acupuncture

PASE's Acupuncture provides a variety of benefits for each pet's overall well-being and comfort!

WHAT IS ACUPUNCTURE?

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine practice which uses the stimulation of points throughout the body to help treat a variety of diseases and symptoms. The stimulation of these points through insertion of very small needles help to stimulate the body to provide healing and pain relief in our beloved pets.

These points are located on meridians which act as “energy highways” to provide flow of energy (known as Qi), blood flow, and working on the nerves in the area. This combination of effects allows the body to release beneficial chemicals which help with blocking pain pathways, decreasing inflammation, and releasing painful muscle contractions. These effects are seen both locally where the needles are placed, as well as systemically throughout the body.

For some patients, this is helpful post-operatively or after an acute injury for a short amount of time. Whereas in others, this can help to provide pain relief for chronic disease processes they may deal with daily and can continue to be a part of their long-term pain management.

Benefits of Acupuncture

• Safe and effective
• Pain relief
• Potential ability to decrease chronic pain medication use
• Improve quality of life

Uses for Acupuncture

• Post-operative comfort
• Chronic conditions such as arthritis, hip dysplasia, and back pain
• Muscle weakness
• Chronic gastrointestinal disease
• Skin problems such as allergies
• Side effects associated with organ dysfunction or cancer treatments such as nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite

WHAT TO EXPECT:

The first appointment will combine a thorough history and physical exam to provide a diagnosis, guide treatment, and discuss our goals. We will then move into treating the condition through placing needles where needed. The needles will typically stay in place for 20-30 minutes while we provide a relaxing environment. It is often surprising how well our patients tolerate these needle placements, many of them will take a nap while the needles do their work! You are more than welcome to stay with your pet during these treatments!

We typically begin to see a positive response to acupuncture within 4-6 weeks with treatments occurring 1-2 times weekly, although some patients will show an immediate response. The results of acupuncture are cumulative, making repeated sessions more beneficial. The goal is to achieve the highest effective results with the longest time period between sessions.

The first appointment will be 60-minutes. Follow up appointments will be 30-minutes.

PLEASE NOTE:

Acupuncture is not used as a replacement for traditional veterinary medicine, but rather an integrative approach to pain management and treatment of various diseases and symptoms. Want to find out if acupuncture is right for your pet? Email us at info@pase.vet