Sedative effect of acepromazine micro dose in yintang acupoint in dogs

Abstract

Objectivo. Este estudo procura avaliar o nível de sedação e os efeitos sobre a frequência cardíaca, frequência respiratória, temperatura rectal e pressão arterial resultantes da injecção no acuponto Yin Tang, de 0.005 mg/kg de acepromazina e comparar os resultados com aqueles da administração intramuscular de 0.05 mg/kg de acepromazina. Materiais e Métodos. Foram submetidos ao estudo um total de 6 cães de raça indeterminada com idades compreendidas entre 1 e 5 anos de idade e pesos entre 4 e 33 kg. 3 cães foram submetidos à técnica de fármacopuntura com injecção no acuponto Yin Tang de 0.005 mg/kg de acepromazina e 3 cães à técnica de injecção intramuscular de 0.05 mg/kg de acepromazina. O ponto de acupuntura Yin Tang encontra-se na depressão presente na linha dorsal média entre as sobrancelhas do cão.

Acupuncture is part of Chinese medicine and has been used for more than 2000 years. Pharmacopuncture is a more recent way of practicing acupuncture by converging the acupuncture effect with the drug effect. This method still needs much scientific research but studies already show that is possible to administer a small amount of drug in specific acupuncture points to obtain a similar effect than that of western medicine treatments where a conventional dose is administered. This study, tried to scratch the surface of pharmacopuncture's research by administering 1/10 of the acepromazine dose at Yin Tang, a acupuncture point indicated for sedation in dogs, to a group of 3 dogs (GPP) and comparing the sedation score, heart rate, respiratory rate, rectal temperature and arterial blood pressure, before and after sedation, with a group of 3 dogs (G1) that received a intramuscular injection of acepromazine at the dose of 0.05 mg/kg. The results, in a clinical perspective show that pharmacopuncture method caused a similar effect when compared to the conventional dose. Sedation by this method seems promising but further extensive scientific research must be made do bring this methods to western practitioners in clinical practice.