Acupuncture Treatment of Diarrhoea Condition in Tropical Sheep and Cattle

2013

English

The article presents information on studies of acupuncture treatment of diarrhea in tropical sheep and cattle in the Coastal Savannah ecological zone of Ghana. Ten Djallonke sheep and 10 Sanga calves with acute diarrhoea condition were subjected to Pi-Yu point of acupuncture for 30 minutes in three consecutive days as a curative measure, while 10 animals of each species in similar health condition were left untreated for seven days. All the treated sheep and calves recovered from the diarrhoea condition by the third- and fourth-days following treatment respectively, whereas none of the untreated animals recovered during the seven-day experimental period. The latter, however, recovered from the diarrhoea condition following antibiotic treatment. No detrimental effects or any detectable changes in behaviour resulting from the acupuncture procedure were observed in the treated animals during the experimental period. The simplicity, low cost and efficacy of acupuncture treatment of diarrhoea, as shown in the present study, call for attention to the use of acupuncture as an alternative tool in health management of livestock in the tropics.

Osei, D. Y.; Apori, S. O.; Osafo, E. L. K.