At our hospital we regularly use acupuncture as part of the treatment plan for our patients. All treatments are carried out by Helen Torrington BVMS CertSAO MRCVS, who is registered with the Association of British Veterinary Acupuncturists (ABVA).

We mainly use acupuncture for pain relief. This may be added as part of the treatment after surgery, and many of our patients find the sessions very relaxing. We also offer acupuncture out patient appointments to help with the treatment of chronic pain, eg in patients with osteoarthritis. In our experience, acupuncture is very effective, especially for treating painful conditions. No treatment is always effective in all patients (not even drugs!) but approximately 80% of patients respond well to acupuncture.

Research shows that Pain relief is achieved partly by the endogenous opioid responses to acupuncture (the release of the body’s natural pain killers). Some research also revealed potent normalising effects to the hypothalamus and autonomic nervous system.

For our patients the usual course is once a week for four weeks and then depending on the condition and how your pet responds we will work out a plan that usually involves tailing off the treatment frequency.

Some pets will be much improved after just one treatment session, but it is more common to see a gradual improvement over a period of time. Your pet may be sleepy after acupuncture as it can have a very calming and relaxing effect.

Occasionally they may seem a little stiffer or more uncomfortable initially. This just means that the dose was a bit too much, but also shows that they should respond very well to acupuncture. After a day or two they will improve again and should be better than before. However, you must tell us so that we can adjust the treatment next time.

Some animals - like some people - do not respond to acupuncture, so if there was no response after the initial course the treatment would stop.

Click here for more in-depth information about veterinary acupuncture.