Case Report: Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Herbal medicine used to treat a dog with cervical and thoracolumbar disc disease

Authors: Editor CVMB
Publication: Complementary Veterinary Medicine Branch Newsletter, Volume 2020, Issue Summer, pp 6-13, Dec 2020
Publisher: Complementary Veterinary Medicine Branch of the NZVA

Animal type: Dog
Article class: Case Study

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Abstract:

A thirteen-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer dog was referred for adjunctive veterinary management of chronic back and neck pain. Radiographs were performed and determined the source of his pain to be compression of disc spaces C5-C6-C7-T1 and T13-L1. His Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis was determined to be Blood and Qi stagnation, Damp Heat and Phlegm accumulation and Bony Bi syndrome. Two acupuncture and massage sessions are documented, with points chosen to alleviate both the conventional view of pain and the TCM assessment of his condition. A Chinese herbal formula was chosen on the basis of his condition. By the second session, his condition had improved by subjective assessment, and it would appear acupuncture, massage and herbal therapy combined had the ability to relieve pain in this case.

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