Acupuncture on Horses?

ladyt25

ladyt25

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Ok, so a little while ago I posted a pic of my 27 yo pony who has not looked brill this year and has been suffering on and off for the past year with difficulty moving. This has presented as crab like movement at times and difficulty walking down hills where we can clearly see he appears to be in some discomfort behind. Physio has seen him several times and said he is sore in his back (although 18 mths ago there was nothing wrong with him at all!). Vet has seen him previously but, on those days said pony has shown no signs of stiffness/problems moving and I swear the vet thought we were mad! Vet has previously flexion tested him and said he didn't think he had arthritis. Pony even went to Rainbow Equine hospital about a year go as my sister's horse was going for lameness treatment. Pony trotted up fine and they said he moved better than sister's 12 yo horse. Couldn't see anything wrong!
Pony has been 'off' again recently (I will add he was being ridden a couple of times a week up until a few months ago when this started again) and we videoed him walking awkwardly and, as vet was coming to see sister's horse I asked if he would look at him and whilst there take bloods to test for Cushings (or anything else) as pony has not looked great in his coat either since all this started.
Anyway, vet now *thinks* it could be arthritis in his spine somewhere. He is on bute and is fine and moves 'normally' when on it. Discussed with vet today about diagnosing anything as it's nigh on impossible to diagnose issues with spine/sacroiliac area due to covering of muscle/fat. Also she advised the treatment is likely to be unchanged (ie painkillers).
Sooo, to my title point! Pony will have more physio as he seems a lot better after treatment. But, I wanted to know (a) if anyone has any similar issues with their horse and (b) if anyone has any experience of acupuncture to treat/relieve symptoms?

In all other ways pony is good, has great teeth for his age, is still the boss of the herd and I can't separate him from the others as he gets very upset if he thinks his 2nd in command may take over. Therefore I intend to do what I can to ensure he's comfortable for the time being and am considering various options!

Thanks for reading! :D
 
Cant help at the mo, but I was speaking to one of my vets about acupuncture today - it's one of the services this particular practice offers. Alf is stiff behind, and has tight lumpy bit on either side of his spine about 4in in front of his tail. I'm going to get her out to stick a few needles in and see what happens.
 
Well, let me know how you get on. My pony's just odd and frustrating as, even off painkillers, some days he's completely normal. He can roll fine, lie down and get up and walk up hills without a problem. It's coming down a hill, sometimes even just a slight slope that causes issue.
 
Don't know if this will help you in your decision with your horse but I swear by it for me personally. I have had it several times and I am in the middle of a 3 treatment course right now. I have a really painful toe joint, the gp prescribed painkillers for it which helps a bit but doesn't cure. I went for my first acupuncture session on Saturday, after being unable to wear any shoe other than flip flops and being unable to walk, I put wellies on and cried :'( anyway, I am still shocked at how well it works! Yesterday I was skipping around the yard in my wellies it felt that good! The swelling has almost completely gone as has my limp! It really is amazing. I know of a lady who used it on her horse and she also swore by it, I would not hesitate using it on my horse
 
Thanks, that sounds very positive! I know they say it can work on arthritis so I thought was worth a try. That may not be what's wrong with him but I figured it can't hurt!

Hmm, maybe I should have some myself as well.......!
 
We have a wonderful ChiroVet who offers acupuncture which is brilliant for our WB who has had intermittent lameness in the past two years.He loves the treatment,tending to fall asleep while the magic works.During one session i had some problems with my neck relating to trapped nerves which were causing a migraine.The vet inserted a needle in my neck and this relieved the problem.
I would say with the results in my WB,that the treatment was effective as there could not be a placebo effect which might otherwise have affected the efficacy of the treatment.
 
Good to hear these positive stories. I think it is something I am going to have to try for mine as it does seem it is something that could help.
 
Yes, we've had the vet give 2 horses a course of acupuncture. One had a neck/poll problem and has been fine ever since (about 4 yrs) and the other had a back muscle problem. Our vet who does the acupuncture says that it can be used to treat almost anything.
 
My 16 year old cat had a course of acupuncture at the beginning of the year for his arthritis, I didn't think it would do anything but wanted to help him. It did make a difference and he now doesn't wake up all bent like a banana and is not so hunched up and stiff.
 
Just to up date, my pony had his treatment on7th September. I do not know if coincidental or not but he has not been suffering with his movement since and he has not had any bute now for over 10 days.

However, the treatment was very expensive I felt as done by a vet so you have the £50 call out plus the treatment! Think I may look for a non-vet acupuncturist if such a thing exists!!
 
ladyt25 said:
Just to up date, my pony had his treatment on7th September. I do not know if coincidental or not but he has not been suffering with his movement since and he has not had any bute now for over 10 days.

However, the treatment was very expensive I felt as done by a vet so you have the £50 call out plus the treatment! Think I may look for a non-vet acupuncturist if such a thing exists!!
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No one but a vet can do acupuncture on a horse legally as its 'invasive ' because of the needles .
Some physios do a form of acupuncture using lasers instead of needles, you would need your vet to ok this.
 
If anyone who has acupuncture for their horses and knows of practitioners in the north west can you reply to this thread? Leahurst hospital need to refer someone to me but are taking a while so I am hoping to find someone myself to speed this process up. Thanks
 
Had it on the old man :) He loved it, no idea if it made any difference or not though.

I know humans who have had it who say it helps.
 
Ah damn it. I just found it very costly as with a vet you have the call out fee before there's even any treatment. With a physio you don't have that added cost. The vet call out was £50 and the treatment was £39 (I didn't think the treatment itself was expensive but £90 for the whole thing is certainly something I can afford regularly! Maybe I need to look at a vet that I can take my horse to so as to save the call out, that's my other option.

I know one of the vets at Rainbow in Malton does acupuncture as I have seen him doing it if that helps linperrie? Probably a bit far though if you're north west.
 
linperrie said:
If anyone who has acupuncture for their horses and knows of practitioners in the north west can you reply to this thread? Leahurst hospital need to refer someone to me but are taking a while so I am hoping to find someone myself to speed this process up. Thanks
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I know Hillcrest Vets in Chorley, used to do this.
 
It was recommended for my horse last year. I decided against it as the nearest vet to me was some distance away and would have charged £200 a go. Considering that's four physio visits I didn't bother. I must admit I was temped to ring some of the small animal practises to see if they would come and do a horse but didn't in the end
 
wench said:
It was recommended for my horse last year. I decided against it as the nearest vet to me was some distance away and would have charged £200 a go. Considering that's four physio visits I didn't bother. I must admit I was temped to ring some of the small animal practises to see if they would come and do a horse but didn't in the end
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That's the problem isn't it. I have a great McTimoney guy who I have seen some excellent results with and a treatment from him will be between £40 to £60 and no 'call out' on top. He works on my horse for a good hour at least. To be honest £50 call out round here was fairly reasonable (less than my vet I think) but it's still £50 for something that, in fuel will probably have cost him less than £5 (probably £2.50 or something). If the vets have facilities at theirs so you can bring the horse then that makes it much more reasonable!
 
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