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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Traditional Chinese medical technology is believed to help relieve pain from an injury. It is not only used in humans.
Veterinarian Dr. Lynn Shiner has been practicing acupuncture for pets for more than 20 years and says veterinarians have used acupuncture on animals for nearly 50 years.
Dr. Shiner said acupuncture puts needles into specific areas of the body that appear to heal the injury and ease the pain. She said it was great for exercise treatments and muscle building, and not just cats and dogs.
“Race horses, performance horses, linseed horses, rabbits, ferrets, birds …” said Shiner.
Dr. Shiner said acupuncture shouldn’t be stressful or painful for the animal. She said that they put a needle on a point above the animal’s head, the permit point.
“It’s basically a point of saying, relax, that’s fine, that’s what it feels like,” Shiner said.
“I know it sounds weird at first, but I recommend it, but it helps with things like inflammation and pain,” said Joshua Markos, owner of dog MiMi.
MiMi has been joining Animal Medical for 10 years to help with her severe arthritis.
“Dotsons tend to have back problems. The completely normal acupuncture was mentioned. So I started acupuncture and you know it was only just working, ”said Markos.
Shiner said when they first see a patient, they investigate what’s going on to see if acupuncture is right for the patient. Then the treatment can vary.
“How often do we treat, how many needles we use, how these needles are stimulated. Sometimes we inject a little bit of vitamin B-12 into the acupuncture point to make it work a little better. This works well for nervous dogs who don’t want to sit still for 15 minutes and who have needles in them, ”Shiner said.
According to Shiner, acupuncture in pets can also be used for injuries and pain such as asthma, behavior changes, and appetite stimulation.
“Dogs and cats with cancer often respond to acupuncture because it makes them feel better and increases their appetite,” said Dr. Shiner.
Shiner said you should check with your pet insurance company to see if this covers acupuncture for pets.
You can find more information about acupuncture for your animal here.
