Let's Get to the Point - What You Need to Know About Veterinary Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medical practice that involves inserting thin needles into specific locations or points on the body to stimulate & restore the flow of qi, or life energy. It's most commonly used for pain relief, but can be used to help many different conditions & may be part of a broader approach to health & wellness. A more scientific explanation is the insertion of needles stimulates the bodies nerves, muscles, chemical pathways & improves blood flow, which triggers the body to heal itself. Acupuncture offers a safe & complimentary therapy to western medicine.

Here are the answers to client’s most commonly asked questions:

Can my pet benefit from acupuncture?

YES! All pet’s & almost all health conditions can benefit from acupuncture including:

• Arthritis

• Orthopedic conditions - Chronic & Pre/Post Surgery

• Neurologic conditions

• Auto-immune disease

• Allergies: Including allergic skin disease & ear infections

• Urinary disease such as cystitis & bladder stones

• Gastro-intestinal upset & chronic pancreatitis

• Cancer patients

How many times do you need to see my pet?

You’ll often find throughout navigating your pet’s integrative treatment plan options that the general answer to this question is no mater the modality is……IT DEPENDS. Acupuncture's effectiveness varies greatly among patients, but many owner see some relief for their pet within the first 24 hours after a session, especially for acute pain. However, some other pets may need several sessions over weeks or months for chronic conditions that have a deeper root cause. During your pet initial visit we establish realistic goals for treatment outcomes. I usually ask my clients to commit to a minimum 3-4 weekly sessions in the beginning & then we can re-evaluate how acupuncture is helping & how frequently moving forward the pet should be seen for treatments. Most patients can then be seen every 2-3 weeks for a few acupuncture sessions & even further reduce frequency to once a month or even every few months in most cases.

How do you keep a pet still while they have needles in them?

We don’t overly concern ourselves with keeping your pet absolutely still. Most of the time a technician or the doctor will sit with your pet and just keep them corralled into a small area and reduce the chance of shaking the needles out while holding them. Often times we wrap cats into a large blanket where they feel more safe. As your pet becomes more accustom to getting an acupuncture treatment they often fall asleep during their treatments.

Why did my pet react when you placed that needle, but didn’t seem to notice the others?

In Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, "de-qi" (arrival of Qi) is the term for the sensation felt by the animal when an acupuncture needle has been inserted correctly at an acupoint. It signifies that the needle placement is effective & the body is responding. This de-qi response helps guide the acupuncturist to optimize treatment & ensure that the animal is receiving the most benefit.  De-qi sensations are generally not painful, but rather a feeling of stimulation or "arrival of qi". Some animals might feel a slight pressure or warmth. Sometimes the de-qi is subtle, while other point placements may be more noticeable. Pets can demonstrate de-qi through various physical responses, such as:

• Muscle twitching: Subtle twitches or spasms at the acupoint. 

• Head turns or ear flicks: The pet may turn their head or flick their ears towards the needle insertion point. 

• Deep breath or sigh: The pet might take a noticeable deep breath or sigh. 

• Lip licking or chewing: The pet might lick or chew at the acupoint. 

• Soft eye blink: A gentle eye blink. 

• Shifting weight or relaxing: The pet might shift their weight or appear to relax. 

• Burping or passing gas

Are there any contraindications or side effects to acupuncture ?

Acupuncture is generally considered safe when performed by a trained & licensed practitioner using sterile, disposable needles. However, there are conditions that we use acupuncture with cauiton & these include:

• Pregnancy - Certain acupuncture points are considered contraindicated during pregnancy due to their potential to stimulate uterine contractions/premature labor.

• Cancer - We generally avoid acupunturing directly around a cancerous lesion. This is because we don’t want to increase the blood flow to the cancerous lesion itself, thereby, causing it to potentially grow. However, acupuncture techniques can still be used in patients with cancer to help alleviate common clinical signs associated with suffering from cancer or oncology treatments, such as nausea, loss of appetite, pain etc.

• Coagulopathies - Because the insertion of needles can increase the risk of bleeding in patients with coagulopathies, acupuncture is generally contraindicated in these patients. While the risk of serious bleeding is unlikely, a pet with a known coagulation issue should be acupunctured with caution or potentially another TCVM technique should be consider, such as acupressure.

While serious side effects of acupunctue are extremely rare, there are a few things you should monitor for or be aware of.

• Lethargy - Some pets may feel sleepy or lethargic for 24 hours after a treatment. This is often attributed to the release of endorphins during the session, which can promote relaxation & drowsiness. This can be a normal & sometimes welcomed outcome after acupuncture. It’s important to make sure the pet is offered plenty of water & rest after an acupuncture session.

• Soreness - Pets may experience mild temporary soreness around the needle placement sites, especially if the needles were inserted into tight muscles. 

• Minor Bleeding - A small amount of bleeding can occur at a site of needle placement, this usually stop quickly & does not require treatment. In fact, bleeding after removing a needle is a good indicator that there was significant stagnation & heat that need to be released at that location in-order to promote healing & restore balance.

Less Common Rare Side Effects:

• Temporary Worsening of Symptoms- In very rare cases, pets may experience a temporary worsening of their condition for up to 48 hours after treatment. This is sometimes referred to as a "healing crisis.” This kind of reaction is very rare, is usually self limiting & is a sign they are responding to treatment. It this occurs we usually perform far less needles & likely do not continue to couple acupuncture treatments with other modifies at the same time for several treatments.

• Allergic Reaction - Very rarely, a pet may have an allergic reaction to the needles themselves, usually a reaction to the coating on the needles. If this happens, the vet can switch to a different type of needle. 

• Infection: While rare, there is a possibility of infection if proper sterile techniques are not followed. 

And last but not least - every veterinary acupuncturists worst fear - the pet eating an acupuncture needle! But pet parents don’t worry, acupuncture needle handles are actually weighted & if swallowed usually travel down the intestinal tract without harming or puncturing the pet’s organs. We are always told in veterinary acupuncture school, “It’s not a matter of IF it will happen, but only a matter of WHEN.” If your veterinary acupuncturist then unfortunate pleasure of this happening to their patient hopefully only once in their career, that typically indicates they are a seasoned acupuncturist. I personally have had a single patient lick a needle & swallow it before I could grab it from their mouth. As promised, the needle traveled through the intestinal tract & out of Fluffy without harming the dog & with no major interventions or issues. I also have a human acupuncturist friend who’s own dog ate 40 acupuncture needles out of her acupuncture kit & defecated every one of them out with no issues. We obviously try with everything in our power to ensure this doesn’t happen to our patients by monitoring your pet during their session. We also count the needles placed in & then count the needles removed at the end of the session to make sure we have them all.

If you are interesting in discussing what acupuncture can do for your sweet animal, contact us today to make a consult appointment today. We are excited to help your pet starting feeling their best.