Pet Owners Turning To Alternative Medicines
Dogs And Cats Now Can Get Acupuncture, Treatment With Herbs And Massage To Help Insure Longer Life
Now, when it comes to their dogs and cats, many pet owners are turning to alternative medicine.
CBS 2 HD got a firsthand look at what’s easing the pain.
Francis was found abandoned and covered in sores three years ago. Doctors are using acupuncture to treat his painful arthritis..
“He gets afraid of things very easily, so for him to like something like getting needles stuck into him, it must make him feel better, so I think it works,” said Jennifer Genesi, Francis’ owner.
One treatment takes 20 minutes, and Dr. Bridget Halligan said most of her dog and cat patients respond after about four sessions spread over several weeks. She said it’s especially successful for pain management.
“You’ll have a 14-year-old German shepherd who, for the past two years, hasn’t been able to jump into the car, and we start doing acupuncture on them and then two months down the line, you know he jumped into the car the other day,” Dr. Halligan said.
Eastern medicine has been around for thousands of years, and it’s now getting more popular in the West as many people look for alternative ways to heal their pets.
The Center for Specialized Veterinary Care’s Dr. Lisa Donato uses chiropractic adjustments to treat patients like Miss Velvet, who suffers from scoliosis or curvature of the spine.
“Alright, I’m going to do an adjustment now,” Donato said. “It’s really a little twitch. It almost feels like it’s nothing being done.”
Bobo is 12 and has heart disease. Doctors said she’d need a pacemaker to survive, but Dr. Donato has improved her condition with Chinese herbs, acupressure and Chinese medical massage known as tui-na.
“This moves the chi in her blood so it doesn’t get stuck and cause pain and disease,” Donato said.
Donato said alternative treatments are successful in about 80 percent of her patients, and often work best in combination with conventional medicine.
If you’re interested in alternative medicine for your pets, make sure the veterinarian is certified in the specific treatment.
