Acupuncture for Pet Arthritis

By: Dr. Kimberly Schmidt, DVM, CVA, CVCH, CVFT, GDip VWHM

Owner and Head Veterinarian of Napa Valley Holistic Veterinary Services

What is acupuncture for pets?

Ask around your group of friends and family. Chances are you will find someone who has done acupuncture for their pet, or they know someone who has. The majority of these people will tell you it was a great experience and it really helped their animal feel better!

Acupuncture is an ancient pain relieving technique that originated in China over 2,000 years ago. It has become a popular treatment modality with companion animals and is now widely recognized as a safe and effective way to relieve pain. It is often included as part of a multimodal pain management program for pet arthritis (Monteiro et al. 2022).

Acupuncture involves the insertion of very small needles at specific locations around the body known as “acupoints”. Acupoints are located along “meridians” which are like highway systems around the body that transmit energy and electrical impulses to the brain. These points often have low electrical resistance and are able to achieve high electrical conduction. Scientific studies have shown that they often overly free nerve endings, nerve branches and myofascial planes. Acupuncture causes the release of neurotransmitters and pain relieving hormones in the brain including norepinephrine, serotonin, dynorphin and enkephalin (Miscioscia and Repac, 2022).

Watch videos of a dog’s arthritis pain improving with acupuncture!

Ukiah was a 12 year old Labrador Retriever that came into our clinic for severe arthritis pain in her elbows and knees. She was in so much pain she couldn’t walk normally anymore, she could only “hop” around her house. Her owners had tried conventional pain medications without any response. They were actually considering euthanasia. Their general veterinarian referred them for acupuncture, hoping that it might be helpful for her. Watch the videos below to see her amazing response!! Ukiah actually lived to be 16 years old with acupuncture!!

Ukiah before acupuncture:

Ukiah after 7 acupuncture treatments:

Ukiah 1 year later:

What do acupuncture treatments look like?

Numerous clinical trials have shown that acupuncture can be very effective for improving quality of life in both dog and cat patients with arthritis (Miscioscia and Repac, 2022). Generally an effect is seen after 4 to 6 weekly sessions. Each session lasts about 20 to 30 minutes. Acupuncture on pets should be performed by a licensed veterinarian with a special certification in acupuncture. It can be done in a clinic, but we have seen the wonderful benefits of in-home acupuncture and this is what we exclusively offer at our practice. Dogs and cats are much calmer and more comfortable at home, letting them relax more deeply during the treatment and afterwards.

Various types of acupuncture include:

1. Dry-needle therapy: Plain acupuncture needles are inserted into various acupupoints and left in place 20-30 minutes. The practitioner will rotate the needles several times during the session.

2. Electroacupuncture: Acupuncture needles are hooked up to special wires that transmit electricity of varying frequency and intensity into the acupoints.

3. Laser acupuncture: During this needle-free therapy a laser light is used at different frequencies to stimulate each acupoint

4. Moxabustion: A compressed stick of mugwort, a type of herb, is burned just over the acupuncture needles, warming the needles to further stimulate acupoints

People often ask how veterinarians can perform acupuncture on animals, because they think that pets won’t sit still or will try to get away. It’s quite the opposite! Animals usually enjoy acupuncture very much. The release of hormones causes a profound relaxing effect, which causes pets to calm down and often fall asleep.

Acupuncture helps with arthritis pain!

Multiple clinical trials have evaluated acupuncture for pain relief in pets with arthritis (Miscioscia and Repac, 2022). Improvements in comfort, mobility and quality of life were seen (Lane and Hill, 2016). Pain and lameness scores were also improved (Teixeira et al., 2016). Owners reported improved play behavior and improved walking, trotting and jumping, as well as improved ability to descend stairs, improvement in getting up from a lying position, and reduced stiffness at rest and after exercise (Lane and Hill, 2016).

In our professional experience, about 80-90% of dogs with arthritis have decreased pain and an improved quality of life with acupuncture. As with any treatment modality, not every single patient will improve, but those that do greatly outnumber those that do not.

Does acupuncture have any side effects?

There are very few side effects to acupuncture. Some pets are a little sore for a day or two, due to the nervous system stimulation from acupuncture, then the body “resets” and the pet is more comfortable than they were before the session. Occasionally the needle insertion might be a little tender, but the practitioner can use smaller needles or laser therapy (needle-less acupuncture) instead. Pets are usually tired for a day or two after treatment, but many people comment that they seem more relaxed and comfortable. Acupuncture can be used along with other pain medications and other modalities such as cold laser and PEMF therapy.

If your pet has arthritis pain try acupuncture!

