Acupuncture has become increasingly popular in veterinary medicine. Within the scientific literature there is debate regarding its efficacy. Due to the complex nature of acupuncture, a scoping review was undertaken to identify and categorize the evidence related to acupuncture in companion animals (dogs, cats, and horses). Our search identified 843 relevant citations. Narrative reviews represented the largest proportion of studies (43%). We identified 179 experimental studies and 175 case reports/case series that examined the efficacy of acupuncture. Dogs were the most common subjects in the experimental trials. The most common indication for use was musculoskeletal conditions, and the most commonly evaluated outcome categories among experimental trials were pain and cardiovascular parameters. The limited number of controlled trials and the breadth of indications for use, outcome categories, and types of acupuncture evaluated present challenges for future systematic reviews or meta-analyses. There is a need for high-quality randomized controlled trials addressing the most common clinical uses of acupuncture, and using consistent and clinically relevant outcomes, to inform conclusions regarding the efficacy of acupuncture in companion animals.

中文翻译：

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针灸对伴侣动物疗效证据的范围审查

针灸在兽医学中越来越受欢迎。在科学文献中，对其功效存在争议。由于针灸的复杂性，进行了范围审查，以识别和分类与伴侣动物（狗、猫和马）针灸相关的证据。我们的搜索确定了 843 条相关引用。叙述性评论占研究的最大比例（43%）。我们确定了 179 项实验研究和 175 份病例报告/病例系列，以检查针灸的功效。狗是实验试验中最常见的受试者。最常见的使用指征是肌肉骨骼疾病，实验试验中最常评估的结果类别是疼痛和心血管参数。有限数量的对照试验和广泛的使用适应症、结果类别和针灸类型评估对未来的系统评价或荟萃分析提出了挑战。需要进行高质量的随机对照试验，以解决针灸最常见的临床用途，并使用一致和临床相关的结果，以得出关于针灸对伴侣动物疗效的结论。