Acupunture for Pets?

Hi Lela,

Growing up in the Pacific islands, acupuncture is a common treatment for a variety of illness and injury in addition to conventional western medicine.  And folks usually start with acupuncture as a first response before surgery and drug therapy.

Although I personally have not had acupuncture for my cats, friends have claimed it to be effective for their pets, both dogs and cats (really depends on the cat's temperament).

If you want to use acupuncture for your pet, you could start with consulting a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) doctor who may be able to recommend a veterinarian with acupuncture experience (if you live in a state that requires vets only). 

If you don't have any luck with that, here are some alternative suggestions...I've usually used Reiki and sometimes essential oils to my cats' paws or ears.  Here are some links you can check out for holistic care with animals: 

I've seen some great results using acupuncture with animals - dogs and horses in particular. Both seem to be pretty oblivious to the treatments. On the other hand, I'd be nervous about trying to treat a cat, only because most of them would be nervous and jumpy.

 In most states, only a vet can treat animals. Unfortunately their training and experience with acupuncture is likely to be minimal. It might take some searching and questioning to find the right one.