Procedure

If any serious urinary ailments are ruled out and if your pet is diagnosed with “oestrogen-responsive” atrophy of the muscles of the bladder-wall, the conventional vet, will in all probability, prescribe DES or diethylstilbestrol, which is a synthetic oestrogen in order to maintain the bladder tone.

DES though commonly prescribed has a lot of side effects like skin problems, liver problems and even tumors in the mammary. TCM however will treat each patient differently and will view frequent urination as a limitation in the ‘kidney-yang’.

This causes a deficiency in the qi or the energy of the pet. They also view this inconsistency as a function of qi associated with the spleen. This is because spleen is considered to be an important organ which keeps other organs functioning properly and can be stimulated to treat conditions like herniations, prolapses, etc.

Your canine therefore would most probably be treated by a TCM practitioner with acupuncture which will stimulate certain anatomic loci along the bladder, spleen and kidney meridians.

Needle size depends mainly on the point location and the size of the animal being treated. Areas which are bony like the head or face are treated with needles which are short or about 0.5 inches in length.

Common size of the needle used for treatment of animals is about one inch. Longer needles are available for dogs which are bigger in size. These needles are around 1.5 to 2.0 inches long. They are also flexible and solid and vets use presterilized disposable needles on request.

When the procedure is done by an experienced acupuncturist, the animal usually does not experience any kind of a discomfort. A trained and experienced clinician will handle the needles deftly inserting them at a proper angle and depth and also manipulate them accurately during the treatment.

This requires a lot of practice. This is one of the reasons why it is better to go to a trained physician.

Under normal circumstances, effect of the treatment can be seen after the third sitting. In order to know if the acupuncture therapy is effective or not you may have to bring your pet for at least four to eight sessions.

Duration of treatment can be anywhere between ten seconds to thirty minutes and is given normally once or twice a week. For a condition like arthritis, treatment may be fixed at once every six months and for some other conditions, it may also be once in two months. Frequency and duration of treatment thus depends on the animal and the ailment he or she is suffering from.

Just as in humans, acupuncture is a therapy which is very effective when used in conjunction with allopathic treatments for various conditions in canines.

According to studies conducted in both human and dogs, acupuncture was found to be really effective in cases where even anti inflammatory medicines and analgesics are ineffective.

Studies also revealed that acupuncture makes treatment with antibiotics more effective for canine otitis crises. According to reports, many conditions for canines have been treated very effectively with the help of acupuncture.

These include cardiovascular disorders, dermatological disorders, chronic respiratory conditions gynaecological disorders, gastrointestinal disorers, musculoskeletal disorders, male reproductive disorders, reproductive disorders, neurological disorders, cervical disc disease, thoracolumbar disease, etc.

Just as in human acupuncture for dogs are decided individually based on the condition and need of each dog. Conditions that require surgery are often treated with acupuncture to see if surgery could be avoided.

Vet’s opinion should be sought regarding treating the animal with veterinary disorders with acupuncture before going in for it as he would be in a position to assess whether acupuncture will complement the conventional medical treatment or not.

This is because sometimes there are situations where acupuncture may not be as effective and even should not be used. One such situation is when the pets are over anxious. They secrete excess adrenaline which counteracts the benefits of acupuncture.

Some medications prescribed by conventional medicine reduce the effect of acupuncture. For example if your pet is on corticosteroids, there is no use of giving acupuncture therapy.

For pets suffering from cancer, acupuncture on wrong points can actually trigger the cancerous growth. Considering all this, it is advisable to go to a vet who is both proficient in conventional medicine as well as trained in veterinary acupuncture if you are actually considering acupuncture as an alternate therapy for your pet.

The American Veterinary Medical Association in its “Guidelines for Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine” states that Acutherapy and Veterinary Acupuncture are part of the veterinary medicine.

These procedures should actually be viewed as surgical and/or medical techniques under the state veterinary practice act. They have also suggestion various educational programs for the veterinarians to undergo before they actually start the practice or acupuncture.

Just as in humans, pain in animals is also a double edged sword. While it may warn us of some problem in a lot of cases pain is as adverse, harmful and debilitating as the disease itself.

Chronic pains which are abnormal are usually in the central nervous system or the peripheral nerves resulting from damages within the pathways.

The pain protective mechanism warns of the damage by being activated by heat, mechanical or other stimuli depending on pain receptors which in turn transmit the impulse of pain to the CNS through the afferent nerve fibers.

As in the humans, even dogs can recognize pains with previous experiences and its perception of pain is influenced by it. For example, some breeds are more stoic than the others.

Pain perception is also different between the male and female breeds. Females are usually more tolerant and they have a much higher pain threshold. This is because of the presence of natural pain suppressing mechanism in the body.

This analgesic system is due to the presence of endogenous opiates like the endorphins. According to Western theories acupuncture instigates the production of these opiates or just blocks the transmission of pain.

Nerve fibers are of several types. Pain receptors are of three types. Mechanical and thermal pain receptors send stimuli which are transmitted over a large myelinated A-delta fiber at a speed of 30 m/second.

Receptors of other types give out impulses which travel at a speed of only 12 m/second on the C fibers. The A-alpha fibers which are responsible for giving us the correct idea of where exactly we stand in a 3-dimensional space and also about the present condition of our muscles and joints.

Alpha beta neurons are responsible for letting us feel subtle touches and bending of hairs. A-Beta and A-Alpha type of fibres give out impulses of the nerves much faster than the A-delta or C fibers.

The AP stimulation results in a sensory information which is non painful. This impulse travels along the A-beta fibers. When this information reaches the interneurones, a nerve transmission gate which blocks the conduction of the A-delta and C fibers is shut. These as we have seen are the slow travelling neurons.

This gate theory though does not explain the delayed effects of the treatment or the cross circulation study results i.e. studies where the circulation of two animals were connected and results were produced in both with the procedure conducted on one of them.

We can thus conclude from all this with the humoral theory which states that the process of acupuncture releases endogenous opiates which produces analgesia which is self induced.

Acupuncture activates the spinal cord center by stimulating certain afferent nerves. This also activates the middle centre of the brain as well as the hypothalamus region that has the pituitary unit in it. All this in turn blocks the pain from being transmitted by releasing the endorphins or other types of analgesic neurotransmitters.

There is another theory too which suggests that the procedure of acupuncture may have effects which are localized vasodilatation. This explains why this procedure is more beneficial for disorders that deal with muscles as well as bones.

According to this theory, the blood vessels which are dilated by acupuncture eliminate the pain producing substances like bradykinin, prostaglandins and other products which are inflammatory.

Another theory is called the autonomic theory. According to this theory, the stimulation of the internal organs is possible by external acupuncture points which excite the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves. These are the nerves which regulate the autonomic nervous system.

Adding to all this confusion is the bioelectric theory. According to this theory, the meridians are current pathways and the acupoints are the amplifiers.

In general therefore, acupuncture points can be stimulated due to insertion of needles, applying pressure, cupping or applying heat through moxibustion, infrared, etc.

You can draw the following conclusions regarding your pet who requires treatment –

Acupuncture can be very beneficial as a complementary therapy.

If you choose to take your pet to an acupuncturist, choose a well experienced one.

If your pet did not respond well to Western medicine, there is absolutely no harm in trying acupuncture. There are cases where acupuncture has succeeded like no other therapy has.