ADVICEFROMTHE VET
have a‘needle in ahaystack’ incident! Your horse should be clean forhis examination. As the needle passes through the skin, thereisavery small risk of introducing infection when inserting aneedle. Having aclean, well groomed horse will help to reducethisrisk.
HOW MANY TREATMENTS WILL
horse will be takentohelpdetermine if therehas been anysignificant previous injury,orperformancerelated issue in the past. Following this, astatic and dynamic examination of your horse will be performed. This assessment enables identification of anylameness,asymmetry andtension. Most horses toleratethe procedurewell and alot seem to really enjoythe experience. The endorphin release canmakethemslightly drowsy and theywill often
yawn.Those who arealittle nervous or particularly sore during palpation canbenefitfroma dose of intravenous sedation so theyare relaxed forthe procedure. Acupuncture should be an enjoyable experiencefor the horse and ahorse shouldn’tassociate it with fear or pain otherwise it will not bring about the desired effect. The needlesare generally left in for
between 10-20 minutes,but this will vary depending on the vet’spreference. I generally will needle forashorter time for acuteinjuriesand longer forchronic pain.
horse’snormal environment. Horses brought intothe clinic mayhavesubtle changesintheir demeanour or posture than theywould at home wheretheyare likely to be morerelaxed. Forthe initial consultation, athorough history of your
WHATFACILITIES DO I NEED FOR MY HORSE TO
HAVE ACUPUNCTURE? Asafeconfined space, such as astable or wash boxisasuitable placefor acupuncturetreatment. The bedding should be banked up so as not to
MY HORSE NEED? Afterthe initial treatment, Iwould usually followupwith 3-4 further treatments at 7-10 dayintervals. If the treatment is going to help your horse,I would expect to see apositiveresponse within 2-3 treatments. Morechronic conditions mayrequirefurther treatments. Treatment canthen be ‘topped-up’ depending on the horse’sworkload. As Acupuncturedoesnot involve
the administration of drugs (unless the horse has been sedated) it is auseful treatment forhorsesduring acompetition schedule who cannot be administered medication because of detection times. Although our understanding of
the brain and nervous systemin horsesisincreasing all the time,there is growing evidencefor the use of acupunctureinhumans, and with time this will likely become more popular within the horse population.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
AboutNancy Homewood BVetMed CertAVP MRCVS Nancyisan equine vetfrom Hook Norton veterinary Group,with aRCVS Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice. Nancyhas aspecial interestininternal medicine,anaesthesia and the use of acupunctureintreating musculoskeletal conditions in the horse.
PleasementionCentralHorseNewswhenrespondingtoAdvertisementsSEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2018
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