Alternative therapies for pets

More and more vets are using alternative therapies and alternative approaches to animal health. Sometimes treating a seriously ill animal can be frustrating and upsetting, both for the animal involved and the owner of the pet. Less invasive alternative remedies and therapies are not always acknowledged as a valid way to treat animals but research shows that pets can actually benefit from therapies such as acupuncture.

Pets Unlimited in San Francisco is one of the first animal hospitals to use alternative treatments like acupuncture and herbal remedies to cure animals. The holistic approach of this hospital is not for everyone but most pet lover would agree that any treatment that could cure his or her pet is a good one. He hospital cares for the body and the soul with nurturing and calming background sounds and soothing colors on the walls of the treatment rooms.

The Maryland-based American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association has more than 800 members nationwide. But even though this type of animal treatment is becoming more popular some vets approach the field of alternative medicine for animals with skepticism. The American Veterinary Medical Association recently commented on guidelines for alternative medical treatment techniques for animals that they are "open to their consideration."

Pet owners do not really care if the treatments are accepted or not. The owner of a pug whose face was paralyzed knows that acupuncture eventually cured her animal and that is what matters to her. Alternative treatments will become more accepted in the same way that people now think of these treatments as normal.