Alternative pet health remedies

A note from the Animal House

It may sound odd to some, but the use of alternative techniques (such
as acupuncture or massage therapy) is becoming more and more common
for treating the health problems of pets.

And I’ve witnessed this first hand. For a little over a year now, I’ve
had my dogs treated for arthritis, anxiety and allergies using
acupuncture. So I wasn’t entirely surprised when I came across a
recent Washington Post article that detailed these remarkable success
stories:

* Veterinarians recommended surgery as the only hope of survival for a
6-year-old dog whose hind legs were paralyzed. Instead, the dog’s
owner turned to acupuncture, which restored the dog’s ability to walk.
The dog lived for another seven years.

* A 3-year-old dog, paralyzed by a herniated disc, fully recovered its
ability to walk and run after several months of acupuncture.

* After a degenerative neurological disorder left a 14-year-old dog
unable to move its rear legs, swimming therapy restored much of the
use of the legs and gave the dog an energy boost as well. Swimming
therapy (sometimes used on thoroughbred horses) has been shown to
relieve arthritis and strengthen muscles without putting pressure on
joints.

In addition to swimming therapy and acupuncture, some vets use Chinese
herbal formulations and deep tissue massage, which stimulates
circulation and eases inflammation, just as it does in humans.
According an American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) survey,
massage is the most common alternative therapy for pets. Some
veterinary clinics even offer classes in animal massage for pet owners
and their pets.

In 1999, AAHA estimated that more than 30 percent of pet owners had
tried an alternative therapy on their animals, up from only six
percent just three years earlier.

This is a subject we’d like to explore more thoroughly at HSI. If
you’ve ever used an alternative therapy to help your pet, please send
us an e-mail to share your experience. The American Veterinary Medical
Association has recognized the usefulness of acupuncture and other
alternative therapies, so we’d be very interested in hearing from
veterinarians as well.

“Alternatives for Chronically Ill Pets” Pamela Oldham, The Washington
Post, 8/15/04, washingtonpost.com
“What’s Your Alternative?” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical
Association, 9/15/04, avma.org