Needles for your cats and dogs

CEBU, Philippines - Imagine your pet dog or cat, whining and whimpering on an ailment you that you do not know of. Hopeless, you took him to the veterinarian and the doctor explained a disease of some sort. You can’t really understand what this medical expert was saying but you try your very best to find a way just to make him better.

If you ask an elderly from China or Japan, he’d tell you to go for the “needle treatment” or acupuncture. It’s a wise option, but for a dog? Well, this is indeed possible.

According to Dr. Ging Berdon, a veterinarian who graduated from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), animal acupuncture is the same acupuncture that has been applied to humans since the ancient period. This was discovered by the people of East Asia particularly the Chinese and the Japanese. Legend has it that during the Zang and Chow dynasties in 2000-3000 BC, wounded horses from battle were treated this way.

In treating domesticated animals such as cats and dogs, acupuncture is done on any type of disease. However, Dr. Berdon clarified that this is not done only as a sole treatment. This is a supplementary to the present treatment that they are doing on the animal. It is for relief of pain, healing of the animal’s nerves, and to calm them after having been shocked. There are no risks when an animal undergoes acupuncture, not even pain from the needles. She added that when a cat or a dog has acupuncture as a supplement for its present treatment, its recovery speeds up.

Regular acupuncture needles are used for animal acupuncture. There are different acupuncture sites in a dog’s or cat’s body such as the stomach, joints and the like. Yet, this method is not merely the sticking in of the needles. There should be stimulation such as passing electricity through the needles or by simply twisting them. The pricking is either perpendicular or diagonal. Of course, the animal has to be relaxed before it is given the treatment. At least three acupuncture sites have needles in a session of fifteen to thirty minutes. Dr. Berdon recommends having the treatment daily until the animal is well.

Despite its being relatively old in practice, animal acupuncture is often frowned upon by most pet owners. Most of them have the mindset that the treatment is a form of quackery or the belief in the supernatural. They think it has no guarantee. However, there are also some who want this treatment for their animal. Those are whom who have experienced acupuncture themselves.

In time, acupuncture would become a widespread technique now that it has shown positive results. Dr. Berdon cited a quadriplegic case where a dog’s four feet were paralyzed. After continuous acupuncture apart from the regular treatment, the dog was able to walk again after a few weeks. “It is a new concept but old practice,” said Berdon.

For a technique that’s been long practiced and has recently been proven, there’s no need to be afraid. Give your cats and dogs the best they deserve for their wellness and betterment. 

**Published in the Freeman on May 21, 2012