Acupuncture for Chronic Pain

Chronic pain management

Arthritis can affect 1 in 5 adult dogs and up to 90% of cats over 12 years of age and is one of the most common chronic pain conditions that vets treat. Arthritis unfortunately can not be cured but it can be managed and allow your pet to continue living a full and happy life.

Arthritis is a progressive disease that causes irreversible damage to the joints. With arthritis we typically see loss of cartilage from joint surfaces, with extra bone being laid down by the body in an attempt to stabilise the affected joint and fibrosis. Over time the end result is pain, lameness and loss of joint movement.

In the early stages of arthritis pain is only present when the joint is being used. This will often present as an intermittent lameness. However, as the pain progresses it becomes continually present even when the animal is at rest. We refer to this as chronic pain.

Chronic pain is quite different to acute pain that is experienced with a cut paw or a broken bone. Acute pain actually has a benefit to the body as it makes the animal be protective of the area that has been hurt. However, chronic pain as we see with arthritis actually has no physiological benefit at all and can actually lead to secondary pain elsewhere in the body, further deterioration of the joint, muscle wastage and a decreased quality of life for your pet.

Thankfully we have a lot of different medications and treatments available to us in the veterinary world these days to assist our pets who suffer with arthritis. However just like us each animal will have different requirements and what will work for one pet will be different for another. Ensuring the right treatment plan for each pet is very important to ensure we are helping them to continue to live their best life.

At the Veterinary Hospital Group, Peninsula Bay Veterinary Hospital, one of our vets Debra has a special interest in chronic pain management and holds a GP certificate in Western Veterinary Acupuncture and Chronic Pain Management and a certificate in Canine Rehabilitation. Debra has been running successful pain management consultations in the UK and NZ and she is now offering this service to our clients too.

During your pain management consultation Debra will obtain a thorough clinical history from you. She will be looking for subtle indications of pain and assessing how much it is affecting your pet’s life. Following this, Debra will examine your pet assessing the conditions that we know about but also look for secondary changes that can occur such as muscular back pain from them shifting weight off a sore leg. Debra will then discuss the findings with you and start to formulate a unique management plan for your pet.

There are several components that are involved in a successful management plan for arthritis and the following areas will be discussed.

• Medication – there are lots of different medications we can use and sometimes more than one type of pain relief may be indicated to give us a synergistic effect or to minimise side effects of a particular drug.

• Environmental management – sometimes making some simple changes at home such as steps to get on the bed or couch, having a raised bed or food bowl can really improve your pet’s quality of life.

• Exercise – even for old arthritic pets exercise is extremely important, not just for their joints but also their mental health. However, we need to make sure we are tailoring their exercise to meet their needs through short walks and there are exercises that you can do with your pet to help maintain muscle mass and encourage nerve responses.

• Complementary therapy – acupuncture is a pain-relieving treatment that can be extremely helpful for some cats and dogs and Debra will discuss with you whether she feels this would be of use in your pet

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a complimentary medicine where fine needles are inserted into the body at specific points to help treat various conditions. There are two different approaches to acupuncture – Traditional Chinese acupuncture which is based on the belief that it can restore the flow of Qi, an energy that flows through your body and Western acupuncture which involves the use of acupuncture as a therapy following a clinical diagnosis. Debra is trained in Western Veterinary Acupuncture and here at Peninsula Bay Veterinary Hospital she uses this approach.

What conditions can be treated with Acupuncture?

Pain is the most common indication for acupuncture. In dogs and cats this is usually pain associated with arthritis but also muscle strains and pain secondary to disc disease and bony changes in the spine can all respond to acupuncture.

Functional conditions such as constipation and cystitis in cats and irritable bowel type problems in dogs can also sometimes respond well.

How does acupuncture work?

Acupuncture works through the body’s nervous system. The needles block pain messages and encourage the brain and central nervous system to produce more of the body’s own natural pain killers. In non-painful conditions acupuncture can help to reset some of its normal functions such as gut contractions and increase blood circulation.

Is acupuncture painful?

The insertion of acupuncture needles in cats and dogs is virtually painless, some patients will feel the needles as they are first inserted but once in place there should be no pain. In fact most patients become very relaxed and some even fall asleep.

How often would your pet need to be treated?

The initial course is usually once a week for 4-6 weeks. After 4 weeks we generally know whether acupuncture is working for your pet and then can plan future treatment and management. This usually involves decreasing the frequency of the acupuncture to a point where we get the effect lasting as long as possible, with a lot of patients requiring a “top up” every 1-2 months.

Just like with people all animals respond differently to acupuncture so there is not one formula for all patients and there will be some animals that won’t respond at all. If this is the case we can usually tell by the 4th session. But about 80% of animals will have a good response to acupuncture as a treatment option.

If you are concerned about your pet’s arthritis and/or pain please contact us to discuss further.

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