County Canine aims to provide a service combining knowledge of traditional medicine and cutting edge technologies; all alongside additional therapies. Trained to the highest standards, animals can be assured consistency and personal care in your home.
Acupuncture has developed from the ancient Chinese art of placing fine needles into special locations on the body to achieve alleviation of pain, improve immune function and aid recovery times. Western culture and science has greatly impacted acupuncture over the last 40-50 years with the treatment being offered in many medical conditions either in conjunction with conventional medicine or when other treatments have failed. Research has focused on the pain relieving effects of acupuncture from internal release of the body’s own painkillers such as endogenous opioids or serotonin. More recently, it has also been shown that acupuncture can be used in a variety of internal medical disorders e.g. respiratory, reproductive or digestive disease.
It has been noted that due to a strong internal nervous structure of the dog (known as the limbic system), canine patients often respond very well to the effects of acupuncture. Responses to acupuncture often include alterations in behaviour and overall demeanour, during the treatment and afterwards. Some animals will show a positive response with their first treatment, however the majority gradually respond over a greater period of time. On average, we like to deliver a course of three treatments, 1-2 weeks apart to fully assess whether the animal responds favourably to acupuncture and the true benefit can be assessed. Some patients – along with some diseases – are refractory to acupuncture and will not respond to treatment. This can occur in up to 10% of patients.
At County Canine, we recognize that every dog is individual and as such each acupuncture treatment is specifically tailored through extensive history taking and detailed physical examination. Within the UK, only veterinarians can perform acupuncture and at County Canine, all are associate members of the Association of British Veterinary Acupuncturists and have undertaken training in Canine Acupuncture.
Often the cost of acupuncture can be claimed for on your insurance – but please do check your own individual policy or with your insurance company prior to embarking on a course of acupuncture.
Payments for referral patients will need to be made at the time of the treatment. Please contact County Canine for more details on booking an appointment and charges.
Chiropractic in the dog can be a useful technique if you experience any of the following presenting signs. As with the horse, it is essential that you have had consent from your primary vet before an assessment with the veterinary chiropractor. Often we speak with your vet and gain a full history before any examination is made.
The process of the chiropractic examination is the same as with the human or horse; we work systematically to assess each joint within the spine and limbs to ascertain areas which may be causing the problem. Areas of pain, tenderness or reduced motion (fixations) are then noted and small, specific adjustments in and around the area may be applied if deemed appropriate. This aids to reduce pain, return as best to normal function and prevent further deterioration of a condition. It can also help support recovery from injury and improve comfort when there is chronic disease. Potential expectations from the chiropractic assessment and treatment can be discussed with our Internationally Approved Veterinary Surgeon in Chiropractic (IVCA), Dr Marvin Firth.
Canine clinics are being offered at practices throughout Cornwall and London and home visits can be arranged. Some insurers cover the cost of chiropractic treatment and we advise that individual clients contact their policy providers prior to booking at appointment.
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Here at County Canine we are very excited to be able to offer our patients Therapeutic Laser Therapy.
What is Therapeutic Laser Therapy?
Laser therapy has been used in Europe and America for the last 15 years for the treatment of numerous conditions. The technology and the science has developed at an impressive rate to give us a spectacular method of treatment. Our Class IV Laser is used to deliver infrared wavelengths of laser light into tissues to induce many biological and therapeutic effects, so called photobiomodulation. These biological effects include:
- Reduction of inflammation
- Reduction of pain
- Accelerated tissue repair & faster wound healing
- Increased blood flow to damaged tissue
- Increased metabolic activity of cells
- Reduced scar tissue formation
- Improved nerve function and recovery following nerve damage
What conditions can be treated with Therapeutic Laser Therapy?
In short any tissue that is painful or damaged can be treated with the laser. Common examples are:
- Osteoarthritis
- Muscle, ligament or tendon sprains and strains
- Neck and back pain
- Hip and elbow dysplasia
- Post surgical wound treatment
- Acute traumatic wounds
- Chronic wounds
- Fracture repair cat laser
- Intervertebral disc disease
- Lick granulomas
- Ear infections
- Anal gland abcesses
- Chronic stomatitis in cats
- Cystitis
- Inflammatory lung diseases eg. Feline asthma
How is the treatment delivered?
It is a very straight forward procedure. No sedation and almost no restraint is needed. laser2Treatment is not painful, in fact many patients find it relaxing and comforting as they experience a very pleasant warming sensation in the tissues being treated. It is not uncommon for them to be so relaxed that they go home and go straight to sleep after treatments.
Dr Marvin J.Firth will perform the treatments using our laser machine. You will be with your pet for the session and its great if you can feed them their favourite treats at the same time.
How often should a patient be treated?
Acute conditions may be treated daily or every other day particularly if they are accompanied by significant pain, eg. A severe infected wound. More chronic problems may need treatments 2-3 times a week to begin with tapering to once a week or every other week as improvements are seen.
How many treatments does it take?
This depends on the nature of the condition being treated. For some conditions 1-2 treatments may be enough. For more chronic conditions 6-10 sessions may be needed. Some conditions may require ongoing periodic treatments to control pain eg. 1 session every 3-4 weeks for ongoing osteoarthritis.
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