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PhysicallyFIT
Veterinary
Acupuncture
By Jeffrey Berman
Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) contains different modalities of therapy – herbology, tuina
(massage), food therapy, and acupuncture being the most well known. Herbology is the use of plant
and/or animal materials to treat disease processes. Tui-na is used to warm the body, move Qi, or apply
pressure to an acupoint (as in acupressure). Food therapy takes the characteristics of different foods
(for example, fish is a cooling food) and uses them to treat diseases. It is a great treatment modality to
use in long-term therapy. Individual pieces can be written on each of these topics, but are beyond the
scope of this article. This article will focus on acupuncture.
Acupuncture is the insertion of sterile needles into the body at
specific acupoints (microscopic neural “windows”) to help treat
imbalance and disharmony in the body and Shen (mind/spirit).
This is thought to occur by moving Qi, or energy, through the
body. Modern neurophysiological research has proven that
these acupoints do, indeed, exist. Acupuncture, although more
successful with chronic conditions, can be used to treat many
medical diseases and when combined with western medicine,
can create a well equipped arsenal to help treat our pets. This
article should help you understand how to find a veterinary
acupuncturist and what to expect from acupuncture treatment.
Your initial search for an acupuncturist should come from your
local veterinarian. Usually, they can make a recommendation
for someone that they trust. If not, you can search online to
find someone in your area (try tcvm.com). More and more veterinarians
are becoming certified in acupuncture and, although
not required, a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist (C.V.A) indicates
a specific level of training and testing.
At the initial consultation, the job of an acupuncturist is to create
a full picture for each animal. An in-depth history, a western
physical examination, and a TCVM examination will all be
used to create this picture. Any previous diagnostics (blood
work, radiographs, MRIs, CTs) and a list of current
medications should be brought as well. You will be
asked about urination and defecation habits, where
your pet sleeps, how much water your animal
drinks, how your animal sleeps, and what your concerns
are.
All of this information is processed by the acupuncturist
and a treatment plan is formed. Most
acupuncturists will discuss something called “pattern
differentiation” for your animal’s diagnosis.
The pattern of each animal is what determines the
treatment of your animal. For example, a dog with
hip dysplasia that has a fast pulse, a warm body, is
restless and drinks often will be diagnosed with a
heat pattern. Another dog with hip dysplasia that is
very weak, has a slow pulse, and feels cool to the
touch will have a cold pattern. Even though both of
these dogs have hip dysplasia, they will be treated
differently. Thus, pattern differentiation becomes
the basis of diagnosis and treatment for acupuncture
patients.
continued on page 33
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