the fact that more and more owners and vets recommended this practice, it must be that the results are real.

If you, as a dog owner, notice that your dog is getting and feeling better after the acupuncture sessions, there is no reason why you should say that it doesn't work.

Are there any side effects from acupuncture?

For the majority of dogs, acupuncture will be painless, and there will not be any side effects to show. Some dogs could feel tired and sore after the acupuncture treatment, but usually, this will go away within the next 2 days.

Other than that, there are no additional health issues or side effects that come from acupuncture sessions. This is a pretty safe procedure that will only help your dog. Of course, if the treatment is performed by a specialist. Only in that case is the acupuncture completely safe.

How often should my dog have acupuncture?

The exact number of acupuncturist sessions your dog will undergo to completely heal will depend on many factors.

The first and most obvious one is the reason why your dog needs acupuncture in the first place. If your dog is having an acute problem, something like injury or illness, he will only need to have a few sessions since the problem will go away quickly.

If you are trying to treat chronic conditions such as arthritis or joint problems, your dog will have to have more acupuncture sessions. In the beginning, sessions will be more often, and as the treatment progresses, the sessions will be less frequent.

Your vet or a veterinary acupuncturist will decide the exact number of sessions. They are experienced and certified personnel that can give you the best advice and guide you and your dog the whole way through.

How to find a veterinary acupuncturist?

When searching for the right person to do the acupuncture on your dog, you will have to carefully search. The most important thing you should ask for is a veterinary license and a certification of completed training in veterinary acupuncture.

You can even search the online database of the Veterinary acupuncture society, where you can find veterinary acupuncturists close to you and schedule a meeting.

In other cases, you can ask your vet to recommend the best veterinary acupuncturist you can take your dog to.

WORLD DOG FINDER TIP: Find a few veterinary acupuncturists and contact them all. While talking to them, you can choose the best one for your dog. Don't just find the first one and immediately schedule a meeting. Sometimes it is even better to go to a more distant one if you think that it will be the best for your dog.

World Dog Finder team