Efeito da acupuntura no tratamento de animais com sequelas neurológicas decorrentes de cinomose

• Autor(a) principal: Santos, Bianca Paiva Costa Rodrigues dos [UNESP]
• Data de Publicação: 2013
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/11449/108599
• topic: Acupuntura veterinaria; Cão - Doenças; Cinomose - Complicações e sequelas; Medicina chinesa; Manifestações neurologicas; Veterinary acupuncture

Canine distemper is worldwide infectious and multisystemic disease, with high morbidity and mortality. When the neurological system is affected, the animals usually show severe clinical signs and sequels. As no treatment is available, euthanasia is commonly recommended under these circumstances. This study evaluated the effects of acupuncture in the treatment of neurological sequels in dogs with clinical and laboratory diagnosis of distemper. The 24 selected patients were RT-PCR positive for canine distemper, the neurological signs were stable and the CBC was normal 15 days before the treatment with acupuncture combined to electroacupuncture. All animals underwent weekly neurological examination and clinical signs were classified by degree according to a scale developed for the study. Statistical analysis was performed using McNemar's and Wilcoxon’s test to compare the proportions and medians of neurological changes before and after treatment respectively. Fisher test compared the percentage of animals showing cranial nerve changes and localization of the lesions and Kaplan- Meier curves evaluated the percentage of reversion of each clinical sign along treatment. Differences were considered significant when p < 0.05. Grades from III to V abnormal ambulation before treatment progressed to grades I or II in 79.2% and 12.4% respectively. The myoclonus which was present in 50% of the animals (12 of 24), reduced in all animals and was cured in 25% of the animals after treatment (3 of 12). Brain (18 of 24 animals), cranial nerve (18 of 24 animals) and urination (5 of 24 animals) changes were reversed in all cases. It was concluded that acupuncture combined to electroacupuncture is effective to treat neurological sequels of distemper and is currently the best therapeutic option available due to the high cure rate provided