Alternative Therapies
Over the past 20 years, alternative therapies have become more mainstream, benefiting animals everywhere.
Over the past 20 years, alternative therapies such as chiropractic and acupuncture have become more mainstream, benefiting animals everywhere.
Adecade ago, the mere mention of alternative therapies was enough to make most animal owners — and many veterinarians — roll their eyes with skepticism. Believed to offer most animals no true benefit, the conversation around acupuncture and chiropractic care — let alone massage, laser and pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) machines — generally stopped before it ever got going.
Thankfully, these modalities, and many more, have become more mainstream as farm owners seek nonmedication means to help their horses, cows, dogs, cats and other barnyard beasts remain comfortable.
Many of the modalities listed in this article are considered complementary, meaning they’re often used in conjunction with Western medical practices, which treat symptoms and any problem as isolated from the rest of the body. Alternative therapies take a whole-body approach in an effort to heal the whole person (or animal) instead of simply treating symptoms.
CHIROPRACTIC CARE
Chiropractic manipulation on horses — and any other vertebrate species — addresses problems in the back, neck and pelvis. Chiropractic care can be used to treat injuries, restore mobility and relieve pain in a plethora of animals, including horses and dogs.
A chiropractor will complete a hands-on exam looking for soreness, restricted motion and tight muscles. Once problem areas are located, controlled force is applied to release the restriction or soreness, restoring range of motion, which alleviates inflammation and pressure on nerves.
Chiropractic care is often helpful in animals that have biomechanical or neurologic issues. Dogs with hip dysplasia, neck pain, urinary and fecal incontinence, muscle weakness, and chronic neck and back pain often benefit from this form of treatment. In horses, chiropractors often assist with back and neck pain, joint stiffness, gait abnormalities that aren’t associated with an obvious lameness and poor performance. Results are often seen immediately.
ACUPUNCTURE
Acupuncture originated in China more than 3,000 years ago; it promotes healing by triggering specific points on the skin with thin, flexible needles. The needles produce tiny injuries that stimulate the body to respond, influencing tissues, organs, glands and body functions.
In traditional dry needling, the acupuncturist inserts thin, flexible needles into specific points on the body that correspond with issues such as allergies to osteoarthritis to chronic pain and everything in between. These needles enhance circulation to the area and increase the release of pain relieving and anti-inflammatory substances in the body. This is especially helpful for animals receiving pain medication, which can have unwanted side effects, as acupuncture can reduce the amount of medication needed to control the pain.
In addition to pain relief, equine acupuncture can address back soreness, lameness, nerve paralysis, colic, ulcers, heaves, anhidrosis (the inability to sweat), infertility, osteoarthritis and more. Though it can help with many things, acupuncture can’t assist with healing open wounds, fractures or infectious conditions.
In dogs and cats, acupuncture can be used to treat everything from allergies to degenerative joint disease. It has proven helpful in treating asthma, allergies and kidney and liver problems, as well as easing the effects of cancer treatment.
Most farm animals become more relaxed throughout the course of the treatment. Acute conditions generally see relief with three to five acupuncture sessions; degenerative conditions may require acupuncture treatment at regular intervals.
There are additional methods of acupuncture:
• electroacupuncture, where a mild electrical current is passed through the needles
• moxibustion, where a spongy herb called mugwort is burned to the needles
• aqua-acupuncture, where a liquid, typically a B12 solution is injected into the acupuncture points
PEMF
If you’ve ever seen a MagnaWave or a
Pulse machine, it’s easy to understand why there was so much suspicion surrounding its use. The machine uses long, flexible tubes to deliver a noninvasive, pulsed electromagnetic field to the animal being treated. As unusual as it may look, the modality is backed by science: NASA uses PEMF to help astronauts stay healthy while in space.
PEMF stimulates cell repair; it interacts with body tissues to speed up regeneration, which is particularly helpful after an injury. PEMF also increases bone density and speeds healing, as well as decreases pain and inflammation. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1979, it was first used by veterinarians on fractures in racehorses. PEMF is now used for a variety of reasons; it has helped horses with arthritis, kissing spine, suspensory tears, hoof injuries and open wounds; it’s also beneficial for dogs with hip dysplasia.
There are no adverse effects to using PEMF. Benefits are immediate, but lasting effects depend on the frequency of sessions administered (i.e., the more sessions given in the beginning, the fewer treatments needed later). Acute issues do best with multiple sessions per week for a few weeks, then should be re-evaluated.
It’s important to note that no modality should be used in place of recommended veterinary care. Additionally, not every veterinarian is skilled in all alternative therapies. If a person other than the animal’s primary veterinarian is used, all findings should be given to the treating veterinarian as well. The animals benefit when everyone works together as a team.
Sarah E. Coleman is the executive director of the Kentucky Horse Council and has a soft spot for chestnuts with chrome, including her off-the-track Thoroughbred, Chisholm. Special thanks to Jen Oliver of Total Horse Equine Bodywork, who is based in Lexington, and services northern Virginia and Ocala and Wellington, Florida.