Lucky, a 3-year-old Dachshund, lay on an examination table as a vet was prepping him for a needle treatment for his lame hind leg.

He looked frightened and was whining piteously at his owner, seemingly begging her to let him go home.

But after several needle pricks, he calmed down and unexpectedly turned sleepy-eyed, said Hou Duojia, Lucky's owner, recalling the first time she took Lucky for an acupuncture treatment.