The origins of veterinary acupuncture are found in the Far East with China, Japan and Korea each playing a part in its development.

The horse was a very valuable commodity in China as a war machine as far back as at least 2000 BC. Legend has it that it was discovered that lame horses used in battle were found to become sound again after being hit by arrows at certain points. Not a great way to found a whole new way of medicine but then much of our modern conventional medicine has been developed due to discoveries made on the battlefield. Initially the points were identified and named, but were used in isolation. It soon became apparent that certain acupuncture points were seemingly connected and although each point has a specific effect, groups of points, some as far separated as for example below the eye on the head and on the toe of the back foot, will affect the same internal organ. These invisible lines connecting certain groups of points are called meridians or channels. In very simplistic terms in traditional Chinese medicine it is believed that stimulating these points along pathways in the body allows energy or Qi to flow freely around the body. Treatments restore balance of positive and negative energy with disease being seen as an imbalance. Scientific interest in acupuncture in the West has proved that there are differences in structure at each point, and has explained some of the ways that it is thought to work in terms of the release of different chemicals in the brain and body, many of which seem to be the body’s natural painkillers known as endorphins.

The points are traditionally stimulated using fine needles but more recently the laser is being used. This is very useful for fractious animals and for some of the more difficult points such as those around the eye. Treatment usually last about 20 minutes. The number of treatments needed depends upon the condition being treated but often we will give four weekly sessions, then top up if and when needed. The needles are amazingly well tolerated in most animals. The first two needles are the worst, after this many animals become almost sedated. Animals are very often quite sleepy after treatment, sometimes it is hard to convince owners that you haven’t used anaesthetic! 

Acupuncture can be used for a lot more than mere pain relief because of the correlation between points on the surface and the internal organs. Acupuncture can be used to diagnose and treat many different diseases. However, as with homoeopathy, this level of acupuncture takes years of training and practice. Acupuncture referral: If we are not your primary care veterinary practice but you wish to have your animal treated using acupuncture, you will need a referral from your conventional vet, which includes them sending us a copy of your animal’s conventional medical history. This should not alter your relationship with your conventional veterinary surgeon and they will remain your first line veterinary surgeons in case of accident or emergency, or if your animal requires conventional medicine.

Homoeopathy is a completely different way of looking at disease. Each animal and person is seen as an individual. It is the way that your animal expresses a problem that is important. If we look for example at what might simply be termed arthritis in conventional terms, one dog might be very stiff first thing in the morning, or after rest, but be really very good once they get going. Another might be much worse when it is hot and dry, a third dog might have hot swollen painful joints which are like that all the time. They all have arthritis, but they all need different remedies. This does not mean that a homoeopath does not use conventional diagnostics, but it does mean that we spend a lot of time asking questions that determine the individual characteristics of your companion’s problem.

So how do we know what remedies to give what dog? To do this we have to go to the fundamental law of homoeopathy. If we give a small amount of a substance to a healthy individual over time, that individual will produce a set of symptoms. We use that very same substance to treat a sick patient showing the same set of symptoms. With homoeopathy, far from switching off the bodies response to a disease we are stimulating the bodies defence systems in exactly the place is it is telling us that it has a problem.

The remedies themselves are made from any substance capable of altering health. The substances are produced by a process of dilution and succession, which is a vigorous shaking procedure. The issue of the high dilutions has been a stumbling block to many people when they try to understand homoeopathy, but dilutions are not what homoeopathy is about. You need to go back in history to understand the reason why they came about. Homeopathy has its roots in history at a time when the conventional medicine of the day consisted of substances such as mercury and arsenic. These were the substances which were used following homeopathic principles. To try and avoid side-effects the great physician Samuel Hahnemann tried diluting them down in an attempt to reduce the side-effects and through doing this he discovered that not only did the side-effects reduce but also the healing effects of increased. However, don’t get confused because dilutions are not the essence of homoeopathy. Treatment can be given on different levels for example local prescribing which is First Aid type prescribing such as arnica for a bruise, and then the more specialised prescribing based upon the whole animal, taking into account mental, emotional and physical symptoms and also considering disease patterns throughout life and heritable influences.

The homeopathic consultation

The first consultation with one of our vets for homeopathic treatment takes one hour. We also offer a telephone consultation service prior to this one hour consultation, for you to get to chat to our homeopathic vets and see if it’s something that you would like to pursue, the cost of this telephone consult is then credited against the full hours consultation should you choose to pursue the full service. Ask our team for further information and our current pricing structure.

The first hour’s consultation involves a detailed history taking and a physical examination of your pet. In addition to this further diagnostic tests may be required, such as a urine or blood test, or other diagnostics. Follow up consultations usually last between ten minutes to half an hour, depending upon the complexity of your companions case, and this can sometimes be done over the phone or via video calling if you live some distance away and it’s not easy for you to get to us. Your vet will tell you if this is appropriate in your case.

Homeopathic referrals

If we are not your primary care veterinary practice, but you wish to have your pet treated with homeopathy, you will need a referral from your conventional vet, which includes them sending us a copy of your pet’s conventional medical history. We will report back to your conventional veterinary surgeon following the first full length homeopathic consultation we have with you. This should not alter your relationship with your conventional veterinary surgeon and they will remain your first line veterinary surgeons in the case of accident or emergency, or if your pet requires conventional medicine.

PLEASE NOTE: We are unable to give homeopathic advice over the telephone or via the internet, unless your pet is under our care or we are working via your conventional veterinary surgeon. This is both a legal and ethical stance, and is in the interest of the health and wellbeing of your companion.

If you want to get in touch for more information about our homeopathic referral process, you can get in touch on 0113 267 8419 (Cookridge), 01274 610627 (Greengates) or email us on holistic@towerwoodvets.co.uk.