About six months earlier, Ceta started to be "tired" after a longer walk and she displayed signs of discomfort in her hind limbs "bunny hopping", difficulties to stand up in the morning, etc. The owner brought Ceta to her local veterinarian who subsequently found that Ceta suffered from hip dysplasia. Pain-killing tablets prescribed by the veterinarian helped only to a degree to ease the pain.
On the first acupuncture examination, tender areas located in different muscles of the hind limbs were localised. Eight stainless steel acupuncture needles were inserted into specific acupuncture points on the chest, back and hind limbs for 10 minutes. The needles were occasionally gently manipulated in order to increase their healing effect.
No improvement was seen by the owner after the first treatment. Six needles were used in the second session.
Only an occasional limp of the right hind limb was reported by the owner on the third visit (15 days after the first treatment). No pain-killing drugs had to be used since the second treatment. The subsequent long-term pain-relief allowed Ceta to fully enjoy her walks with the owner.
Dogs suffering from musculoskeletal pain (including cases of osteoarthritis) can benefit from acupuncture treatment. This is true especially in cases where drug treatment is insufficiently effective (or associated with side-effects), and where surgery is not an option. Generally speaking, faster onset and long-term duration of the pain-relief due to acupuncture can be expected in younger dogs affected by so-called soft tissue (muscle or ligament) injuries.
Slower progress of the acupuncture treatment and more frequent relapses of the condition can be expected in ageing patients suffering from severe osteoarthritis. In these dogs, it is usually necessary to reinforce the initial set of four to six treatments with occasional treatments given whenever deemed necessary (usually two- to four-times per year).