Acupuncture is a technique of the Chinese traditional medicine which consists of inserting very fine needles into the skin of a patient. All with the idea of mitigating the pain that a person feels in a certain area of their body. And it is that, according to this millenary therapy, with some accurate punctures what is pursued is to achieve a balance of the energy flows.
What many people were unaware of is that this same measure to treat different diseases or pathologies can be extrapolated to domestic animals. Thus, it is not uncommon to rely on acupuncture to solve a discomfort that a dog may feel, especially in situations of allergy, dermatological problemsso pathologies such as arthritis. An application that today can be carried out in veterinary consultations as they remember from the Complutense University of Madrid (@unicomplutense).
How is an acupuncture session with dogs carried out?
In this case, a consultation of this type is not very different from the one that could be carried out with a person. What is needed for the entire process to be successful is that the pet be calm While the professional is inserting each needle one by one in the nerve endings that correspond according to their ailment. A procedure that will take about 20 minutes, which will be the time that this fine instrument is adhered to the dog’s skin.
What is done during this time interval is, first, disinfect the needle (disposable and single use) with alcohol. When it comes to older animals, it is best in these cases to use a thicker one so that its effect is more noticeable, as explained from the Asturias Veterinary Hospital in Gijón. On the contrary, in dogs that have a more pronounced discomfort or are very nervous, finer filaments.
This is how, and with several sessions, the animal can experience an improvement when it comes to calming a painful inflammation in its joints.
And it is that by managing to eliminate part of the pain, it seems that the quality of life of the pet.
A positive aspect is that if it is complemented with other beneficial techniques, its effects are reinforced. It is the case of the electrostimulation (to secrete endorphins), the use of moxibustion (by means of the sagebrush leaves in the form of a cigar or lit cigar) or the massages therapeutic. It would not hurt either if, as part of the treatment of the animal, a personalized diet is used where herbal formulas are not lacking.
Arthritis in dogs, a very common problem
One of the objectives of canine acupuncture is to mitigate the pain felt by these pets when they are faced with a problem of inflammation of your joints. And it is not unusual for some animals (one in five to be specific) suffer from this type of joint pathology over the years and especially if they are overweight specimens.
Precisely, the excess of kilograms is becoming an «epidemic» to the point that half of domestic dogs should have a somewhat lower weight as they assure from the British veterinary organization PDSA (@PDSA_HQ). Not so much for an aesthetic problem but above all for health.
In the case that concerns this report, canine obesity means that the bones have to make a greater effort when it comes to carry the whole body of the animal. The consequences, sooner or later, are damaged joints that get worse especially when it comes to older pets.
To avoid this, it is best to worry about the dog’s diet, in addition to making sure that it follows a very active daily route. However, without these preventive measures, it is not difficult to finally observe some warning symptoms of a canine arthritis case and that require immediate treatment by the veterinarian.
- The most obvious sign is that the dog starts to limp. In turn, he has problems moving normally, especially if he tries to run or climb to a higher place (for example, the sofa). This is also noticeable when he seems to be more tired than usual and stops after only a few meters.
- If the dog adopts a strange posture, the pain has also spread to the area of his spine and it doesn’t just focus on its paws.
- An annoyance, in some cases quite painful, that makes the dog irritable, nervous and with hardly any desire to eat.
