The Chinese Medicine Your Pet May Be Craving

When my 9-year-old dog, Judy, began showing signs of weakness in her back legs, I started brainstorming all the ways I could help her strengthen those muscles. During a routine vet visit, our primary veterinarian asked if I had ever considered acupuncture. Yes, I told her — and proceeded to explain the wonders acupuncture had done for my sinus headaches.

No, she responded gently... for Judy. In that moment, a lightbulb went off in my brain. How had I never considered traditional Chinese medicine for my dog when I already knew how positively it had impacted me?

Despite having firsthand experience with acupuncture — the stimulation of a specific set of points on a body using tiny needles to heal and maintain the body's natural mechanisms of wellbeing — I was nervous.

Would it work for her? How would she respond? Was she going to be in more pain?

As it turns out, Judy responded very well to acupuncture. In fact, after just one session, she showed marked improvement in how she would get up and lie down. After a few months of treatment, she was hopping around and playing like I hadn't seen in years. She even started engaging with our younger dog, Ted.

Dr. Emari Yokota, who practices in northern Virginia as an integrative veterinarian certified in veterinary acupuncture, says she was "very skeptical but interested" when starting her journey into acupuncture.

"In the beginning, you have to wonder how a tiny little needle placed into the skin could do anything for anyone," Yokota tells Scary Mommy of the healing method, which was developed in China thousands of years ago.

In one of her first paralysis cases, Yokota was treating a 16-year-old fox terrier with a heart murmur. The dog's mom could not justify the cost or risk associated with putting the dog through surgery, so Yokota took her on as a patient to treat her with conventional medications, but also acupuncture.

Within three treatments, the dog began to regain strength in her hind limbs until she was able to run around in the courtyard after her treatments.

"Being skeptical, I wondered if it was the NSAID that had helped her instead of my acupuncture," Yokota recalls. "At one point, my patient took a short hiatus from acupuncture therapy while continuing on her pain regimen. (The dog) returned a couple of weeks past her recommended recheck time, paralyzed again. To my amazement, after returning to therapy, she rallied again. This case showed me what acupuncture was able to do. Without it, I do not think my patient would have been able to live two years past her paralysis event."

Yokota says she has seen this over and over in her practice of integrative medicine, which uses both holistic care and targeted conventional care to achieve personalized medical care for a patient's needs.

"Another patient of mine had been to see rehab specialists and boarded surgeons. He received intra-articular steroid injections with no response to therapy, and his oral pain drugs did not seem to help him much," Yokota recalls. "His owner came to me as a last-ditch effort to give his buddy some pain relief. Once starting acupuncture, his owner was amazed — his dog was able to get up and move around better than he had seen in months. For this dog, acupuncture was the cornerstone of his pain relief. He was able to receive eight months of pain relief before dying of an unrelated medical illness."

Dr. Josie Horchak, a veterinarian who practices conventional medicine in Nashville, tells Scary Mommy she is a "huge fan" of acupuncture.

"I really like (it) when we can combine eastern and western medicine together to come up with a holistic treatment plan for our patients," Horchak says. "And more often than not, I find that pets doing acupuncture tend to have better outcomes than the ones that aren't."

Horchak, who also hosts the veterinary podcast In The Vet's Office, says she will often send patients to other veterinarians "at the risk of sending one of your clients to another business" for acupuncture because she has seen firsthand how helpful it can be for pets.

"It doesn't have to be just for pain," Horchak explains. "We think pain, arthritis, and post-op, but it can be used for a whole array of issues."

Though skeptics remain, Yokota says modern research supports acupuncture as a valid healing method when used in the hands of an expert, such as a certified veterinary acupuncturist. Here's what to know if you're considering acupuncture as a tool for your dog or cat.

How can acupuncture help dogs and cats?

Acupuncture has a wide range of applications.

"It is most often used for bone, muscle, and neurologic issues," Yokota says. "The majority of the patients we see are for control of pain and body weakness related to arthritis or spinal-related body weakness."

Yokota shares that patients who have intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) and are trying to avoid surgery can be extremely rewarding cases.

"Patients with chronic nerve degeneration such as degenerative myelopathy, peripheral neuropathies, or geriatric onset of laryngeal paralysis and paraparesis (GOLPP) often do not have good conventional solutions, but have responded well to acupuncture," she says.

Acupuncture also has applications in anxiety relief, supportive care for chronic diseases such as chronic kidney disease, various cancers, urinary incontinence, and chronic digestive issues.

What can I expect at an acupuncture appointment with my pet?

Yokota says that the first step is to not stress out — generally, patients accept acupuncture well.

"You will be asked very detailed questions regarding your pet's behavior and preferences at home," she says. "The doctor will then examine your pet, checking their tongue, pulses, and palpating specific areas on their body."

Then, it's time for the star of the show: Very small needles will be placed in specific areas on your pet's body.

"Some patients will feel specific needles, but often they will go unnoticed," Yokota explains. "Often within five to ten minutes, your pet will lie down and may even take a nap."

The amount of time the needles stay in the body varies depending on the doctor and the condition treated. Some patients may need as little as one needle while others need several. Other treatment techniques that can be used with (or instead of) traditional dry needling include electroacupuncture, laser acupuncture, and aqua-acupuncture, depending on a patient's needs or preferences.

Often, when establishing care with an acupuncturist, they will recommend five to 10 sessions at a minimum, anywhere from twice weekly to once every two weeks.

My pet had their first treatment, and I didn't notice any difference.

Don't panic. "It is not uncommon to take several sessions before an appreciable effect is observed in patients," Yokota says.

Is my pet too old to benefit from acupuncture?

Yokota says probably not and recalls a 12-year-old patient she saw who seemed to be unaware of her surroundings.

"Many of my patients are in their twilight years, and generally they have several medical conditions at once," she says. "After several sessions of therapy, her personality began to emerge, and she returned to her former self. Many people do not realize that dogs get dementia, too. For this little girl, acupuncture gave her pain relief as well as mental clarity and anxiety relief."

How can I find an acupuncturist near me?

All veterinary acupuncturists are licensed, fully-trained veterinarians who have received special training in acupuncture. They will have received the designation of certified veterinary acupuncturist (CVA), and there are several ways to find a veterinary acupuncturist.

"It is very possible your primary care veterinarian may have a certified acupuncturist already, as we are a growing staple for multi-modal pain management," Yokota says.

If your vet does not have a lead, you can web search for veterinary acupuncturists near you using directories on IVAS.org. Yokota notes that some practitioners are located within a practice, while others are able to provide housecall services.