I always say to my students that Bladder Meridian points are a gateway to Acupuncture. The Bladder Meridian is one of the first meridians covered in the Certificate in Animal Acupuncture as it contains some very powerful points.

Bladder Meridian Points are not only super-important in terms of their impact on the body, they are also:

• Very easy to access for needling (many of them being on the back of the animal)
• Needling of these points is usually well tolerated by most animals
• Are used for treating back issues & back pain.

By learning to use Bladder Points, you can learn to influence all main Chinese Organs in the body.

Here, it is useful to introduce the concept of Association Points. Association Points are specifically linked to the function of internal Organs and they can be used for both diagnosis (by palpating the points) and treatment (by needling the points).

Association Points are located on both sides of the spine roughly in line with the autonomic innervation of the organs they affect - how cool!

So, let’s dive into my top 10 Bladder Meridian Points in Small Animals. I won’t lie, it was quite difficult to cull down the list to 10 points!

(The video above shows a simple needling technique for BL21 and a similar needling technique can be applied to most back Bladder Points).

Cheat Summary

If you don’t have the time to read through the blog post, here is my run down. Note that Organ Association Points are usually located in line with the innervation (rough position) of the Western organs.

All back Bladder Points can also be used to treat spinal problems (including back pain) at that level of the spine.

BL10 - located posterior to the atlas, on both sides. Used for neck pain, calms the mind, treats epilepsy, tremors & infections.

BL11 - located on both sides of the spine at the level of thoracic vertebra 1 (T1). Used for any bone disease, arthritis, and intervertebral disk disease.

BL13 - located on both sides of the spine at the level of T3 (level with the lungs). Association Point for the Lung, treats all forms of Lung issues (e.g. infections, coughing, asthma, allergies).

BL15 - located on both sides of the spine at T5 (level with the Heart). Association Point for the Heart, treats cardiac issues and emotional issues (anxiety and insomnia).

BL18 - located on both sides of the spine at T10 (level with the liver). Association Point for the Liver. Used for liver (hepatic) issues, tendon issues, reproductive issues, and anger/frustration.

BL20 - located on both sides of the spine at T12 (level with the spleen). Association Point for the Spleen, supports and nurtures digestion for all digestive problems, chronic illness, and lethargic animals.

BL21 - located on both sides of the spine at T13 (last rib). Association Point for the Stomach, supports the intake of food into the Stomach, often used with BL20 to treat digestive issues.

BL23 - located on both sides of the spine at lumbar vertebra 3 (L3, level with the kidneys). Association Point for the Kidneys, used to treat kidney & urinary problems, lower back & knee pain, and issues with aging and reproduction.

BL25 - located on both sides of the spine at L6. Association Point for the Large Intestine, used to treat disorders of egestion (constipation & diarrhea).

BL28 - level with sacral vertebra 2 (S2). Association Point for the Bladder, used to treat urinary issues such as UTIs, bladder stones and incontinence.

Acupoint #1 Bladder 10

Bladder 10 is an underrated point, in my opinion. In Small Animals, Bladder 10 is located posterior to the atlas, on both sides, about 1.5 cm from the dorsal midline in a big dog and 5 mm in a small dog.

Bladder 10 is important because it is one of the few true meridian acupoints of the neck. Humans having quite a small neck, there are not that many true acupoints on their neck - however if you think of a dog or a horse, their neck is plenty long and can have multitude issues along it. Due to its position, BL10 is perfect for treating issues with the atlas or axis.

Bladder 10 is thus used to treat neck issues, calm the mind (calm animals), and expel Wind from the head (which in Western terminology means treating tremors, epilepsy, and clearing infections). 

Bladder 10 is located posterior to the atlas in dogs, in a depression on both sides of the neck © Image Animal Acupuncture Academy.

Acupoint #2 Bladder 11

Following down the neck (and quite a long way down), we will find Bladder 11, which is located just posterior to thoracic vertebra 1 on both sides of the neck. To find BL11, you will need to ask the dog/cat to lower its head using a treat, and then palpate the spine to find T1 (note you can’t palpate C7 so the first vertebra you feel is T1).

BL11 is an Influential Point for Bone, which means it can be used to treat any bone or joint issues. Did you know that 35% of dogs above the age of 2 and 80% of dogs over the age of 8 have osteoarthritis? BL11 is a perfect point for all these animals.

BL11 influences all bones, but has a special effect on back bones and thus can be used for intervertebral disk disease as an adjunct point.

Bladder 11 is located on both sides of thoracic vertebra 1 (T1) in dogs © Image Animal Acupuncture Academy.

Acupoint #3 Bladder 13

Bladder 13 is located just posterior to thoracic vertebra 3 on both sides of the neck, just in front of the scapulas. To find it, just continue counting vertebrae from T1 downwards (look at the image above).

Bladder 13 is the Association Point for the Lung and can thus influence a multitude of Lung functions. As you may have noticed it is located roughly where the lungs are, looking at the dog from the side.

Bladder 13 can thus be used to treat Lung infections, coughs, bronchitis, asthma and allergies/rhinitis.

Acupoint #4 Bladder 15

Bladder 15 is located just posterior to thoracic vertebra 5, behind the scapulas. To find it, just continue counting vertebrae from T1 downwards (look at the image above).

Bladder 15 is the Association Point for the Heart, and in Chinese Medicine can be used to treat both cardiac and mental health issues. While these two issues might seem unrelated, even Western culture thinks of the heart as the seat of emotions (e.g. ‘dying of a broken heart’).

