Just like some humans, animals can benefit from acupuncture, too. ZooTampa at Lowry Park in Tampa, Florida is using veterinary acupuncture to treat some of its animals with complex medical conditions. The patients that have received this treatment include a manatee (Trichechus manatus) named Sloth, a black-bellied whistling duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) named Earl Grey, and a roseate spoonbill chick (Platalea ajaja).
According to the Mayo Clinic, acupuncture involves putting very thin needles through the skin at strategic points on your body, and is most commonly used to treat pain.
“Acupuncture has a wide range of applications that can be applied to some of our diverse animal cases here at the zoo,” Alex Mason, the staff veterinarian who is certified in veterinary acupuncture and leading the initiative, tells Popular Science. It “has been demonstrated to aid in healing responses by increasing blood flow and circulating stem cells, in addition to enhancing patient comfort through the body’s release of endogenous opioids like endorphins and serotonin, and can stimulate nerves to enhance function, in addition to other applications.”
The treatment provides an additional strategy in the face of potentially limited traditional treatment solutions, or when the team aims to increase the animal’s comfort, mobility and healing, Mason added in a statement emailed to Popular Science. Acupuncture is employed as a complementary therapy at ZooTampa, so it might be used in conjunction with standard veterinary medicine, physical therapy, and other treatments.
Fourteen-year-old Earl Grey was treated with electroacupuncture after he had sudden weakness in his right leg. His caretakers were happy to see improvements after three sessions. The roseate spoonbill chick also received electroacupuncture for a leg injury, after which it regained normal limb function.
Sloth the manatee, on the other hand, has facial nerve injury that impacts one of his nostrils and one of his eyes. He was treated with both acupuncture and electroacupuncture, with mild improvements. Chronic nerve injuries can be particularly hard to treat, and acupuncture provided a different course of action in the wake of limited traditional treatments.
“Acupuncture uses thin needles placed into specific spots selected based on the intended treatment plan for the animal,” Mason says. “Electroacupuncture utilizes the same needles and points but connects the needles to an electrical current for stronger and longer lasting effects.”
