7 years, 9 months ago-
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I have a first appointment with a specialty vet here locally (in Rochester, NY) that does a variety of therapies including both acupuncture and chiropractic services for pets. I was wondering if anyone has experiences (good or bad) with those options and what the results were? Must admit even though I have had both services myself, I am a little worried about my 15 year old dog’s reaction … would love any input.
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Hi Katharine,
Just thought we’d offer our perspective in case it helps. We find that dogs do very well with both acupuncture and chiropractic care. Elderly dogs can particularly find improved quality of life. They might seem a little apprehensive at the first appointment. But once they proceed with treatment they seem to relax. With acupuncture, some dogs actually enter a state of deep relaxation while they’re resting with the needles. After a couple treatments many dogs get used to the needles. We find that animals are generally happy to come back to our clinic. And owners are pleased with the results. How quickly your dog responds to treatment depends on what your dog is being treated for, and whether it is acute or chronic. Chronic problems can take longer to resolve than acute issues. Treatments are usually administered until a response is observed and then tapered as the animal improves. Often home treatment (lifestyle and nutritional changes and/or herbal or natural supplements) work in conjunction with the treatments to improve the underlying imbalance. I’m sure the clinic you go to will provide more detail about how they do things. Hope that helps and good luck!
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I did acupuncture with my 10 year old dog to treat pain from osteosarcoma in her jaw. She tolerated the treatments very well. And, because the acupuncturist was so far away, we actually administered needles ourselves in between appointments.
I found it a very peaceful experience. Hopefully your vet will answer your questions and help you feel comfortable with what he or she suggests for treatment.
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My dog Jon Terry, seems to enjoy his acupuncture sessions. I agree that even with the needles in, he is very calm and relaxed. Just take note that if there’s trouble points meaning there’s stagnation, your dog may be a little bit uncomfortable when trying to put in the needles but it’s just a few seconds. After that, you will find your dog very relax.
Before the acupuncture session, it’s recommended that any feeding should take place at least 2 hours prior. After the acupuncture session, you would like to give your dog sometime to relieve themselves then head back home and give your dog some time to rest. This is what I do for Jon Terry at the advice of our acupuncturist vet.
Anyway, Jon Terry loves his acupuncture session and at the mention of his acupuncturist vet’s name “Dr. Susanna” his tail is happily wagging, it helps a lot when Dr. Susanna rewards him with a delicious treat.
Hope this helps and all the best
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Hi Katharine,
As a Holistic Practitioner and Bodyworker for Animals, I have observed enormous benefits of both, it just depends on what the reason you want your animal to have it is. For instance, if you are dealing with a structure issue, older dog, hips may be out of alignment and you notice his gait looks a little off, I suggest chiropractic first to make sure your dog is properly aligned in his spine first. If your dog is properly aligned but you are seeing other issues like lethargy, perhaps cloudy eyes or digestive issues or his back end just looks like it needs an energy boost, I would suggest acupuncture.
Most holistic practitioners are very aware of older dogs needs so the fact that he/she is 15 should not be of concern.
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Hey Katharine,
I’m actually in the same boat as you, my 5 year old ragdoll has some sort of pinched nerve/lower back issue going on and or vet suggested meds or acupuncture… I went with the acupuncture. I haven’t found a vet to take him to but my acupuncturist also needles her cats and says it does wonders for her male who suffers from GI issues and allergies! Who knew!
Good luck with your appointment!
Lori
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Hi, Katharine. My Cavalier, Dexter, has Chiari-like malformation (CM) and syringomyelia (SM) and we have done both. We did a year of acupuncture for his disease. I’m not sure it helped too much. He has also had chiropractic with both the activator and just hands. That helped his stiffness, although he was not a fan.I’m not sure what your dog’s issue is, but depending on the issue, we have had the most success with food therapy and laser treatments.
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Hi Katharine, Good for you. My work as an Animal Communicator And Energy Healer began after I had worked the an OMD for several years to dramatically transform my health. I used the same methods for my Golden Retriever who suffered paralysis from a frisbee accident and I believe it was the reason he recovered in 3 days. I then saw a Chiropractor for my chocolate lab whose neck was wrenched from a nose halter also with excellent results.
I cannot recommend acupuncture and chiropractic enough however I will say that there is definitely a difference in knowledge of the entire energy system between a Veterinary acupuncturist or chiropractor and an acupuncturist or chiropractor who then was licensed to work on animals.
Depending on how deeply the vet has gone into the study of the modality is what I would base my decision on. And ask to speak with some of their clients to make sure patients were happy and saw results.
Trust your gut.
Alecia
http://www.WalkInSync.com
http://www.AnimalHeeler.com
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