Isabell Cooper

Holistic Veterinary Medicine

“ It does not matter whether medicine is old or new, so long as it brings about a cure, It matters

not whether theories be eastern or western, so long as they prove to be true.”- Jen Hsou Lin

D.V.M., Ph.D (Complementary medicine for veterinary technicians and nurses (introduction))

The first time I came across holistic veterinary medicine, was towards the end of my childhood

dog charlie’s life. I was at North Star Veterinary Hospital, and my childhood dog was on the

floor unable to move from the pain in her joints. So Dr. Kim Krivet took some x-rays of charlie

and one thing in particular stood out. Her spine had spikes on each of the vertebrates which

shows that a case of severe arthritis was present. In that moment Dr. Krivet stated that she would

like to do some chiropractic work on charlie to see what it would do to help with the pain of

arthritis. So she took out a mat and had charlie lay down on the mat and after a few adjustments I

saw charlie stand up alert and ready to go. In that moment Dr. Krivet had used a mixture of

conventional and holistic medicine to help my childhood dog live out her final days in comfort.

That was when I started looking into holistic medicine, and what it really is.

What is Holistic Medicine?

When one thinks of holistic medicine, they think of acupuncture, chiropractic work, and herbal

remedies. Although they do play a large part into holistic medicine there is more that comes into

play. When it comes to holistic veterinary medicine, the goal is to help the body heal itself and

provide the patient with a higher quality of life through the use of natural methods such as herbal
remedies and acupuncture. However according to Nancy Scanlan in ​Complementary medicine

for veterinary technicians and nurses ​(Scanlan, 2011, page 2)​ ​“ Holistic medicine reflects the

idea that we need to look at a person or pet as a whole (body, mind, and spirit) and at healing

methods as a whole.” This statement means that holistic medicine should not only treat the

symptoms of a disease, it should also improve the quality of life for the patient. For example, a

morbidly obese animal had trouble breathing, most conventional veterinairians would perscribe a

medication. However a holistic veterinarian would ask the owner what they feed the patient, and

then prescribe a healthy diet and exercise for the animal to improve its quality of life. It is as if it

is a consistent trend in holistic veterinary medicine to know the entire background of the patient,

so that they can therefore determine the best course of action that will not only help the patient

quickly, but also help out the patient even more in the long run.

Organizations Involved:

Just like most subjects in veterinary medicine there is an organization for holistic veterinary

medicine, that is known as the American Holistic Veterinary Medicine Association (AHVMA).

This organization began at the Western States Veterinary Conference in 1982, when a group of

like minded veterinarians met with the intention of finding alternatives to conventional medicine,

decided to create a formal organization for holistic veterinary medicine (ahvma.org).The

founder/organizer of the AHVMA is Dr. Carvel Tiekert who set up everything in Maryland, by

collecting dues, publishing the organizations newsletter, and setting up AHVMA annual

conferences (ahvma.org). Overtime the organization grew to being able to have its own seat in
the American Veterinary Medical Association (or AVMA) house of delegates, as well as its own

scientific journal. (ahvma.org)

However what is an organization without a mission. Well, the mission of the AHVMA is the

following “The American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association is the mindful leader

elevating the veterinary professional through innovation, education, and advocacy of integrative

medicine.” (ahvma.org) This mission is accomplished through the five objectives that are listed

below.

● “ Advance and educate in the science and art of holistic veterinary care”

● “To promote the welfare of all species of animals and to extend to the agricultural

community and to the community at large the benefits of sound and progressive

leadership in the care and treatment of animals.”

● “To foster, maintain, and enlarge public understanding of the nature of holistic veterinary

medicine.”

● “To function as a forum to explore all the modalities considered to be in the field of

veterinary holistic medicine.”

● “To do all things necessary and desirable to further high standards in the care and

treatment of animals and the continuing education of doctors of veterinary medicine."

