4 Things To Know About Before Agreeing To Acupuncture For Your Pet
Posted on: 12 July 2017
If you have a pet and your vet has suggested acupuncture treatment, here are three things that you need to know about acupuncture treatment before you agree to the procedure for your pet.
#1 Type of Acupuncture Treatment Used
Many people assume that all acupuncture treatment is the same. However, that is not true. There are various ways that an acupuncturist can simulate your dog's acupuncture points. The most common and well known method of simulating your dog's acupuncture points is with acupuncture needles. However, these points could also be simulated using direct pressure applied to specific points for a specific length of time. These points can also be simulated through the use of lasers. They could also use herb sticks that are heated up to transfer heat through the sticks to the needles.
#2 Methods Of Keeping Things Clean
The second thing you need to inquire about is how your vet keeps everything sanitary. If your vet uses acupuncture needles, they should be able to easily let you know that they throw away and use new needles on each patient. Same thing with using herb sticks to heat up the needles – different herb sticks should be used on each patient. Your vet should have a clear procedure that ensure that equipment is not reused from one animal to another. This is essential to ensure that disease are not transmitted and spread between animals.
#3 Chinese Medical Background
Before your vet precedes with any acupuncture treatment, they should obtain a more Chinese Medical focused background of your pet. With Chinese treatment methods, such as acupuncture, it is about your pet's overall health outlook, and not just the specific treatment that you are there for. Your vet should learn and ask about your dog's habits and preferences, such as the temperature of water they like to drink, when they like to eat and sleep, how they like to play and details about their fur and skin. This more in-depth background will help your vet properly provide acupuncture treatment to your pet.
#4 Additional Treatments
Oftentimes, acupuncture is used as one of a series of treatment to treat a specific alignment that you pet is experiencing. It is usually not used on its own to treat pets, but is used as part of a larger treatment plan. Make sure that you know what the vet's larger treatment plan is for your pet, as well as the roll that you will play in your pet's treatment. It is important that you understand the entire scope of the treatment that your pet needs before you commit to any treatment plan.
Contact an animal hospital, like Ark Veterinary Hospital, for more help.
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