Acupuncture: an alternate therapy to treat pain and disease in pets

What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is the practice of inserting fine needles at various depths into specific points on the body to manage pain and disease. It is practised on both humans and animals. Acupuncture for pets is administered by a trained Veterinary Acupuncturist. 

There is scientific evidence to show that acupuncture is effective in relieving chronic pain, and pets suffering from conditions such as osteo-arthritis usually respond well to this treatment. It is often used as part of a multi-modal approach to pain management and is administered in conjunction with physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, dietary supplementation and other pain medication. Acupuncture is a core component of traditional Chinese medicine, stimulating the body’s self-healing process and not only treating but also preventing numerous diseases. It also helps the body to produce and release endorphins (the feel-good hormone).

Who can benefit from acupuncture?

Acupuncture is most commonly used to relieve pain, which could be related to arthritis, intervertebral disc disease, muscular/soft tissue trauma, bony changes of the spine, and cancer. Other cases that may respond well to acupuncture include lick granulomas (lesions that develop as a result of chronic and compulsive licking), interstitial cystitis (urinary tract infection), constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and wounds. Another benefit of acupuncture is that it can stimulate an appetite in animals who are not eating. 

“We mostly see patients who have been referred and have had a full vet check-up and diagnostics,” says Dr Varini Naidoo of Cape Acupets. “We usually have people contact us who are interested in acupuncture, not instead of medication and conventional treatment but to supplement their treatment plan and to make their animals more comfortable. We mostly see older animals because sometimes medication alone still results in breakthrough pain so they will still be sore after a certain episode like going for a walk or if they’ve pulled on a leash that day.”

“We also treat agility dogs who are sore and need acupuncture and hydrotherapy to be in peak condition before their next competition. We sometimes use it to speed up the healing process of chronic wounds, where we’ve had good results with needling around the wound area,” adds Dr Karen Niszl.

How frequently should you do it?

Dr Karen: The acupuncture treatment plan is based on each patient’s needs and response. Most animals do well with acupuncture but some animals show no response. If animals with chronic ailments are responding well, we’ll do a treatment approximately once a week for a month, then reduce it to twice a month, before reducing it even further. A simple acute problem, such as a sprain, may only require one treatment.

With the initial treatment, they’ll usually show improvements for two or three days before it wears off. As you continue doing the treatments, the benefits last longer and longer each time. Eventually they reach a point where it lasts between three and five weeks before the patient needs another treatment.

How much does a session cost?

A session usually costs approximately R500 but may differ depending on your provider. 

How do you ease patients into the treatment?

Dr Varini: Usually if they are sore, we do a shorter session for their first time and build it up either with the size of the needle, the number of needles or the length of time we do it. We try to make it as pleasant as possible, so it is not a negative experience for the animal. We use lots of treats, a nice, calm area, and some background music to gently ease them into it. The older dogs often appreciate a massage at the same time. 

We often see that, compared to regular vet visits where the patient may be hesitant and wary, our patients have a positive association with the experience after a few treatments and are excited to see us.

How do animals respond to the treatment?

Dr Karen: Often during or immediately after the session they are sleepy, while some animals can get more excited. We usually recommend that they rest or sleep after the session and don’t do any strenuous exercise. 

In a few animals, if they have been very sore and they’ve had a strong session, they can be stiffer for a day or two afterwards. The long-term effects of acupuncture are that the animals are more mobile and happier. They walk more comfortably, get up easier, and depending on what their initial symptoms were, they often display behaviours they haven’t shown in a while. This might include being interested in playing with a ball again, running on the beach, being more interactive with their family or getting up to greet their parents in the morning.

Kygo’s first time experiencing acupuncture

As research for this article, I took Kygo, my three-year old Rottweiler who suffers from early onset osteo-arthritis in his right elbow for an acupuncture session. I was curious to see how he would respond to it and personally, I wanted to learn more about its benefits. 

