Evaluation of Electro-Acupuncture for Management of Sedative-Associated Gastrointestinal Motility Changes in Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus): A Pilot Study

Electro-acupuncture (EAP) has been proposed as a potential intervention for decreased gastrointestinal (GI) motility in domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus); however, prospective studies evaluating this approach in clinical settings are lacking. Twelve juvenile New Zealand White rabbits (6 male, 6 female) underwent two sedation events in a complete crossover study conducted during 2 veterinary teaching laboratories 4 weeks apart. Following recovery from sedation, rabbits received one of two treatments: EAP or control (no acupuncture). Total pre- and post-treatment pellet consumption and fecal output were measured and compared between study groups. Gastrointestinal performance was evaluated at 24 hours post-sedation using cumulative pellet consumption, cumulative fecal output, and the difference between cumulative pellet consumption and fecal output. Apparent digestibility was also calculated and compared between groups and stratified by food intake, defined as heavy consumption (>181 g) or light consumption (<181 g). Electro-acupuncture treatment did not significantly alter cumulative pellet consumption or cumulative fecal output compared with controls. Apparent digestibility values, however, demonstrated significantly lower digestibility in rabbits consuming larger amounts of food compared with those consuming less (p=0.048). The lower values reflect that a greater proportion of consumed food was recovered as fecal material and may suggest accelerated GI transit in the acupuncture group (heavy food consumption rabbits). Although electro-acupuncture demonstrated some potential to influence GI motility in this pilot study, additional better controlled studies with larger sample sizes are needed to support the validity of findings from this study and to further evaluate clinical relevance.