Pet Acupuncture

Pet Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been used in China for a wide range of conditions for thousands of years. At Bridge Vets we practice a modern “Western” approach to veterinary acupuncture at our Nigg Kirk and Cults practices. As well as including traditional “meridian” acupuncture points, needles are placed at points based on scientific and physiological evidence and on physical findings in your pet. The majority of acupuncture cases currently treated at the practice are arthritic and painful animals but acupuncture has also been shown to be useful in many conditions including skin and nerve problems.

Although acupuncture is not a miracle cure for any condition, in around 9 out of 10 animals it will significantly improve their quality of life. Generally animals tolerate acupuncture very well and are keen to come in for their sessions! Appointments last 30 minutes and initially sessions are weekly. In most instances owners stay with their pets during the session but this is not essential.

Electro acupuncture is also available at the practice. This passes a small electric current through the acupuncture needles and can provide a greater level of stimulation and therefore greater pain relief. This treatment is not something we would generally suggest in the initial stages of treatment but can be very helpful in the latter stages of treatment when the manual acupuncture is not as effective as it previously had been.

If you would like to discuss any aspects of your pet’s pain management, please do not hesitate to contact us to arrange an appointment with our Veterinary Surgeon, Liz White.

Acupuncture Case Study

This is Molly enjoying her acupuncture. Molly was attacked by another dog many years ago and had several surgeries including a femoral head and neck excision (hip surgery). She copes remarkably well but a couple of years ago she started becoming slower on her walks and less happy to play with her ball. On examination Molly had muscle pain along her spine but was otherwise very well. It is likely that the pain was secondary to an abnormal range of movement in her hind leg after having previous surgery. We started weekly acupuncture sessions with her and her quality of life really improved. She was much happier in herself and started to play more normally again. Gradually the frequency of her visits was decreased and she currently comes for acupuncture every 3 weeks.

She loves coming in for her acupuncture and enjoys being given constant attention for 20 minutes!