Veterinary acupuncture: here’s when it can help our animals

If it’s good for us why not use it veterinary acupuncture, to make our animals feel good too? It took us a long time in the West to accept that acupuncture works, but today this ancient technique of traditional Chinese medicine, refined over 3000 years of history (probably more), is regularly included (for humans) in the services covered by the national health service. But just as it is good for humans, acupuncture is also effective on animals with anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving effects and in immune system pathologies.

There veterinary doctor Francesca Parisi she believed in acupuncture as soon as she graduated and, with a three-year specialization and subsequent updates, made it one of her main fields of work. One day, in the peace of a Greek island, he understood that that that he wanted to offer his animal patients was a holistic treatmentin the true sense of the word, that is, seeing the animal in the round, and treating it – or making it stay healthy -, combining the traditional medicine to acupuncturenutraceuticals and other techniques. He was born like this Animalisticshis studio in Milan, where he works with the help and support of the doctor Giulia Carlotta Arborio. Animolstica is a place of peace where animals immediately feel at ease, where each individual is evaluated for his history, his character and his needs. A place of tranquility also for us who bring our animals for treatment, welcomed and understood by the doctor in our role as life companions of a dog or cat. Here’s what Francesca Parisi told us.

Doctor, what is acupuncture for?
«Acupuncture has an anti-inflammatory effect and a pain-relieving effect, but it is also a strong immunomodulator and helps regulate the hormonal system, so it can be useful in many pathologies. For example, it can be a valid help for animals suffering from arthrosis, orthopedic problems or neurological problems; it can be useful for treating immune system pathologies, therefore autoimmune pathologies, but it also supports the immune system in the case of viral and bacterial pathologies. It is used for hormonal problems and endocrine pathologies, and is also useful as an aid for behavioral pathologies, because acupuncture acts on the regulation and production of hormones such as oxytocin, cortisol, prolactin, serotonin and endorphins, all hormones important in regulating behavior.”

What are the most frequent pathologies you treat?
«We use it above all for patients who suffer from inflammatory and painful pathologies such as arthrosis, linked for example to problems of hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia or spinal problems, such as spondyloarthrosis or herniated discs, which respond very well to acupuncture therapy both because it helps reduce inflammation and pain, and because it acts on the neuronal system which can be compromised during hernia episodes.”

Tell us, if you want, some exciting cases
«There have been truly important cases of paralyzed animals unable to defecate or urinate independently who have recovered movement in just a few sessions, for example Mirò, a Chihuahua with a herniated disc and completely paralyzed in the back area, or Olly a setter 12 years old or Sasha, a five-year-old, 30-kilo Czechoslovakian wolf, also paralyzed after surgery, and for whom traditional medicine had recommended euthanasia, which today she returned to running in the fields together with her life partner, the dog she lives with. But also Goldie, a 10-year-old golden retriever with osteoarthritis or Olivia, a Saint Bernard with weekly epileptic seizures who, with the help of acupuncture, has had increasingly spaced out seizures and a peaceful life between them.”

But why does acupuncture work? What is it based on?
«Acupuncture acts on the stimulation of needle points, i.e. 360 points of the body organized along the 12 energy meridians (plus 8 extra meridians with extra points) which are particularly receptive and which if stimulated with the insertion of needles – rather than with pressure or with laser stimulation – cause the release of hormones that act on the system from within, causing a readjustment and rebalancing of the subject’s organic functions.”

Does it hurt the animal?
«The needles are very thin and practically painless, then before applying them massage techniques are used which prepare the acupuncture point and furthermore the first needles inserted are those which release endorphins which relax the animal. It is a well-accepted therapy.”

Are there any contraindications?
«Acupuncture, if practiced by expert veterinary doctors, has no side effects, which is why it can be a very useful therapy even for elderly patients, who perhaps have kidney, liver or gastrointestinal diseases and cannot tolerate traditional drugs».

What animals is it used on?
«It can be used on all animals, because needle points belong to everyone: dogs, cats, cattle, horses, but also exotic animals such as rabbits, turtles, reptiles».

How many sessions are usually needed depending on the case?
«Basically we start with an induction phase of 4-5 sessions a week or 10 days apart. If the issue is chronic, we continue with monthly maintenance sessions.”

The animal must always be seen and cared for holistically. What do you do besides acupuncture?
«The approach I propose is global and systemic, therefore it goes to the root of the problem and treats it through the use of acupuncture, but also with other techniques, such as laser therapy, phytotherapy, nutrition and a fresh natural diet with nutraceutical integrations, neural therapy, moxa and massage techniques”.

Acupuncture can also help terminally ill patients
«Yes, I wrote my specialization thesis on acupuncture therapy as an integrated therapy for the support of cancer patients, because acupuncture, in addition to having a pain-relieving effect, also has a supporting effect on vital functions and therefore stimulates the appetite, stimulates brain activity and therefore makes the patient more predisposed to treatment and more serene.”

From a behavioral point of view, what are the situations in which it is effective?
«For example in cases of generalized anxiety or separation anxiety, or in patients who suffer from phobias, such as the fear of thunderstorms or the fear of thunder or New Year’s Eve bangs, or in general the fear of new environments and unknown situations. Obviously acupuncture is a support that must be associated with an educational path.”

Where do you study veterinary acupuncture?
«In Italy there are two schools, the Florence acupuncture school and the Siav, Italian Society of Veterinary Acupuncture of Milan, where I studied. It is a three-year post-graduate specialization for veterinary doctors, subsequently I also followed the three-year path to become an acupuncture teacher and I currently teach at Siav which trains around 20 specialists a year. Acupuncture in veterinary fields is taking up more and more space, both because more and more veterinarians are verifying its benefits, and because in general there is also much more attention paid to the care of dogs and cats and therefore also to the search for a therapy that is more specialized and more targeted to the individual subject”.

How do you choose an acupuncture veterinary doctor?
«There is a list of veterinary doctors specialized in acupuncture recognized for treatment with this technique and the list can be found on the website of the National Federation of the Order of Italian Veterinary Doctors».