It is no longer unusual for acupuncture to be used to treat animals ranging from
pampered pooches to champion racehorses.
Today, veterinary acupuncture is an
acknowledged and respected field of medicine which requires formal training and
certification in order to practice.
One of its strong suits as a treatment
choice is that there are rarely any harmful side effects - something that
can't be said for drugs and surgeries.
It gained popularity in the USA during the Nixon era after
symposium entitled, "Acupuncture for the Veterinarian" held in the United
States in 1974.
In most States, provinces and countries, veterinary acupuncture is
considered a surgical procedure that, legally, may ONLY be performed by a
licensed doctor of veterinary medicine.
Most veterinary acupuncturists in North America and Europe use a combination
of techniques to
stimulate acupuncture points. They use traditional acupuncture
(the thin, sterilized, stainless-steel needles), electro-acupuncture (current),
Low Energy Laser stimulation, acupoint injections
(injection of saline, vitamin B12 etc. with a hypodermic
needle into the acupuncture point).
Laser stimulation is popular in veterinary acupuncture
because animals are more likely to move during treatment,
which makes it difficult to maintain acupuncture needles in certain points.
Fascinating experiments to show the existence of acupuncture points on animals
have been performed by Dr. Kvirshishvili on rabbits and Dr. Kothbauer on cattle.
Kvirshishvili observed the ears of rabbits and identified auricular points thus
confirming the theory of auricular acupuncture.
Kothbauer studied the acupuncture points on the backs of cows and, in later clinical
use, he confirmed the therapeutic value of these acupuncture or "pain" points in cows.
Chart of horse acupuncture meridians and points.
Chart of pig acupuncture meridians and points.
Chart of chicken acupuncture meridians and points.
Chart of Indian elephant points.
From the book "The Puncture Reflexotherapy (Tsienn-Tsieu-therapy), 1988;
by V.G.Vogralik and M.V. Vogralik. They make reference to Nill.
Overstimulation of the points marked on the chart by darker circles
can be lethal to the animal. Some other points are used in training for
commands such as "kneel down, move forward or backward, turn left or right,
stop", etc.
This topography of points is known and used on Indian elephants.
The luck of knowledge of the points for African elephants was the
major obstacle in their training and domestication.
Read related articles:
- Laser Acupuncture In Competition Horses.
(Read the article)
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