What is acupuncture? Most people know acupuncture is the use of needles to treat pain, but what they don’t know is that it can be used for so much more than pain AND can be used in animals! Here at Seville Veterinary Hospital our goal has always been to treat your pet with the best possible care. Acupuncture has allowed us to treat patients that can’t take normal western medications or helped improve their lives when we maxed out other forms of medicine. We don’t intend to replace our foundation, but to improve and add to our knowledge and understanding of what is wrong with your pet.
Dr. Colleen Terry has gone through extensive training to become the newest certified veterinary acupuncturist in the Phoenix valley to help patients in ways we would have never known otherwise. Not only has she been treating dogs with pain in their hips or knees, but she’s helped patients with congestive heart failure, feline asthma, and even Valley Fever. She uses standard techniques with tiny needles, making sure each patient is comfortable (without sedation!) as well as incorporates injections of vitamin B12 and electroacupncutre when needed. Each patient is assessed for their current problems and any chronic issues and the body is treated as a whole. The exam is not only your standard western exam evaluating the heart and lungs, skin, ears, joints and abdomen, but she also looks at the tongue and evaluates the pulse to help come up with a traditional Chinese veterinary diagnosis. This helps her identify what organs may be involved and what specific acupuncture points should be used. Many patients are also assessed for herbal medications and food therapies to help accentuate the acupuncture experience and reduce the need for frequent visits.
The ultimate goal of acupuncture is to achieve harmony and balance and improve the body’s ability to recover from any kind of sickness. Traditional Chinese Acupuncture was initially discovered roughly 2000 years ago, with its use in animals shortly thereafter. As western medicine developed in the last 150 years we have become dependent on results from studies. Many studies have proven effects of certain acupuncture points to increase natural morphine in our bodies as well as increase the function of our immune system or even communicate with certain areas of the brain. We continue to strive and prove the use of acupuncture in daily lives and treating diseases beyond our original expectations.