(ahvma.org)

These objectives allow the AHVMA to accomplish its mission of being an advocate of holistic

medicine, by educating the public, and further educating themselves on the latests practices in

holistic medicine.
There are other organizations that are also associates of the AHAMA that happen to be more

specific to their own specialties in holistic veterinary medicine. Some of these organizations can

include, American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture (AAAA), American Veterinary

Chiropractic Association (AVCA), and the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy (AVH). There

are also other organizations that have their own certifications, conferences, and scientific

journals just like the AHVMA. (ahvma.org)

Types of Holistic Veterinary Medicine.

There are several types of holistic veterinary medicine. These types of alternative medicines can

include sports medicine, chiropractic, acupuncture, herbal remedies, laser therapy, and more. All

of these types of alternative or holistic practices have the same purpose of looking at the animal,

as well as the plan of treatment as a whole and choosing what practice will not only work the

best, but will also improve the quality of life of the animal for not only short term, but also long

term.

Acupuncture:

According to a recent study by Habacher, Pittler and Ernst, in the ​Effectiveness of Acupuncture

in Veterinary Medicine Systematic Review,​ a study of how effective acupuncture really is in

veterinary medicine; “Acupuncture involves the stimulation of defined points on the skin

typically by inserting needles.” There are also sub parts of acupuncture that include

electroacupuncture, laser acupuncture, or even acupressure (Habacher, Pittler and Ernst, 2006.

page 1). The simulation of the defined points of the skin are meant to treat disorders of the “chi”

or “qi” which means “vital flow” in chinese. Although that is what acupuncture is meant to do
most people don't quite understand the underlying works of acupuncture, and it still remains a

mystery to most.

Chiropractic care:

According to Goldberg and Tomlinson in the ​Physical Rehabilitation for veterinary technicians

and nurses ​(Goldberg and Tomlinson, 2018, pages 390 to 397)​ ;​ chiropractic care is meant for

physical rehabilitation by managing pain, and restoring joint range of motion through a series of

adjustments that are often associated with the spine. Although other joints are involved in

chiropractic work, it is most often that the spine is adjusted, because it is believed that “the

nervous system is the master system of the body,” and that “ Alterations in spinal movement

adversely affect the nervous system's ability to regulate function.” (Goldberg and Tomlinson,

pages 390 to 397) Which means that it is believed that the alterations or adjustments of the spine

or other joints affect the nervous system and can help relieve pain while restoring joint range of

motion. Which can more than often help with arthritis like it did when my dog charlie had

arthritis and severe joint pain.

Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation:

The use of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation is the use of physical therapy, such as an exercise

plan to bring an animal back to its normal state post injury (ahvma.org). Most often this type of

alternative care is used for recovering after surgery, or traumatic injuries. There are several types

of sports medicine such as hydrotherapy, where animals can swim in water to work weak

muscles to regain their range of motion, or it can be used as a form of rehabilitation after surgery.

According to the Complementary medicine for veterinary technicians and nurses, sports

medicine is often used for larger animals such as horses, cows, and other large livestock animals.
Often because it is cheaper to do sports medicine but also because most holistic practices such as

chiropractic care is often harder to do on large animals, due to how large and dangerous they can

be.

Herbal Remedies or Medicine:

Herbal remedies or medicine is often referred to as the use of using plants as medicinal

properties to treat different conditions, as well as symptoms of diseases and is often used as an

alternative to medication (ahvma.org). Most often the herbs that are used are from China, India,

and other eastern countries. Although herbal medicine is the basis for today's pharmaceutical

care, this form of holistic care is most often the most dangerous especially without the

consultation of a veterinarian (Scanlan, 2011, pages 103-122)

Complementary Veterinary Medicine vs. Holistic Veterinary Medicine

It is most often recommended that a mixture of both holistic and conventional methods of care

are used. This is because conventional methods of care can be used to treat things immediately

such as trauma cases, while holistic methods of care can be used for recovery, and creating a

higher quality of life for a patient. However, that is not the case for some things. Most

veterinarians often look down on holistic medicine because there is so little research backing up

the effects of holistic medicine. Most veterinarians that use conventional methods are most often

not going to look at the whole picture whereas veterinarians that use holistic methods will ask

most of the important questions, that are more than often going to be about the habits of the

animals, or any other abnormalities. Conventional veterinarians are often going to be focusing on

the latest breakthroughs in medical technology, that are often most specific to a specific case as
well as significantly newer and more advanced than holistic methods of care. However, Holistic

veterinarians will rely on older methods that are often simpler than the conventional methods.