With acupuncture being such a safe and effective modality we truly believe that any pet with arthritis should try acupuncture. It doesn’t hurt and can truly help, so why not give it a try for your beloved furry friend? Aren’t we all just trying to help our pets be as comfortable as possible for as long as possible? This is exactly what acupuncture does!

Give us a call today at 707-535-9979 or email info@napaholisticvet.com to schedule a consultation.

References:

1. Miscioscia E. and Repac J. (2022). Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Canine Orthopedic Medicine. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice. 52. 925-938.

2. Meuten, A. et al. (2020). Evaluation of acupuncture for the treatment of pain associated with naturally-occurring osteoarthritis in dogs: a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded clinical trial. BMC Veterinary Research. 16. 357.

3. Teixeira, L. et al. (2016). Owner assessment of chronic pain intensity and results of gait analysis of dogs with hip dysplasia treated with acupuncture. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 249(9):1031-1039.

4. Lane, D. and Hill, S. (2016). Effectiveness of combined acupuncture and manual therapy relative to no treatment for canine musculoskeletal pain. Canadian Veterinary Journal. 57(4): 407–414.

5. Monteiro, B. P. et al. (2022). 2022 WSAVA guidelines for the recognition, assessment and treatment of pain. Journal of Small Animal Practice.[Online]. Wiley Online Library. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.13566
   
   

Acupuncture and Intervertebral Disc Disease

What is Intervertebral Disc Disease?

Your dog’s spine is made up of a number of bones called vertebrae.  They extend from the base of the skull to the tip of the tail.  Separating each vertebrae are flexible cushions called intervertebral discs.  These discs help the spine to be able to move and bend in many directions.  Each vertebrae has a small tunnel running through it which holds the spinal cord.  The spinal cord connects the brain to the rest of the body.  Because of the anatomy of the spine, the cord passes over each vertebrae and also over the intervertebral discs as it runs down the length of the back.

Due to trauma or age a disc can become weakened and rupture, or herniate, putting pressure on the spinal cord.  This interrupts nerve transmission along the spinal cord and can cause varying effects on a dog’s body.  Most frequently it causes pain, weakness and loss of sensation to the legs.  It can also cause paralysis and urinary dysfunction if the herniation is severe.  Usually this occurs in the rear legs, if the disc herniation is along the back.  If the herniation is in the neck then all four legs can be affected.

Mild disc herniations are typically managed with pain medication or steroids, muscle relaxants and strict rest.  More severe herniations causing paralysis are managed with surgery of the back in order to decompress the disc.

Acupuncture For Disc Disease

Several exciting studies have recently been performed showing that the addition of electroacupuncture can be extremely effective in helping animals with disc herniation make a better recovery.  It can also be very helpful for dogs who would benefit from surgery but who are unable to undergo anesthesia, or whose owner may not be able to afford it.

Electroacupuncture involves inserting tiny acupuncture needles into various locations along the back and legs and connecting pairs of these needles to a mild electric current for varying amounts of time.  This procedure is not painful and in fact releases several endorphins in the brain which relieve pain and promote relaxation.

A 2007 study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association compared dogs with disc disease who received standard western medical therapy alone to dogs who also received electroacupuncture.  Dogs in the group receiving electroacupuncture recovered the ability to walk sooner than the dogs that did not receive acupuncture!1A 2010 study published in the same journal looked at dogs with disc disease that needed surgery.  This study showed that electroacupuncture alone was just as effective as surgery in recovering the ability to walk again.2 

In my opinion electroacupuncture IN ADDITION to western medical treatments (pain medication/steroids, rest, muscle relaxants) should be the gold standard of care in treating this condition.  Recovery to function will be much faster for your dog.  And if your dog would benefit from surgery but is unable to undergo anesthesia due to other health issues or you simply cannot afford it then acupuncture is a wonderful option for your dog!

For more information please always feel free to call 707-535-9979 or email us at kschmidt@napaholisticvet.com.  If you are interested in full text PDF documents of the articles below just let me know.

References

1 Hayashi, A.M., Matera J.M., Pinto, A.C. “Evaluation of electroacupuncture treatment for thoracolumbar intervertebral disk disease in dogs” JAVMA Vol. 231, No. 6, September 15, 2007. Pages 913-918.

2 Joaquim, J. G., Luna, S. P., Brondani, J. T., Torelli, S. R., Rahal, S. C., Freitas, F. P. “Comparison of decompressive surgery, electroacupuncture, and decompressive surgery followed by electroacupuncture for the treatment of dogs with intervertebral disk disease with long-standing severe neurologic deficits” JAVMA Vol. 236, No. 11, June 1, 2010. Pages 1225-1229.