Eastern medicine isn’t just for humans. At Valencia Animal Clinic, we’re proud to offer acupuncture for dogs and cats here in Belen, NM as an additional treatment option for chronic pain and illness. Sometimes traditional Western medicine is not always enough to reduce your pet’s symptoms and increase their quality of life. Acupuncture can be integrated into their treatment plan to help provide additional relief and healing.
Could acupuncture be just what your pet needs to live a better life? Call us today at (505) 864-4075, or request an appointment online.
How Does Acupuncture Work?
The procedure itself is simple, but the chemical processes that take place during and after treatment are a little more complex.
When performing acupuncture, we take very small, fine needles and carefully place them at specific points on your pet’s body. These points are called meridians, where the connective tissue, blood vessels, and nerve bundles intersect. When the needles are placed, they stimulate the body into releasing endorphins, which results in a cascade of other healing effects, including improved circulation and pain relief.
Is Acupuncture Uncomfortable for Pets?
While it might seem uncomfortable, acupuncture causes virtually no pain at all in pets. Of course, some dogs and cats are less tolerant of the procedure than others, and depending on their temperament, may not be good candidates for acupuncture treatment. Fidgety, nervous dogs and cats might respond better with a different treatment plan.
Additionally, the acupuncture needles we use are very, very small, so your pet should hardly feel them. Some pets even become drowsy and relaxed during their session.
It is possible for pets to feel a little soreness after their appointment, but it shouldn’t last more than 24 hours.
What Can be Treated with Acupuncture?
Because acupuncture is drug-free and causes few, if any, side effects, it can be used to treat a very wide variety of health conditions, including:
- Arthritis
- Muscle pain and spasms
- Joint and back pain
- Nausea
- Soft tissue and orthopedic injuries
- Post-surgical care
- Cancer
- Cushing’s disease
- Liver and kidney disease
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- …and more