Acupuncture treatment for cervical intervertebral disc degeneration in canines—a retrospective study

Abstract Cervical intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is a broad term encompassing a range of lesions caused by degenerative changes in the cervical intervertebral discs. The purpose of this study was to explore and validate an acupuncture treatment protocol aligned with the principles of syndrome differentiation and treatment in veterinary medicine through the analysis of epidemiological characteristics observed in clinical cases. This retrospective study included 82 canine patients with cervical IVDD who received acupuncture treatments. Among these cases, 70% were small-breed canines, 76% were male, and the mean age was 10.07 ± 3.99 years. In most cases, the affected region was located between C5 and C7, and a correlation was found between monthly incidence and temperature variation. Applying the principle of point selection based on syndrome differentiation, the total effective rate of acupuncture treatment in this group was 79%. In a prospective study, the same acupuncture treatment scheme achieved a total effective rate of 93%, indicating outcomes compared to the retrospective data. The high recovery rate observed suggests that acupuncture may be a viable treatment option for canine cervical IVDD.