Acupuncture and Chiropractic Treatment For Cats, Dogs and Horses

Experienced Vet specialising in the Holistic treatments for Horses, Dogs & Cats. Acupuncture, Chiropractic, Chinese Medicine, Homeopathy and Nutritional Therapies

Chirovet offers a unique combination of acupuncture and chiropractic methods, resulting in a complete, holistic treatment for cats, dogs and horses.

From performance support for competitive animals to palliative care, they can help your beloved pet be as comfortable and happy as possible. 

 Acupuncture and traditional Chinese herbs can help dogs and cats with many different ailments, including skin conditions, arthritis, cancer support and palliative care.

It can also help horses with arthritis, sacroiliac pain, head-shaking and stiffness, as well as many other ailments.

Holistic Veterinarian

Classical and Laser Acupuncture, Herbal Therapies, Food Therapy, Essential Oil Therapy, Tui-na (medical massage), Aromatherapy, and Medicinal Mushroom Therapy.

Holistic medicine will give you an approach that looks at your animal as one system, not just a symptom. The vet will be assessing why the disease is happening.

Complementary medicine looks at the root of the problem, not just the branch. Mapping out the whole picture enables them to see where the weaknesses are - enabling them to address the underlying cause for any changes in the body.

Holistic medicine balances the body, it nourishes, tonifies and moves stagnation.   

Veterinary Acupuncture

Veterinary acupuncture is a treatment that involves inserting fine, sterile, stainless steel needles into specific points of the body to induce a healing response. 

The effect of an individual needle is determined by where it is placed in the body and which nerves are stimulated – hence the need for a thorough knowledge of veterinary anatomy and physiology.

For patients that don’t like to be touched or react negatively to the needles, Julia uses laser acupuncture, which works without the insertion of needles.

All animals can benefit from acupuncture treatment to balance their body systems.

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Supporting your pet with TCM and Acupuncture

The most common problems treated with acupuncture for dogs and cats are arthritis, spondylosis and intervertebral disc disease (hernia). Arthritis secondary to trauma, hip dysplasia, torn cranial cruciate ligament and elbow dysplasia is all commonly seen.

In general, most diseases found in dogs and cats can be treated with acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Herbs, these include:

• Musculoskeletal problems, such as arthritis, intervertebral disk disease, or traumatic nerve injury

• Respiratory problems

• Skin problems for example lick granulomas, Histiocytoma and allergic dermatitis

• Gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhoea, loss of appetite or vomiting of unknown origin

• Cancer treatment

• Palliative care

• Behavioural problems

• Pain Management

Acupuncture for Horses

Acupuncture for horses can be used as part of a treatment protocol for almost any medical condition with very little exception. It is often used in combination with conventional veterinary treatment so the patient experiences the benefits of the combined effects.

In equine practice, acupuncture is commonly used together with chiropractic for the relief of musculoskeletal pain.

It is especially useful for treating:

• Any type of muscle soreness, particularly of the neck, shoulders, back and hindquarters.

• Cold backs – resentment of saddling and girthing, dipping on mounting

• General stiffness, inability to bend on one or both reins

• Head tilt, inability to flex from the poll

• Shortness of stride, not going forward from the leg

• Disunited or bunny-hopping at canter

• Moving un-level behind

• ‘Hopping’ on the transition from walk to trot

• Bucking on the transition from trot to canter

• Irritability and soreness during grooming

• Arthritis

• Sacroiliac pain

• Headshaker syndromes.

Acupuncture is also used to influence the function of internal organs:

• Respiratory problems

• Dermatological problems

• Gynaecological problems in mares, including infertility

• Poor immunity and post-viral lethargy

• Digestive problems including loss of appetite, diarrhoea and some types of colic

 Veterinary Oncology Services

Chirovet works together with conventional vets for the diagnostics of cancer.

Blood tests, Biopsies, Ultrasounds, MRI and Radiographs will be performed with your conventional veterinary practice. 

Chirovet uses a combination of Food Therapy, Traditional Chinese Herbal Formulas, Acupuncture and Mistletoe Therapy.

Mistletoe has a tumour-inhibiting effect and modulates and improves the immune system. Particularly Mast cell tumours and soft tissue sarcomas and carcinomas respond well to this.

 Dr. med. vet. Julia Ledger-Muennich Veterinary Surgeon, MRCVS

"Graduating as a veterinary practitioner from the Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany, I completed the practical examinations for my thesis ´Ultrasonograhic examination of the equine mammary gland, a contribution to improving the examination of the mare’s udder’ in the Clinic for Horses in Kerken, Wachtendonk. This is a 46-box clinic with outstanding surgical facilities, specialising in colic surgery and orthopaedics. Here I worked exclusively on night duties looking after the inpatients, particularly the intensive care stable, involving both post surgical care as well as conservative treatment.

I gained broad experience in general equine practice where my case load was mostly first opinion ambulatory work but included lameness workups with nerve and intra-articular blocks, gastroscopies, bronchoscopies as well as anaesthetics for the hospitalised patients.

Over the years I found that traditional veterinary practice did not always improve the patients to my satisfaction, leading me further afield to explore acupuncture and chiropractic practice. I was looking for treatments not to replace, but to actively complement, the traditional veterinary methods. I subsequently found that a more comprehensive and wide-ranging approach to animal wellbeing was providing better results for my patients, so I opened up my own practice to include equine and canine chiropractic and veterinary acupuncture treatment. This soon led me to explore the Traditional Chinese Medicine more in depth as I was looking to treat the root not just the symptom of a problem. The practice created a happy medium offering a holistic approach to animal well being backed up by my veterinary qualification and broad experience. It proved to be such a successful tool that I now solely focus on Traditional Chinese Herbs, Food therapy, Acupuncture and homeopathic treatment where I find appropriate, while keeping up to date with the latest developments in conventional medicine."

 

 

Further Qualifications

I have undergone extensive training to offer a comprehensive solution to my patients in terms of holistic animal care- whether its small animal or equine patients. My Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) accredited work at four-star events allows me to support my patients up to Olympic standard.

I have been certified in animal chiropractic since 2008, following a one-year course.

I studied acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine in some depth, qualifying as a veterinary acupuncturist in 2011.

I am a certified Tui Na practitioner in Chinese manipulative therapy, a manual therapy to complement the chiropractic and bodywork. It is one of the four pillars of traditional Chinese Medicine: acupuncture; food therapy; herbs; Tui Na.

I am a Certified Chinese Veterinary Herbalist, following a two-year course, which is accredited by the World Association of Traditional Veterinary Chinese Medicine (WATCVM).

I am a Certified Traditional Chinese Veterinary Herbalist accredited by the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS). This course has further built on my previously completed Chinese herbal course knowledge. One can never know enough☺.

At the moment I am enrolled in Advanced Certification in Neuroacupuncture. I am determined to treat the Stroke/Epilepsy/ Geriatric/ Neurological patients with even more in depth and specific knowledge.

Over the years I have as well studied Traditional Chinese Veterinary Food Therapy, Myofascial Release Techniques only to name a few more.

I also have Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) veterinary accreditation that allows me to work as a FEI Permitted Treating Veterinarian at FEI events, where I have worked at Badminton Horse Trials, Burghley Horse Trials and the CHIO in Aachen, Germany.