Degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis) is one of the most common conditions seen in both young and elderly dogs. In fact, 80% of dogs over the age of 8 have osteoarthritis — and 35% of dogs over the age of 2 have it too, so it is not only a disease of the old.

Degenerative joint disease can be so severe, it is the number one cause of elective euthanasia for dogs in the UK.

Here, we outline how acupuncture can contribute to the multimodal, integrative and successful treatment of osteoarthritis in senior (& young) dogs.

Why Use Acupuncture for Senior Dogs with Arthritis

Acupuncture is very commonly used to treat musculoskeletal disease in humans, with plenty of evidence pointing to effectiveness in terms of analgesia, range of motion, and mobility.

For dogs, one study found that 70% of dogs with chronic DJD (degenerative joint disease) had a greater than 50% improvement in mobility and ambulation after acupuncture.

Most of the dogs seen for osteoarthritis in an acupuncture clinic either have run out of medication options (either they cannot tolerate medications or are already at maximum doses) and/or are inappropriate candidates for surgery.

In those cases, it is extremely rewarding for both the practitioner and the client (and of course, the dog) to achieve improvements in pain management, mobility, and quality of life.

Diagnosing Arthritis

Prior to any Chinese Medicine investigation and treatment, it is useful to ensure the dog has an appropriate and specific diagnosis of arthritis. Due to time constraints in the veterinary clinic, many dogs are ‘diagnosed’ with osteoarthritis, without identification of the affected joints or without alternative diagnoses being ruled out (such as muscle spasms, neurological deficits, or spinal abnormalities).

Animal acupuncture practitioners who are also qualified as veterinarians or animal osteos/chiros/physios can make use of their orthopedic examination skills to identify exactly where the arthritis is located and whether other conditions (soft tissue, neurologic) are present. X-rays can also be useful in those cases.

Any animal acupuncture practitioner can also make use of their observation skills (such as visual and gait analysis) to identify problems of locomotion. We recommend starting with watching the excellent Dog Steps documentary by Rachel Page Elliott and reading this short article by Carr & Dycus on Canine Gait Analysis.

How Traditional Chinese Medicine Views Arthritis

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) does not consider ‘being slow and old’ a diagnosis — in fact, regardless of the patient’s age, a TCM practitioner will look at the underlying patterns and root causes of symptoms. Symptoms are either observed in the consultation room or reported by the animal’s owner (sometimes with some inaccuracies).

Many thousands years ago, Chinese physicians recognised multiple types of arthritis, which are reasonably approximated by modern Western diagnoses (osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, infectious arthritis, etc.).

A Western arthritis diagnosis is equivalent to a Bi syndrome diagnosis in TCM. There are multiple types of Bi syndromes, but all are caused by a blockage of Chi and Blood (a vital substance — not the ‘Western’ explanation of blood) in the meridians due to pathogenic factors. These pathogenic factors, which may be internal or external to the body, include Wind, Cold, Dampness, and Heat.

How Traditional Chinese Medicine Treats Arthritis

The TCM practitioner then goes on to treat local acupuncture points around the affected joint(s) as well as points that relate to the underlying TCM diagnosis. This will improve the overall vitality of the patient, especially in the case of senior dogs. For example, many senior dogs also suffer from chronic kidney disease and deafness alongside arthritis, and these can all be addressed using a ‘Kidney Yang deficiency’ treatment plan.

A Western acupuncture practitioner may also use their knowledge of neurology to select segmental and extra-segmental points for additional analgesic effect.

As such, many ‘recipes’ are available for the effective treatment of arthritis in different areas of the body, including commonly affected areas such as the carpus, elbow, hock, stifle, hip joint, and spine. These ‘recipes’ are all covered in detail in the AAA’s Certificate in Animal Acupuncture.

In practice, each practitioner will adapt these ‘recipes’ based on the patient at hand and their own experience.

Lifestyle Management of Arthritis

In addition to providing acupuncture treatment, animal acupuncture practitioners are also in an excellent position to improve the quality of life of their patients by providing advice and education.

During your initial and repeat (20-30 min) consultations, you will find yourself spending plenty of time with the animal and client, and get to know a lot about their lives and what might/might not be working.

For example, you might find that the senior dog spends a lot of time outside in the cold or lying down on cold flooring, which may aggravate their arthritis (caused by Cold or Damp pathogenic factors). Some foods with different properties may also make their arthritis worse.

In those cases, the animal acupuncture practitioner is perfectly placed to provide advice related to Chinese Medicine, as well as general commonsense advice. The website Canine Arthritis Management UK is a great place to send pet owners for additional education, and they also run short certification courses for animal health professionals.

Multimodal Management of Arthritis

Many animal acupuncture practitioners also wear other hats, such as veterinarian, animal osteo/chiro/physio/myo, nutritionist, naturopath, etc. This is where the multimodal approach to arthritis management can really shine, by combining the best of all modalities to create an effective treatment plan that is uniquely tailored to the animal.

Veterinarians:

• Provide diagnostic testing
• Prescribe supplements, medications, and surgical options 

Animal physios/osteos/chiros/myo:

• Provide detailed orthopedic, soft tissue, and neurological assessments
• Use acupuncture in combination with manual therapy, cold laser therapy, and exercise/strength programs

Animal nutritionists:

• Prescribe supplements, diets, and help with weight management

Animal naturopaths and Chinese herbalists:

• Prescribe herbs and supplements

All practitioners also have a role in providing lifestyle advice and education to help promote the welfare of the dog.

Overall, many small animal practitioners find working with senior dogs extremely rewarding, and senior dogs will usually form a high proportion of the case load given the range of health issues they experience.

Learning to treat arthritis and other geriatric conditions is covered in detail in the AAA Certificate in Animal Acupuncture, so students can go on to become competent, confident practitioners to support their community.