Many animals relax during treatment that lasts anywhere from 10 seconds to 30 minutes and remain calm for a day or two, and some animals may seem worse for up to 48 hours after treatment. Voynick said that the average acupuncture treatment at his clinic is about 12 minutes. Some simple ailments or injuries can be treated once, but more complex problems take longer to resolve. Weekly treatments are not unusual, and acute cases can take up to three treatments per week. Once improvement is shown, treatments can taper off.
Physical examination is as critical to acupuncture as it is to modern veterinary medicine.
Practitioners observe the animal for external signs of illness such as dull eyes and coat, uncharacteristic body odor, elevated or depressed temperature or respiratory rate, and discharges. They also check pulse rate, palpate the abdomen, manipulate joints do x-rays, and question the owner about changes in daily behavior patterns, food and water intake, defecation, urination, breeding history, vaccinations, and history of medications and reactions. Much of the examination may be done by the dog s regular doctor, who then sends the information to the acupuncturist. In the paper they present to the OVMA conference, Priscilla Taylor Limehouse DVM and John Limehouse DVM noted six methods by which traditional Chinese medicine practitioners diagnose disease and develop treatment plans. Of these, two are preferred by small animal practitioners Eight Principles and Zang Fu pathology.