Acupuncture is an alternative treatment regime that is gaining increasing respect in both the medical and veterinary worlds, as an adjunct to conventional therapy for a number of degenerative, inflammatory and medical conditions. Under UK law, animal acupuncture may only be administered by appropriately qualified veterinary surgeons.
Sally Schroeder is one of our senior vets at Berry House. She qualified from Royal Veterinary College, holds a Certificate in Veterinary Acupuncture and a GP Certificate in Small Animal Surgery. She is able to offer this service for dogs, cats and horses.
Sally uses the western acupuncture technique, which utilises specially designed needles to stimulate a variety of physiological, hormonal and emotional responses, including release of muscle tension and increase in rate of muscular healing and endorphin release. It can also be used for treating various medical conditions such as urinary incontinence and chronic spasmodic colic.
It can be used in all species, but those most commonly treated are dogs and horses.
The initial treatments take about 20-30 minutes and the number and interval of follow-up treatments varies with the condition. Initial treatment cost is between £49 - £70, depending on the animal, and are covered by most pet insurance. Please check with your insurance company for details. Subsequent consultation lengths and costs will vary.
What conditions may improve with acupuncture?
- Chronic pain
- Behavioural problems (often linked to pain)
- Chronic digestive disturbances
- Chronic respiratory disease
- Fatigue syndromes
- Chronic eye disease
- Heart, liver, and urogenital diseases