Animals get the (acupuncture) needleBy Shelly Ingram - Staff Writer
8/12/05 Alternative medicines, on the rise in America for decades, now is moving into animal care.
In modern veterinary medicine, chiropractic adjustment and the ancient Chinese medicinal art of acupuncture often are used to treat a variety of ailments in small and large animals.
City records show that Xito, the Lompoc police department's canine officer, has received chiropractic treatments in Santa Barbara as a routine part of his veterinary care.
"He had a couple of adjustments to his spine," said Capt. Patrick Williams. "It's the normal course of business for a pro athlete like Xito."
Although many veterinarians do not offer the services, pet owners are becoming more savvy about what the processes can do for their pets.
"Most people are aware of what it is," said Scott Shaw, a veterinarian at the Animal Care Hospital in Lompoc who has treated animals with acupuncture for about three years.
The American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture says acupuncture can treat ailments ranging from hip dysplasia and chronic degenerative joint disease to respiratory, gastrointestinal, neurological and urinary tract disorders.
Shaw said he treats a variety of ailments in dogs, cats and occasionally horses. He said he has had particular success in treating arthritis in dogs, commonly referred to as hip dysplasia.
"It is gratifying after three or four treatments to see these dogs jump into a pickup truck - something they haven't done in several years," Shaw said.
Vets most commonly apply acupuncture to cats, dogs, cows and horses. But they also can treat birds, ferrets and rabbits. Although veterinarians in the United States have practiced acupuncture since the early 1970s, it has only gained in popularity in the past dozen years.
The first use of acupuncture on animals can be traced to the western Jin dynasty period of China, from 136 to 265 A.D., when sharp stones were used to bleed specific locations to relieve pain and stiffness in horses and other large working animals.
Today, stones have been replaced by sterilized needles and, in many of Shaw's cases, backed up by a long-term prescription of Chinese herbs.
"Acupuncture is the quick fix," said Shaw. "Herbs carry on the treatment for a longer period of time."
According to the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association, a chiropractic adjustment is defined as short lever, high velocity controlled thrust by hand or instrument directed at parts of the spinal column in which the joints are not moving properly.
Both acupuncture and chiropractic treatment can be used in conjunction with traditional medical treatment, often helping to speed recovery.
According to the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association, a chiropractic adjustment is defined as short lever, high velocity controlled thrust by hand or instrument directed at parts of the spinal column in which the joints are not moving properly.
Both acupuncture and chiropractic treatment can be used in conjunction with traditional medical treatment, often helping to speed recovery. California law requires that a licensed chiropractor who is not a veterinarian work in tandem with and on the same premises as a licensed veterinarian.
"If you get a good relationship (with another doctor) it's really great," said Stephanie Szabo, a chiropractor in Templeton, Calif. "You get to do miracle stuff."
Shelly Ingram can be reached at 736-2313, Ext. 105, or
singram@lompocrecord.com.
