Canine Acupuncture for Canine Arthritis

Canine Acupuncture

Acupuncture is one of the world’s oldest and safest medical treatments and relies on the use of very fine painless needles placed in strictly defined positions on the recipient which is thought to affect the flow of energy around the limbs, body and head.

Canine Acupuncture results in the release of the body’s own endorphins which are very effective pain killers and can, in correctly chosen cases, have very significant beneficial effects not only on the musculoskeletal system but also on medical complaints and the LCRC believes it has an important role in the holistic treatment of veterinary patients.

Beneficial effects have been seen with canine acupuncture in dogs as well as other small animals with a range of conditions as shown:

Osteoarthritis due to age related wear and tear in the joints

Joint pain in growing animals due to developmental orthopaedic disease or osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD)

Hip dysplasia

Spinal or neck pain from arthritis or spinal disc disease (Slipped disc)

Muscle and ligament strains

Skin diseases such as lick granulomas on the limbs of dogs and allergies

Chronic gastro-intestinal disease

Epilepsy

Chronic respiratory disease

Not Painful

Although insertion of needles may cause in a few cases a very short lived tingling sensation, small animal patients are in general very tolerant of acupuncture and some may even relax so much as to fall asleep during treatment!

Noticeable Improvements

Generally improvement in susceptible cases will be seen after 2 to 3 sessions though occasionally animals are immediately better with regards stiffness and improved mobility after their first treatment.’