But there is a large difference between holistic and conventional medicine, most conventional

methods do not focus on the side effects of certain treatments, and most often those side effects

of those treatments are even worse that the actual medical diagnosis itself. According to Nancy

Scanlan “ A 2004 study showed that 1.2 million hospitalized patients experienced an adverse

drug reactions. 90% of these reactions were to drugs that were properly administered." (Scanlan,

2011, page 4). This shows that most conventional medicine is only about treating the specifics,

whereas holistic medicine is about looking at the whole picture of the animal life, genetic

information, environment, what the animal eats, and then picking the best method of care that

will benefit the patient in the long run.

Risks of Holistic Care

Just like with any other method of care there are also risks associated with holistic veterinary

medicine. With large animals there is a risk to the veterinarian treating the large animal if they

are not careful, as well as a risk to the animal if they move during difficult parts of a procedure

that requires the animal to be still. There are also unlicensed professionals, and online sources

that pet owners will seek out and consult rather than a veterinarian. This most often results in

doing more harm than good to an animal. So if a pet owner wants to consult someone about a

method of holistic care, make sure to consult a veterinarian to make sure that the method is safe

for an animal. (Scanlan, 2011)

Map of Holistic Veterinary Medicine

While researching these methods of holistic veterinary medicine, I came across a large issue in

this field of work. There are often less veterinarians that practice holistic care, and the majority

that do only practice on small animals. This has led me to do some of my own original research

on how many veterinarians are in North Carolina and how many of them practice holistic

veterinary medicine. So far I have found 28 veterinarians that are registered with the AHVMA

with the large majority of them only practicing on small animals. (ahvma.org) This is a large gap

in the standard of care among both large and small animals, but also a larger gap between the

standard of care between both humans and animals. Although it is a work in progress, it is a start

of something that will allow better communication among veterinarians, and a source for owners

that are looking for veterinarians that will practice holistic medicine. Therefore below is the link

to that resource that can be interacted with online.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1IbJ6F5DKpWhZb8b6p4Obf26TGSNpWioy&ll=

35.63517008563672%2C-79.94054186406248&z=7

Conclusion

In short holistic veterinary medicine is a natural way to heal the body, mind, and spirit as a

whole. There are also several ways to do that other than just acupuncture and chiropractic care.

There are also herbal remedies, sports medicine, aromatherapy, and several other forms of

holistic care. However, always make sure that you consult a veterinarian before trying any form

of holistic medicine that is found from an unlicensed person, or an online source. The American

Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, is a great place to look for other sources on holistic

veterinary medicine, organizations, as well as other veterinarians that practice holistic veterinary

medicine. Such as Dr. DeGraff James DVM who specializes in herbal remedies for small

animals in Cornelius, North Carolina. The AHVMA also has a scientific journal with several

case studies on holistic veterinary medicine. Although the map is a work in progress, I still plan

to add more to the map as time progresses. With that in mind I still plan to continue researching

ways to close the gap of the standard of care between both humans and animals.
Sources:

1. Ahvma.org. (n.d.). Retrieved October 5, 2018, from https://www.ahvma.org/

2. Goldberg, M. E., & Tomlinson, J. (2018). ​Physical rehabilitation for veterinary

technicians and nurses​. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell.

3. Scanlan, N. (2011). ​Complementary medicine for veterinary technicians and nurses​.

Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.

4. Habacher, G., Pittler, M. H., & Ernst, E. (2006). Effectiveness of Acupuncture in

Veterinary Medicine: Systematic Review. ​Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine,

20​(3), 480. doi:10.1892/0891-6640(2006)20[480:eoaivm]2.0.co;2

5. Morris, T. F., & Keilty, M. T. (2006). ​Alternative health practices for livestock.​ Ames,

IA: Blackwell Pub.