Bladder 15 is extremely useful to treat anxiety and insomnia (which of course are related, even in animals).

Acupoint #5 Bladder 18

From here on we have quite a jump in points along the back as Bladder 18 is located just behind thoracic vertebra 10. Bladder 18 relates to the function of the Liver and is located roughly in line with the position of the Liver in the body.

The function of the Liver in Chinese Medicine is a little different to the function of the Liver in Western Medicine. In Western Medicine, the liver’s role is to maintain the right levels of chemicals in the blood. The Chinese version of the Liver is responsible for storing Blood (not Western blood - just a thicker version of Chi) and circulating Chi smoothly in all directions. 

Because of this, it can be hard to explain to novices how to use Bladder 18 in acupuncture. 

Bladder 18 can be used to treat proper liver issues (jaundice & hepatic issues) but also issues as wide as reproductive issues (which require healthy blood circulation), eye problems (the Chinese Liver is related to the eyes), tendon problems, and for detoxification and to help dissolve masses. That’s quite a list!

Bladder 18 is located on both sides of thoracic vertebra 10 (T10) in dogs. Note the 13th rib is missing on this skeleton model. © Image Animal Acupuncture Academy.

Acupoint #6 Bladder 20

I have to say, Bladder 20 is one of my favourite points in acupuncture. Bladder 20 is located on both sides of thoracic vertebra 12 (the penultimate thoracic vertebra). To find BL20, it is easier to find the last rib (attached to T13) and move 1 vertebra up towards the head.

BL20 is located above the spleen organ and is the Association Point for the Spleen. It can be used to treat a wide range of digestive issues - in Chinese Medicine, the Spleen is seen as the powerhouse of digestion (more so than the Stomach).

Importantly, Chinese Medicine recognizes the huge influence of nutrition and digestion in health and disease processes. For any chronically sick or lethargic animal, supporting and nurturing digestion is a key way to support the animal in making a swift recovery.

Bladder 20 is located on both sides of thoracic vertebra 12 (T12) in dogs. Note the 13th rib is missing on this skeleton model. © Image Animal Acupuncture Academy.

Acupoint #7 Bladder 21

Bladder 21 is located on both sides of thoracic vertebra 13 (the last thoracic vertebra, associated with the last rib) and is the Association Point for the Stomach.

Its role is similar to BL20 in that it aids digestion, but it is more related to the process of intake of food into the Stomach itself. Thus BL21 is a great point to increase food intake and treat nausea, vomiting, and sour regurgitation.

BL20 and BL21 are often used together to improve digestion (see BL25 later too).

Bladder 21 is located on both sides of thoracic vertebra 13 (T13) in dogs. Note the 13th rib is missing on this skeleton model. © Image Animal Acupuncture Academy.

Acupoint #8 Bladder 23

Bladder 23 is located on the sides of lumbar vertebra 3. The easiest way to find BL23 is to find the last rib (attached to T13) and then count towards the tail for L1, L2 and L3 (you will find that the spine of lumbar vertebrae is higher than that of thoracic vertebrae).

BL23 is located over the kidneys and is thus related to the function of the Kidneys. However, the Kidneys in Chinese Medicine are much more than the kidneys in Western Medicine. In Chinese Medicine, the Kidneys not only relate to nephrological and urinary issues, but also to issues with aging, reproduction, deafness, and lower back and knee pain.

While these issues seem unrelated at first, if you think of an elderly person or animal, you will often find that they have all or most of the above issues, related to the decline in their Kidney energy.

Bladder 23 is located on both sides of lumbar vertebra 3 (L3) in dogs. Note the 13th rib is missing on this skeleton model. © Image Animal Acupuncture Academy.

Acupoint #9 Bladder 25

Bladder 25 is located on both sides of the spine of the 6th lumbar vertebra. To find BL25 you can either count lumbar vertebrae from the last rib onwards, or find the lumbosacral space (a big dip in the midline in between the iliac crests) and then count 2 lumbar vertebrae towards the head.

Bladder 25 is the Association Point of the Large Intestine and is roughly located over the large intestine.

In Chinese Medicine, the Large Intestine is mostly related to the process of egestion/defecation (rather than true digestion - which is the responsibility of the Spleen), so BL25 can be used for disorders of egestion such as constipation and diarrhea. It can also be used to encourage emotional ‘let-go’.

Bladder 25 is located on both sides of lumbar vertebra 6 (L6) in dogs. Note the 13th rib is missing on this skeleton model. © Image Animal Acupuncture Academy.

Acupoint #10 Bladder 28

Bladder 28 is found at the level of the second sacral vertebra, which requires a little bit of palpation to find. First, start by finding the lumbosacral space (big dip along the dorsal midline between the iliac crests) and then palpate towards the tail to find S1 and S2.

Bladder 28  is located above the bladder and is the Association Point of the Bladder. Bladder 28 is used to treat urinary issues such as UTIs, bladder stones and urinary incontinence.

Bladder 28 is found lateral to sacral vertebra 2, about 2 cm from the midline in big dogs and 0.5-1 cm in small dogs. © Image Animal Acupuncture Academy.

In Summary

I hope you enjoyed this whirlwind tour of the top #10 Bladder Meridian Points. The Bladder Meridian is the first meridian we cover as part of the Certificate in Animal Acupuncture, as its points are so useful.

If you are interested in joining us in the Certificate in Animal Acupuncture, you can enrol here.