How Veterinary Acupuncture Can Help
Healing Tails is proud to be one of only a few veterinary clinics in the Chicagoland area offering acupuncture for pets. Acupuncture is an effective, non-invasive treatment which has been used in China for thousands of years. Acupuncture involves inserting thin needles into specific points on your pet’s body. These acupuncture points help to enhance blood circulation and the release of endorphins - the body's "natural pain-killing hormones" with the goal of encouraging the body to correct imbalances. Many pets with pain are able to reduce or eliminate the use of chronic pain medications with the help of acupuncture.
Acupuncture in pets can be used for:
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Natural pain relief
Arthritis
Hip dysplasia
Back pain
Intervertebral disc disease
Larygneal parlaysis
Neurological disorders
Degenerative joint disease
Pets with acute or chronic pain conditions can benefit from acupuncture
Pet Acupuncture for Pain Management:
Acupuncture in pets can be used as a sole source of pain management. It can also be combined with conventional medications to achieve optimal pain relief.
Response to Acupuncture Treatment:
Most patients respond favorably to acupuncture treatments and show improvement over the course of 4-6 treatments.
Although some patients experience improvement sooner, most patients need to commit to sessions 1-2 times per week for 4-6 treatments. Treatments are then tapered according to the pet's response (maintenance visits are usually scheduled every 1-2 months).
Acupuncture in pets has both immediate and cumulative pain management effects following repeated treatments. Strong medical treatments like chemotherapy can cause discomfort and pairing those treatments with acupuncture can help make your pet more comfortable and equipped to fight their illness. Musculoskeletal pain such as arthritis, hip dysplasia, back pain, intervertebral disc disease or nerve injuries can also respond to acupuncture. In some patients, we also incorporate acupuncture as part of their postoperative physical rehabilitation recovery program.
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Conditions Acupuncture Can Help:
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Arthritis
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Back Pain
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Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD)
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Paralysis
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Post surgical Pain
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Cancer Pain
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Degenerative Myelopathy
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Laryngeal Paralysis
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Urinary or Fecal Incontinence