Acupuncture

The staff at City Pets Vet Clinic understands that there can be many approaches to your pet's health care and we want to provide all our patients with the highest quality health care available.  For those reasons, we have partnered with Dr. Liz Kruttlin of Michigan Veterinary Acupuncture.  Dr. Kruttlin has been certified in acupuncture and other holistic therapies and is a licensed veterinarian.  This is important because in most states only licensed veterinarians are eligible to practice acupuncture.

Acupuncture is often defined as the stimulation of a specific point on the body using a specific method, resulting in a therapeutic homeostatic effect.  The acient Chinese were able to discover 361 of these specific points (also known as acupoints) on the human body and 173 acupoints on the bodies of animals.  Modern research have shown that the acupoints are located in areas that have a high density of free nerve endings, mast cells, small arterioles, and lymphatic vessels and when stimulated there is a release of beta-endorphin, serotonin, and other neurotransmitters.  This shows that acupuncture for pain relief is supported by scientific study.  Acupuncture is not only used to treat pain, however.  It can used it cases of musculoskeletal problems, neurological disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, and other chronic conditions.

When administered by a qualified practitioner, acupuncture is very safe and very few side effects have been seen in clinical cases.  Over 95% of patients are comfortable with acupuncture therapy and some animals may even fall asleep during treatment.  A proper acupuncture therapy can induce distention and a feeling of heaviness along with contraction of local muscle.  In conjunction with different herb therapies or Western medical treatments, acupuncture can be a valuable tool in maintaining homeostatis in your pet and offering relief from symptoms of many different medical conditions.