What is Integrative Veterinary Medicine and how do I know if it's something my pet needs?

Let's keep it simple and start with the basics. Integrative Medicine is a medical approach that involves a combination of conventional Western diagnostics and treatments with complementary evidence-based therapies to optimize health and wellness. Complementary therapies that fall under the umbrella of integrative medicine might commonly be referred to as alternative or holistic. Generally speaking, these therapies offer a targeted, more conservative and often less invasive approach, and are therefore usually associated with fewer overall side effects. Some of the common "alternative" therapies available to pets include, but are not limited to:

• Acupuncture

• Herbal therapy

• Laser therapy

• Massage therapy

• Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF)

• Medical manipulation

• Food therapy

• Tui-na

• Cannabis therapy

So...what diseases and conditions might benefit from treatment with these therapies?

Well, to name a few:

• Osteoarthritis (OA)

• Degenerative joint disease (DJD)

• Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD)

• Traumatic spinal injury resulting in partial or full paralysis

• Wobbler's Syndrome (cervical spinal instability)

• Post-surgical pain and muscle disuse atrophy (Example: Post-TPLO)

• Idiopathic epilepsy

• Degenerative myelopathy (DM)

• Autoimmune diseases (dependent on symptoms and severity)

• Gastrointestinal disorders (Examples: Inflammatory bowel disorder, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency)

• Neuropathies (Examples: megacolon, incontinence)

• Chronic organ insufficiency (Examples: chronic kidney or liver disease, congestive heart failure)

• Cancer

If you briefly scanned the list above, it may have become apparent that one overarching symptom shared by many of the conditions mentioned is pain. Whether pain is acute or chronic, mild or severe, and focal (affecting one part of the body) or more generalized (as with osteoarthritis), pain is one thing that can be difficult to manage. Pain is unique to each individual, and it should be treated as such. Therefore, an integrative approach to managing a pet's pain may involve a multi-modal treatment plan to optimize the patient's health and wellbeing.

Wow...should I be considering alternative therapies for my pet?

There are several reasons one might start to seek alternative therapies for their pet. Uncontrolled pain might be one reason to seek additional therapy to meet your pet's needs, but keep in mind that it isn't always pain, and it isn't always only pain. When the prescribed medications aren't doing the trick, or perhaps your pet doesn't tolerate the prescribed medication(s), or perhaps as an owner, you simply prefer a more conservative, targeted approach to managing your pet's condition, you may start to consider something...alternative.

Until next time...

I hope that this introduction to the topic of integrative veterinary medicine has been helpful.

Dr. Rachel

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." - Anatole France