alpine animal doctors veterinary services

ACUPUNCTURE

For more information or to make an appointment for this service please call...

5756 2444

Hospital Opening Hours

  • Monday: 8.30 to 5.30
  • Tuesday 8.30 to 5.30
  • Wednesday: 9 to 1
  • Thursday: 8.30 to 5.30
  • Friday: 8.30 to 5.30
  • Saturday: 9 to 1
  • Sunday: Closed

7047 Great Alpine Road,
Porepunkah, VIC 3740

Acupuncture at Alpine Animal Doctors

While all of the advanced technology we use at Alpine Animal Doctors plays a vital role in helping keep your fur babies healthy, we also believe there is more to veterinary medicine than technology.

We believe that the delivery of better animal health care should mean that the full gamut of tried and tested treatments are available to our clients. Our philosophy is to approach the treatment of all of our patients in a fully holistic and integrated way.

The drugs, medications and techniques available to the veterinarian these days are remarkable but if we can achieve our goal of making your pet well again using drug free treatments we will do so, with the agreement of the client. That might be through nutrition and diet, physical therapy or psychology. If a ‘natural’ therapy works, we will use it, where appropriate.

One drug free treatment we have success with is acupuncture. Dr. Bek is one of relatively few vets in Australia fully qualified in the modern form of this ancient Chinese technique and has been using it for some years, finding it effective in many treatments and many species, including dogs, cats and horses.

Modern acupuncture involves much more than inserting needles into specific points in meridians of the body. Other forms of acupuncture use laser pens, which are particularly good for thin skinned dogs or pets that don’t tolerate needles well. We also have a TENS machine in the hospital, for electrical stimulation of points, a form of acupuncture that allows increased stimulation and may be a better modality for more chronic conditions.

For pets suffering from chronic conditions that respond well to needling we also use gold bead insertion, particularly for dogs with hip or elbow dysplasia and mares with nymphomania, allowing constant stimulation of points without return visits.

Most acupuncture treatments require between four and eight weekly visits, with ‘top ups’ every six months if required. The more chronic the condition, generally the longer the course of treatments needed. The initial consult can last up to half an hour but subsequent treatments only about 15 minutes.

We have successfully used acupuncture for everything from whelping difficulties, anxiety, shock and arthritis to improving health in pets with renal failure, and even improving racing performance in greyhounds. We can also use acupuncture on patients who are in the hospital for any length of time. It’s an effective way to naturally increase endorphins in the body, creating a sense of wellbeing, reducing pain and inflammation and making your pet feel more comfortable.

Acupuncture, properly used, has proven to be a really useful adjunct to veterinary treatments. It is not for all animals, nor for all conditions, but where appropriate it can offer an effective and practical way to improve health and reduce disease, with the benefit of zero side effects.

If you believe your animals may benefit from acupuncture therapy please call the hospital to discuss the available options.

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E&OE. The information provided in the articles on this site is intended as a guide to assist readers to become better informed about health issues that may affect their pets and livestock. They are not a substitute for appropriate veterinary advice and treatment. They should not be used for diagnosis or treatment of any individual animal and no person should place reliance on information derived from them, where such reliance may result in loss, damage or injury. Always consult a qualified veterinarian to obtain advice.

Although Alpine Animal Doctors make every effort to ensure that the information contained in our articles is accurate and up-to-date we can accept no responsibility for errors or omissions that may occur.