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A scoping review of the evidence for efficacy of acupuncture in companion animals.
Abstract: Acupuncture has become increasingly popular in veterinary medicine. Within the scientific literature there is debate regarding its efficacy. Due to the complex nature of acupuncture, a scoping review was undertaken to identify and categorize the evidence related to acupuncture in companion animals (dogs, cats, and horses). Our search identified 843 relevant citations. Narrative reviews represented the largest proportion of studies (43%). We identified 179 experimental studies and 175 case reports/case series that examined the efficacy of acupuncture. Dogs were the most common subjects in the experimental trials. The most common indication for use was musculoskeletal conditions, and the most commonly evaluated outcome categories among experimental trials were pain and cardiovascular parameters. The limited number of controlled trials and the breadth of indications for use, outcome categories, and types of acupuncture evaluated present challenges for future systematic reviews or meta-analyses. There is a need for high-quality randomized controlled trials addressing the most common clinical uses of acupuncture, and using consistent and clinically relevant outcomes, to inform conclusions regarding the efficacy of acupuncture in companion animals.
Publication Date: 2017-12-11 PubMed ID: 29224586DOI: 10.1017/S1466252317000068Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Scoping Review
Summary
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The research article explores the efficacy of acupuncture treatment in companion animals like dogs, cats, and horses. A scoping review conducted reveals a significant number of studies dedicated to this topic and a need for more high-quality randomized controlled trials to conclusively determine acupuncture’s efficacy.
Scope of the Research
- The research focused on a scoping review of different studies, reports, and trials related to the use of acupuncture in companion animals. The primary animals under study were dogs, cats, and horses.
- The authors managed to identify a large number of relevant citations (843) showing the popularity and debate over acupuncture’s efficacy in the veterinary field.
- The reviews and studies identified were categorized mainly as experimental studies, narrative reviews, and case series/reports. Among these, narrative reviews made up the largest proportion.
Key Findings
- An analysis of 179 experimental studies and 175 case reports/series was done to ascertain acupuncture’s efficacy. Dogs were commonly the subjects in these trials.
- Most of the animals received acupuncture treatment for musculoskeletal conditions, indicating the primary use case of acupuncture in animals.
- The research discovered that the most frequently examined outcome categories from these trials were pain and cardiovascular parameters, thus depicting what aspects the existing research majorly focuses on.
Challenges and Future Recommendations
- The study highlighted the challenges presented by the limited number of controlled trials and the wide range of indications for use, diagnosis, and types of acupuncture treatment assessed. This variability makes future systematic reviews and meta-analyses complicated.
- The paper concludes with a recommendation for more high-quality randomized controlled trials that cover the most common clinical uses of acupuncture. Such trials should use consistent, relevant outcomes to draw reliable conclusions about its efficacy for companion animals.
Cite This Article
APA
Rose WJ, Sargeant JM, Hanna WJB, Kelton D, Wolfe DM, Wisener LV.
(2017).
A scoping review of the evidence for efficacy of acupuncture in companion animals.
Anim Health Res Rev, 18(2), 177-185.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1466252317000068 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Biomedical Sciences,University of Guelph,Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1,Canada.
- Department of Population Medicine,University of Guelph,Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1,Canada.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences,University of Guelph,Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1,Canada.
- Department of Population Medicine,University of Guelph,Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1,Canada.
- Department of Epidemiology,Ottawa Methods Centre, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute,Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6,Canada.
- Department of Population Medicine,University of Guelph,Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1,Canada.
MeSH Terms
- Acupuncture Therapy / veterinary
- Animals
- Non-Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
- Pets
- Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
- Treatment Outcome
Citations
This article has been cited 12 times.- Lefort-Holguin M, Delsart A, Frézier M, Martin L, Otis C, Moreau M, Castel A, Lussier B, Martel-Pelletier J, Pelletier JP, Troncy E. Osteoarthritis in cats: what we know, and mostly, what we don't know. . . yet. J Feline Med Surg 2025 Jul;27(7):1098612X251347999.
- Kennedy U, Paterson MBA, Magalhaes RS, Callaghan T, Clark N. A Scoping Review of the Evidence on Prevalence of Feline Upper Respiratory Tract Infections and Associated Risk Factors. Vet Sci 2024 May 22;11(6).
- Chueainta P, Punyapornwithaya V, Tangjitjaroen W, Pongkan W, Boonyapakorn C. Acupuncture Improves Heart Rate Variability, Oxidative Stress Level, Exercise Tolerance, and Quality of Life in Tracheal Collapse Dogs. Vet Sci 2022 Feb 18;9(2).
- Harrison TM, Churgin SM. Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine in Zoological and Exotic Animal Medicine: A Review and Introduction of Methods. Vet Sci 2022 Feb 9;9(2).
- Gilberg K, Bergh A, Sternberg-Lewerin S. A Questionnaire Study on the Use of Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine for Horses in Sweden. Animals (Basel) 2021 Oct 30;11(11).
- Huang H, Zhang J, Gui F, Liu S, Zhong C, Wang T, Du H, He X, Cao L. Development of a Simple Single-Acupoint Electroacupuncture Frame and Evaluation of the Acupuncture Effect in Rabbits. Vet Sci 2021 Oct 5;8(10).
- Gaire TN, Scott HM, Sellers L, Nagaraja TG, Volkova VV. Age Dependence of Antimicrobial Resistance Among Fecal Bacteria in Animals: A Scoping Review. Front Vet Sci 2020;7:622495.
- Dowgray N, Comerford E. Feline musculoskeletal ageing: How are we diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal impairment?. J Feline Med Surg 2020 Nov;22(11):1069-1083.
- Baker-Meuten A, Wendland T, Shamir SK, Hess AM, Duerr FM. Evaluation of acupuncture for the treatment of pain associated with naturally-occurring osteoarthritis in dogs: a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded clinical trial. BMC Vet Res 2020 Sep 25;16(1):357.
- Hu Y, Liu Z. Historical Facts of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine-A Letter to the Editor Re: Magalhães-Sant'Ana, M. Animals 2019, 9, 168. Animals (Basel) 2020 Jul 15;10(7).
- Sargeant JM, O'Connor AM. Scoping Reviews, Systematic Reviews, and Meta-Analysis: Applications in Veterinary Medicine. Front Vet Sci 2020;7:11.
- Curtis L, Burford JH, England GCW, Freeman SL. Risk factors for acute abdominal pain (colic) in the adult horse: A scoping review of risk factors, and a systematic review of the effect of management-related changes. PLoS One 2019;14(7):e0219307.
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