Guide
The units and terms used in every point description on this site. Read once, use everywhere.
How a Cun Is Measured in Animals
The cun (寸) is a proportional unit, not a centimetre, so it scales with the size of the animal in front of you. In veterinary practice these are the usual references:
- 1 cun = the width of the last rib at its widest point — the reference used most often.
- 1.5 cun, the distance used for the back-shu points (BL-13 to BL-28), is measured lateral from the dorsal midline; in a medium dog that is roughly 2-4 cm. Confirm it by palpating the groove beside the epaxial muscles.
- 3 cun = the width of four of your own fingers held together — a quick estimate on a medium-sized animal.
What matters most are the bony landmarks and muscle grooves — the cun figure is only an approximation, so always confirm by palpation.
Point Categories
- Yuan-source
- Where the source qi of the channel gathers; used to tonify or regulate that organ directly.
- He-sea
- Where qi flows deepest into the organ; used for internal disease and the large joints.
- Ting point / Jing-well
- At the nail bed; used in emergencies and for bleeding technique. Very painful — leave them until last.
- Back-shu
- On the bladder channel beside the spine; each one is tied to an organ, e.g. BL-23 to the kidney.
- Front-mu
- On the ventral trunk where an organ’s qi collects; paired with that organ’s back-shu point.
- Luo-connecting
- Links a yin channel to its paired yang channel; used when signs cross both.
- Influential point
- Influences one tissue throughout the body — GB-34 for sinews, BL-17 for blood, BL-11 for bone.
- Command point
- Governs a region — LI-4 the face and mouth, BL-40 the back, ST-36 the abdomen.
- Four Gates
- LI-4 with LIV-3, bilaterally; opens circulation and relieves pain throughout the body.
Advertisement
Needle Sizes in Practice
- Cats and small-breed dogs: 0.16-0.20 × 13-25 mm
- Medium-breed dogs: 0.20-0.25 × 25-40 mm
- Large dogs (hip and thick muscle): 0.25-0.30 × 40-50 mm
- Face, digits and the chest wall: the finest needle, inserted shallowly only.
Needles are usually retained 15-20 minutes (start at 5-10 in a restless animal). For electroacupuncture, 2-4 Hz is used for lasting analgesia and 20-100 Hz to release muscle spasm, with the pair bracketing the lesion.
Contraindications and Cautions
- Never needle through infected skin, an open wound, or directly into a tumour.
- Pregnancy: avoid LI-4, SP-6, GB-21, BL-60, CV-3, CV-4, CV-6 and all caudal abdominal points.
- Over the thorax (LU-1, BL-13 to BL-21, CV-17, SP-21, LIV-14): oblique and shallow only — perpendicular insertion risks pneumothorax.
- Along the dorsal midline and neck: never deep enough to reach the spinal canal, especially in cats and small dogs.
- CV-3 and the caudal abdomen: let the animal urinate first; never needle over a full bladder.
- Bleeding disorders or thrombocytopenia: no bleeding technique (ER-JIAN, SHAN-GEN, WEI-JIAN, ting points).
- An animal that cannot be safely restrained: assess the risk to the patient and to yourself first.
- Acupuncture is adjunctive; it does not replace conventional diagnosis and treatment.
Start at the Point Search or Browse by Condition