March 2011 - Betsy Goelz
Betsy gets the Needle Effect!
Betsy is a pretty 12 year old Bearded Collie Cross who undergoes acupuncture therapy for osteoarthritis.
During her annual booster check in December 2009, her owner reported that Betsy had been slowing down and was not as keen to chase her ball. One month later Betsy started to become very stiff after exercise, especially around her pelvis. Her owner was advised to increase the dose of pain relief and anti-inflammatories that she had been on.
After no improvement on pain relief and anti-inflammatories, Betsy was referred to Vet Lennon Foo for a trial course of acupuncture. This would be performed along side her oral pain medication.
One week after her first acupuncture session Betsy was jumping into cars and able to climb steep stairs, when previously she had not been able to do this.
Following two more acupuncture sessions Betsy was consistently improving, having one episode of stiffness that lasted two days.
After the initial course, Betsy now comes in once a month to the Chagford practice to have acupuncture treatment, her owner reports that Betsy is full of energy and has even jumped a hedge!!
What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a form of treatment used in both Traditional and Classical Chinese Medicine.
Acupuncture is based on the principle that there are energetic pathways, or channels, throughout the body that influence associated internal organs and structures.
Energy from these pathways surface at various points on the body, identified as acupuncture points.
Each of these acupuncture points serves as a tunnel, or access route, to the deeper circulatory channels within.
Extremely fine gauge needles are inserted at selected points, stimulating these points and thereby activating the body’s natural healing abilities.
Conditions that can be treated by acupuncture
- Neck/Back pain
- Elbow and Hip dysplasia
- Muscle pain
- Paralysis/paresis
- Chronic lameness
- Chronic gastrointestinal tract disease
- Chronic skin conditions
- Urinary and faecal incontinence
- Stress related disorders in cats
How is acupuncture performed?
- Single-use, sterilised fine needles are placed into the animal at relevant points.
- The number of needles will depend on the condition.
- Treatments may last anywhere from 10 seconds to 20 minutes.
- Usually, an average of 4-6 treatments is required. These are performed once or twice weekly, depending on the condition until the maximum desired effect is achieved.
- Some conditions may be resolved entirely, but others may require regular “Top-ops” to maintain therapeutic effect.