Kygo is a young and energetic dog, who gets very excited to meet new people. I shared his veterinary records with Dr Karen ahead of our visit. On the day, she assessed him by going for a short walk so she could observe his mobility. 

When we went into the treatment room, there was soft, soothing music playing and they allowed Kygo to sniff around the room to get comfortable. Once we all settled on a blanket on the floor, my husband and I distracted Kygo with treats while Dr Karen administered the acupuncture. 

He was sensitive in his lower back because of some trigger points (knots in the muscles) so she switched to thinner needles. He eventually had eight needles in his lower back and three in his shoulders. About halfway through the session Kygo visibly became a lot calmer and towards the end he was very sleepy. The session lasted for about 25 minutes. Kygo got up and gave a vigorous shake where some of the needles fell out and this was his way of signalling, he had had enough. 

He was very subdued when we arrived home and he went to sleep earlier than usual and he was relaxed the next day as well.

Because Kygo is already doing hydrotherapy weekly, eating a good diet and taking supplements, Dr Karen advised that it is not necessary for him to continue with acupuncture. He did respond well to the treatment, and we’ll consider doing it when he is older to manage any pain. 

The story of Ellie, a pup diagnosed with hip dysplasia at six months, and her response to acupuncture

A big believer in the benefits of acupuncture is Lucia Quy from Johannesburg, who adopted Ellie, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, who was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at the very young age of six months. She shares her story:

“Ellie started limping and I thought she injured a muscle or tendon. We took her for scans and they told me that she has really bad hip dysplasia and that she'll struggle with it for the rest of her life. They wanted to immediately discuss treatment options.

“I was upset initially because they didn’t suggest alternative or holistic therapy options at all. They recommended drug treatments, so cortisone every day for the inflammation and we were told to start thinking about surgical interventions. 

“I wasn’t keen on any of these treatments because of their long-term side effects and high costs. But Ellie was definitely in a lot of pain. She had days where she wasn't able to get up and walk around at all, and for a puppy, whose breed is highly energetic, you can imagine how frustrating that was for her. 

“We were looking for something that would help her with the pain and also to get her range of motion back.  I researched and found lots of information around the benefits of hydrotherapy as a treatment for hip dysplasia. We went to see Dr Marissa Slabbert at the Animal Health Solutions clinic in Fourways for hydrotherapy. 

“Dr Marissa happens to administer acupuncture as well, so she tried it on Ellie and I saw an immediate improvement. As soon as she started needling, Ellie just relaxed. It totally calmed her down. So it definitely had a good effect on her stress management.

“Dr Marissa talked me through what she was doing, which lines of the muscles and which points she was targeting and what we should look out for afterwards, in terms of how her movements had changed in order to see whether the treatment was working or not. She also took me through myofascial release, which is a massage treatment I do on Ellie at home. 

“I feel like the acupuncture is a good stress management tool. It does seem to calm Ellie down when she goes for acupuncture as she becomes very relaxed.

With hip dysplasia, dogs tend to lose their symmetrical way of moving. So instead of walking, lying down and sitting symmetrically on both legs, they tend to go to one side. I never thought anything of it, but as soon as we started with acupuncture Ellie started moving symmetrically again. She started walking evenly on both legs, instead of a lopsided bunny hop. I saw immediate improvements and that's why we carried on with the treatment. 

“Ellie did not need to go for very many sessions as she improved so quickly, so we just take her back every so often for a ‘tune up’ and most importantly, she doesn't seem to be in any pain anymore and does not need to take drugs for the inflammation.”

You can follow Ellie’s adventures on Instagram @brok_ellie_staffs 

More about Cape Acupets

Dr Varini and Dr Karen are practising Veterinary Acupuncturists from Cape Acupets, based in Cape Town. Both studied at Onderstepoort (South Africa) and hold veterinary degrees and completed an additional acupuncture course in the UK. They’ve been practising acupuncture for more than three years and treat cats, dogs and sometimes horses. For more information, you can visit their Facebook page or email them.