The use of traditional chinese veterinary medicine; dry needle acupuncture integrated with conventional veterinary medicine for impaction colic treatment in horse: a clinical case report
A 4-year-old, 239 kilograms, Thai native gelding was presented with a history of downcast, decrease
appetite, reduced water intake, and no defecation seen in 4 days. It showed the clinical signs of moderate to
severe abdominal pain which could be from being fed with corn silage (bovine roughage) for a week instead of grass
or hay. The veterinary clinician decided to perform Chinese traditional treatment; dry needle acupuncture, in
combination with conventional veterinary medicine after several days of conventional treatment with no signs of
improvement. Such integration had led to gradual changes such as the improvement of vital signs, responsiveness,
increase appetite and normal defecation. Additionally, treatment complications as well as the recurrent signs
of colic were absent. Although conventional veterinary medicine is generally accepted worldwide, Chinese
acupuncture is an interesting alternative treatment which could be integrated in order to maximize the treatment
effectiveness and to minimize any complications from conventional colic treatment.
Keywords
horse, impaction colic, acupuncture, integrative medicine