Acupuncture
Gunhild is a qualified veterinary acupuncturist having gained her IVAS (International Veterinary Acupuncture Society) certification. We are using acupuncture at Highfield quite regularly, especially for treating chronic joint diseases, and are having very pleasing results with it.
Due to the endorphin release caused by the acupuncture, most animals accept acupuncture with no fuss. The needles are inserted for perhaps 20 minutes, and this will occur 4 or so times during the first period of treatment.
What happens after Acupuncture?
A lot of animals get very tired and just want to sleep after acupuncture. This happens because the body excretes its own painkiller and sedative under acupuncture, called Endorphin’s. If your animal is on any medication, don’t take it off it unless your vet has specifically advised it. Some drugs need to be taken down slowly otherwise they can cause side effects.
Your animal might have been treated with needles which are very thin and sharp, with a laser light, a very powerful light, with Moxibustion which is the burning of the herb Artemisia vulgaris just above the acupuncture point without coming into contact with the skin, or injected with small amounts of Vitamin B12 at the acupuncture point, called Aquapuncture. These techniques might change every time.
Now three things can happen after this. The first is : Nothing! At least not at the moment. Your animal might feel happier though. The second: your animal gets better immediately or in up to 2 to 3 days. The third: Your animal gets worse symptoms for the first 24 hours, but will then usually get better then it had been. These patterns might reoccur at the next treatment but not always. The improvement usually lasts for a few days at the start but lasts longer and longer after that
In chronic conditions you will need to bring your animal in for between 3 and 5 times, for some conditions even more often. We will reassess the progress every time you come in, as every animal will react differently. We will normally space the treatments at between 4 and 7 days to give the body a chance to adjust itself. Only in acute conditions do we recommend daily or every second day treatment. .
Once your animal is at the stage you are happy with, it might need maintenance treatment once a year, every 3 or 6 months, at the change of seasons, every few weeks or not at all. It is very hard to make a recommendation as it is very individual and also linked with the diagnosis.
Clinics: Highfield, Geraldine and Fairlie |
