positive pictures in China

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http://www.jphpk.gov.my/English/Apr03%2021G.htm

 

Pet acupuncture

By CINDY SUI

The Star, 21 Apr 2003

 

Affluent Chinese are doting on their pets by sending

them for an ancient healing treatment that was

initially meant for humans, writes CINDY SUI.

 

CHINA’S dogs and cats are succumbing to

acupuncturists’ needles with pet owners willing to

empty their wallets to cure their canine or feline

companions.

 

At the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the China

Agricultural University, one of the country’s leading

hospitals offering acupuncture for pets, a steady

stream of furry ones, some yelping in terror, take

turns being poked in the back and legs with 5cm-long

needles.

 

“In the past three years, there’s been an increase in

people seeking acupuncture for their pets,” said Lin

Degui, director of the hospital.

 

“It has to do with improved living standards. People

are doing better now, so they can think about taking

their pets to hospitals.”

 

The hospital is one of an increasing number of

veterinary clinics that treat pets using the ancient

Chinese medical practice.

 

China invented acupuncture and while for some 3,000

years it was used to treat humans, as well as large

farm animals, it was not widely applied to small

animals until recently because pet ownership in China

only took off in the mid-1990s.

 

Many workers who have been laid off or forced into

early retirement keep pets for company.

 

Parents concerned that their only child will grow up a

spoiled, self-centred “little emperor or empress” also

buy pets to teach them about responsibility and caring

for others.

 

“A lot of people are living in apartments now instead

of courtyard homes. Communications with people have

reduced and so more and more, they see animals as

family members,” Lin said.

 

At a cost of about 100 renminbi (RM45.60) per session

and sometimes much more, acupuncture is not cheap for

the Chinese, many of whom make only a few hundred

renminbi a month.

 

It can be more expensive than a regular doctor’s

visit.

 

“It’s like having a sick family member. We don’t care

about the costs,” said Chen Feiyan, whose Pomeranian

was receiving acupuncture for severe spinal pain.

 

Like many of the patients’ owners, Chen brought her

dog in after Western veterinary medicine failed.

 

“A doctor told us we should put him down, but we don’t

want to. We’ll try anything so he can get well,” Chen

said.

 

Despite growing interest in veterinary acupuncture in

China, it is still more popular in developed

countries.

 

In China, the number of pet acupuncturists is still

small and practitioners said they did not know the

exact figure. Veterinary colleges do not offer the

field as a major and instead, students take courses as

part of their general education.

 

“In Beijing, there are only about 20 to 30

veterinarians qualified to do this,” said Lin.

 

He Jingrong, a Beijing-based veterinary acupuncturist,

said the problem was most pet owners in China lack

awareness about how to care for their pets.

 

“In the countryside especially, if a dog gets sick,

the owners would just replace him with another one,”

he said.

 

“Chinese people’s attitude towards pets is different

from foreigners. In other countries, if a dog doesn’t

eat for one day, the owners take him to the vet right

away. In China, if a dog doesn’t eat for three days,

then the owners bring him in.

 

“Many people in rural areas still eat dogs. They

wouldn’t think about taking a dog to a hospital,” He

added.

 

But attitudes towards pets are slowly changing, owners

and veterinarians said.

 

Dogs, especially the Pekinese popular in Beijing, can

easily suffer from bulging or ruptured discs on their

spinal column, which can press against nerves and

leave the pets partially or completely paralysed.

 

Veterinary acupuncture has been successful at treating

spinal problems, such as sprains, as well as muscle

tension or indigestion.

 

Needles are inserted into “acupoints” – points along

the body which acupuncturists say correlate with the

body’s different organs.

 

By sticking needles in those areas, it is believed

that the flow of blood and qi (energy) is stimulated,

bringing about healing.

 

With 10 needles in his back, hindlegs and tail, Niu

Niu – a three-year-old Boston Terrier who twisted his

spine while dashing to greet a guest at the door – was

a picture of calm under an acupuncturist’s hands.

 

But his heavy breathing betrayed his fears.

 

“Don’t be nervous,” Niu Niu’s owner repeatedly coaxed,

as he held the dog’s front legs while snuggling up to

his face.

 

“This is his seventh time. He was very nervous the

first time. He barked and shifted around non-stop,”

said the owner’s wife, Zhu Mingyu.

 

The acupuncturist blamed Niu Niu’s accident on his

excessive weight, which created pressure on his spine.

After his injury, he could not stand on his hind legs

and lost control of his bladder.

 

After a few sessions, Niu Niu was able to use his legs

and regained control of his urination, but it will

take a few more sessions before he can run again, Zhu

said.

 

While the cost of treatment will keep many pets from

receiving such care, pet acupuncture, along with

China’s whole pet industry, is expected to sprout as

incomes rise and pet-care awareness spreads.

 

Already, pet supply shops are found everywhere in

cities while newspapers devote large sections to

pet-care.

 

Even farmers are trying to cash in on the newfound

love affair with pets, with a farmer near Beijing

turning his orchard into a pet cemetery.

 

“The way we see it is, if you decide to own a pet, you

have to be responsible to it,” said Niu Niu’s owner

Zhu. – AFP

 

 

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Friends of dogs

http://www.friendsofdogs.net

Dogs brighten our life with their gift to love and bond. It is our turn to help

our dogs. Please help organisations who are fighting to get dogs out of food

chain.

 

http://www.koreananimals.org/

http://sirius.2kat.net

http://www.animalsasia.org/ http://www.linisgobyerno.org/special_projects.htm

 

 

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