The medical articles on this site are for informational purposes only, and are not meant to be used to diagnose or treat your pet, or to replace the recommendations of a qualified veterinarian that has examined your pet.
Your Pet Will Feel and Act Younger with Freedom from Pain
Integrative Therapy (IT) combines the most appropriate treatments from conventional veterinary medicine and surgery with acupuncture (AP) and herbal medicine, which are derived from much older, holistic disciplines. Utilizing the very best therapies available from different major medical systems optimizes quality of life, and can extend lifespan by months to years.
Stiffness, limping and lameness from arthritis and orthopedic pain is the #1 reason pets get acupuncture (AP). This therapy is extremely effective for treating mild to moderate pain in and around the joint, muscle, tendon, ligament or bone. Commonly painful areas are hips, knees, elbows, shoulders, neck and spine (backbone). AP provides significant relief for most pets, and many will resume behaviors and activities that they stopped years ago because of the pain.
While any pet can potentially develop arthritis, those with hip or elbow dysplasia, OCD, a damaged cruciate (knee) ligament, orpre-existing orthopedic injuries are especially vulnerable and will inevitably suffer from this condition. While AP can be especially helpful for relieving the pain, it is not a substitute for surgical stabilization of fractures or damaged joints.
Many middle-aged and senior pets have undiagnosed arthritis pain. Their families will notice that they have been “slowing down” gradually, but considerably. They are often stiff upon waking or after exercise; have less desire and stamina to run, play or go on walks; become hesitant or unable to jump onto furniture or into the car; may have trouble with stairs; and have decreased mobility and flexibility, overall. Dogs and cats do not show these declines because they are “just getting old,” but because they are in PAIN. Chronic pain is NOT a normal part of the aging process, and requires immediate treatment.
The most commonly used pain drugs for arthritis are NSAIDs, including Rimadyl, Deramaxx, Novox, Previcox and Metacam. These medicines are generally very safe and effective, but they can occasionally cause side effects, and some pets just can't tolerate them. AP is completely free of these side effects, and is the safest way to treat this pain. Many pets that are already on NSAIDs can be totally or partially weaned off of these drugs after an initial course of AP therapy.
The cost of AP therapy is about the same as the cost of chronic treatment with NSAIDs.
