Originally published June 1 2005
Veterinarians use acupuncture to help animals achieve peak performance
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Animals involved in athletic competitions, whether it's dogs jumping to catch balls on the fly or horses racing around a track, need to remain in peak physical condition to stay competitive. In Arkansas, some vets are treating competitive animals with acupuncture, an ancient Chinese practice of promoting health through the insertion of small needles into the skin.Knowing how to correctly insert the needles is a specialized skill. According to veterinarian Dr. Hooks, who provides acupuncture to dogs and cats for $50, or to horses for $100, "When you do an acupuncture exam, you're feeling along these energy pathways where these points are. They're very, very specific points."
Many of us cringe at the thought of needles, but the Chinese practice of acupuncture is said to relieve a variety of aches and pains.
It's been so effective for some people that veterinarians in Arkansas are beginning to administer the treatment to pets.
A six-year-old dog named Annie is an Australian Shepherd who will do anything for a treat.
Like all athletes, sometimes Annie needs a tune-up.
So she regularly sees Dr. Karen Hooks for acupuncture and chiropractic treatments.
"Most professional sports teams have physical therapists, chiropractors, I'm not sure about acupuncturists, but it's the same thing--you want to catch a problem before it becomes a problem and so that's why we have the athletic dogs come pretty regularly."
"When you do an acupuncture exam, you're feeling along these energy pathways where these points are.
Hooks says acupuncture can be beneficial for just about any pet, including elderly animals.
"She has competed for so many years without any single injury to her body so I fully believe the acupuncture and the chiropractic care improved her ability to compete and kept her healthy."
Animal acupuncture isn't just for dogs like Annie.
Coaster, is a six-year-old animal athlete who's receiving acupuncture to get ready for competition this weekend.
"Horses are actually much more responsive because many, many of their problems are muscular-skeletal.
Coaster, along with his owner, Lauren Henson, will compete in horse trials this weekend.
Several weeks ago while training, Henson began to notice that Coaster seemed to be in pain.
"He was tight in his back and has was bucking some after fences and I could just feel him--and we couldn't quite figure out why he was bucking.
It's roughly $50.00 per session for dogs or cats and $100 for horses.
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