Dog Acupuncture by Sophie Edward-Jenks MA VetMB CertAVP MRCVS

This is Tye, a 7 year old male cross breed.  His owner got him from a rescue charity when he was just 4 months old having been found wandering stray and emaciated.  Tye is very closely bonded to his owner and likes to be near her at all times!

His favourite toy is his ball on a rope and he loves playing games that involve balls and fetching things.  He loves his food but is on a diet at the moment to try and keep his weight down.  Tye hates fireworks and thunderstorms and has been known to jump into his owners lap for a reassuring cuddle if he gets frightened.  His naughtiest habit is chasing cars and herding his owner around.

Tye comes to Broad Lane Vets for acupuncture to treat arthritis and stiffness in his hips.  Acupuncture evolved in China and has been used for over two thousand years.  One of the ways it works is to provide pain relief by stimulating the body to produce more of its own natural painkillers. 

When he first started coming he was a bit nervous when I went near his back legs as he thought I was going to express his anal glands but now he relaxes and enjoys a few low fat treats whilst I place the acupuncture needles. 

The majority of dogs don’t appear to notice the needles going through the skin as they are very fine at just 0.25mm wide.

Tye relaxes whlist we leave the needles in for up to 20 minutes before taking them out and having a count up to check they  have all been retrieved!

Tye’s  owner says he is much more comfortable after each treatment and they are now able to go out for longer walks and start to build up his exercise to help control his weight.

It is quite common for dogs to become sleepy during and after their treatment so we usually advise they take it easy afterwards and just go out for a short walk that evening.