Acupuncture

What is Acupuncture?

 

Acupuncture is a treatment that involves inserting needles into muscles at various points of the body to alleviate pain and aid in influencing medical conditions.

 

What is it for?

 

It is mainly used to treat chronic pain particularly osteoarthiritis.

Other conditions where acupuncture can be useful are:

Musculoskeletal Conditions – Back Pain, Spinal conditions, Lameness eg Cruciate injury.

In addition it can help:

Skin conditions eg. Acral Lick Granuloma, Allegic dermatitis.

Gut motility problems

 

How does it work?

 

It works primarily by stimulating the nervous system.  By doing this, it subdues pain responses by releasing natural chemicals within the body that are pain killers, and it also increases blood flow to the affected area.

 

Is acupuncture painful?

 

The needles are very fine and in a lot of cases there is no response when they are inserted.  However some animals when they are very sore, particularly early in treatment, may find needle placement uncomfortable and so the acupuncture points selected will reflect this and finer needles may be used.

Most animals cope very well with acupuncture, and please be assured we take our time to work with your pet ensuring they get a low stress experience.  Our top priority is your pet’s health and well-being and if we feel that your pet is not coping with the treatment we will let you know and discuss other options.

Often the patient will become relaxed and sleepy during treatment or for the rest of the day following treatment.

 

Is acupuncture safe in animals?

 

Acupuncture is one of the safest forms of treatment. There are some rare side effects – rarely the condition may worsen for 48 hours, also they may be sleepy/lethargic for 24 hours following treatment.  These effects are due to their body having a  physiological response to treatment and they are often followed by an improvement in the animals condition.

 

By alleviating the pain, it may result in increased activity of the patient, which may in turn delay healing or cause the original condition to worsen, so owners must be sensible with how much exercise their pet does.

 

How often and for how long is treatment carried out?

 

If a condition is short term, only one treatment may be required.

 

In cases where we are managing chronic/long term pain then often an initial course of four treatments at weekly intervals is required, followed by regular treatments at intervals of, for example, once monthly.  The frequency is determined by the patient’s response and when they start to show signs of deteriorating.

 

Each session lasts about 30 minutes.  Our acupuncture clinics usually run on a Monday and Tuesday, but if this doesn’t suit we can try and find a time that does.

 

Call us at Campbell and Galloway on 0141-445-6869 for further information on acupuncture and how it could benefit your pet.