Acupuncture isn't just for humans; veterinarians have been trying it out on a humpback-albino alligator, who also suffers from scoliosis.
Vets perform the procedure once a week, and it seems to be paying off.
Bino, the eight-year-old gator, is already able to move his back legs and twitch his tail again, the Daily Mail reported. He has lived at the Sao Paulo Aquarium, since 2007. Employees have seen the treatment work on other animals, so they decided to see if it would help Bino.
"We can perform acupuncture on any animal, what changes is its anatomy. There are some animals that we're not sure if the needles are in the right place, so we did an X-ray, and the needles were exactly where they were supposed to be," Daniela Cervaletti, a veterinarian that works with Bino, told the BBC.
The number of vets registered with the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture has risen by 50 percent over the past few years. There are now 900 members, the Daily Mail reported.
"There are many zoo veterinarians who use acupuncture, a number of equine practitioners who treat race horses with acupuncture, it's proven to be a useful treatment," Simon Flynn, executive director of the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture, told the Daily Mail. 'It's common with dogs and it's becoming increasingly common with cats. More veterinarians are seeing the worth of the treatment."
Vets tape Bino's jaw shut before performing the treatments, and then Cervaletti calmly pushes needles into the thick hide of his back.
The needles are inserted down Bino's spine, and around his painful hunchback. He doesn't seem to mind the procedure, and sits calmly as the needles are left in for several minutes.
Common conditions that respond to acupuncture are: "anxiety, asthma, arthritis, depression, high blood pressure, infertility, menstrual problems, migraines, rheumatism, skin conditions and ulcers," the Daily Mail reported.
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