Constipation: Cancer Complication in Cats
by Dr. Rachel Addleman, DVM, DiplABVP,
CVA
Veterinarian and Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Dr. Addleman has
advanced training and Board Certification in feline medicine. She practices
in Houston, Texas and can be found at
AnimalFixer.com
Andrew
is a 12 year old cat with intestinal cancer. His cancer is in remission,
but he suffers from constipation. The traditional treatment for constipation
is oral medication, which was helpful, but Andrew resisted taking it.
So Andrew’s owner looked into animal acupuncture, which has been practiced
in China for at least 2,000 years. Many clinical studies have documented
the benefits of acupuncture.
Andrew’s owner had limited knowledge of acupuncture but understood that
acupuncture was more than randomly placing needles all over the body.
Acupuncture is an exact treatment involving placing needles in local
and distal sites. For example, if a patient has arthritis of the hips,
local needles placed around the hip can provide significant pain relief.
Longer lasting pain relief is often obtained by placing needles far
away from the hips in distal points.
For Andrew’s first treatment, his owner held him on her lap while needles
were placed. This releases natural endorphins and calmed him. There
are hundreds of acupuncture points grouped into meridians, which are
channels connecting the points. Acupuncture points are used not only
to treat but also to diagnosis illness. If a point is sensitive, the
patient may have local pain or a problem with the meridian the point
lies on. In Andrew’s case, he was very sensitive over points on his
back, which are associated with the intestines. Andrew didn’t hold very
still for his first treatment, which lasted fifteen minutes. After his
first treatment, he slept most of the afternoon, as is common.
Andrew’s follow up treatment was a week later. He was calm and slept
during his second acupuncture treatment. By the third treatment, the
owner was able to reduce his traditional oral medication and today Andrew
rarely needs medication for constipation. Andrew seems to enjoy his
acupuncture, which he receives every six weeks for maintenance.
Andrew is an example of how well animals accept and respond to acupuncture
treatment. In addition to constipation, acupuncture can treat arthritis
or an injury, and can help manage skin allergies, chronic vomiting or
diarrhea, as well as balance the body when faced with cancer, kidney,
liver, or heart disease.