Acupuncture is an ancient form of Chinese medicine that has been practiced for thousands of years. Initially used in a veterinary manner on the war horses of the Chinese, it spread to use in the other domesticated species. Today, it is available for use on most pets and farm animals.

Acupuncture is used to correct many conditions with some responding more favorably than others. Unlike Western medicine which tends to approach illnesses with a cause and effect relationship, acupuncture seeks to find the cause of the disharmony and restore the harmony using the concepts of Yin and yang, Qi and the five elements and the eight principles.

By using the needle, we can send messages to the various organs, restore harmony, and stimulate or decrease Qi. Qi is what Chinese medicine sees as life force. All this is done by utilizing Traditional Chinese Medical precepts and then placing needles in specific points along meridians of the body.

Western science has since proven that acupuncture points exist in our bodies. From the Western point of view, it is thought that these points and the use of them help stimulate blood flow to an affected area, cause the release of endorphins and stimulate the release of cortisone in the body, thus helping relieve some of the symptoms.

Acupuncture has been shown to help, even cure some conditions and in other instances helps decrease the symptoms or even the amount of medication needed.

There are many different forms of acupuncture from just dry needling, to electrostimulation, to the use of special herbs on the needles themselves. Treatments vary in length from 10 -20 minutes and it can take up to six to eight treatments to get the full effect. Often times, regular follow up treatments are needed depending on the chronic nature of the condition. These can range from weekly to twice a year.

Acupuncture can be highly effective in most pets and can even decrease or eliminate the need for some medications to be prescribed.

The International Veterinary Acupuncture Society is the organization that oversees the training and certification of veterinarians . Training consists of up to 140 hours of course work in dogs, cats, cows, horses, and birds. You must then complete a certification test, write up several case reports for review and spend time interning under a certified acupuncturist to refine your skills. All this is done to ensure that your pet is receiving the best veterinary care