l Post spinal surgery (e.g. dorsal spinous process resection for treatment of ‘kissing spines’)
l Ligament injury in the back l General stiffness (horses that may struggle to bend) l Sacroiliac pain l Muscular neck pain l Arthritis
Acupuncture is only used in suitable cases and your own vet will be able to advise you on as to what is appropriate for your horse.
Acupuncture can be completed in clinic or at the yard as long as you have a quiet stable/area without bedding but on a non-slippery surface. Unless the horse is very painful to touch there is usually no need for sedation and the procedure can relax your horse, potentially resulting in a sleepy pony!
What should I expect with acupuncture?
Following the treatment with your vet, your horse may present in any of the following ways.
l Horses may seem a little bit stiffer than usual which means that perhaps the vet may have performed more acupuncture than necessary; however, this can be a good sign as you know there has been a response to treatment. At the following visit the vet may not need to perform such a lengthy session on your horse.
l Initially you may not see any response to treatment as in some horses it can take time before improvement is noticed. Generally, if aſter the fourth session there is none then your horse may not ever respond to acupuncture treatment.
l Acupuncture can lead to immediate improvement in your horse’s clinical signs and indicates a good response to treatment. In this case it is normal for the signs of pain to return before another follow-up treatment is performed.
Our vet will usually perform acupuncture once a fortnight for 3 or 4 sessions which will allow both you and the vet to see if there are any improvements following the treatment. However, each horse will require a tailored approach so it’s always best to liaise with the acupuncturist who is visiting your horse. The aim is to eventually leave your horse as long as possible between treatments which will most likely need to be tailored off gradually.
Case Study:
A horse was presented to our clinic with a very sore back when ridden which was most obvious during transitions. The first treating vet recommended that Mark visit the horse to perform acupuncture. Mark noted that the horse was very reactive on palpation of the epaxial muscles (those just behind the saddle) on his leſt-hand side. Following 3 sessions of acupuncture, this horse’s rider is happy to report that he is feeling much more comfortable and is very impressed with the change in his ridden behaviour.
Written by Abigail Dowdy Photos by Kay Willoughby
Veterinary biography:
Towcester Equine Vets Along with our 2 purpose-built equine clinics, our vets can treat your horse at home using our tools and mobile diagnostic equipment.
Towcester & Onley Equine Vets cover Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire, Leicestershire and beyond!
Please give us a call on either
01327 811007 (Towcester) or 01788 523000 (Onley) to chat to one of our vets.
www.towcester-vets.co.uk/equine/
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February/March 2020
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