Alternative veterinary medicine


Alternative veterinary medicine is the use of alternative medicine in the treatment of animals. Types alternative therapies used for veterinary treatments may include, but are not limited to, acupuncture, herbal medicine, homeopathy, ethnomedicine and chiropractic.

Definition

The terms alternative veterinary medicine, complementary veterinary medicine, holistic veterinary medicine, and integrative veterinary medicine may be used as synonyms. The task force for complementary and alternative veterinary medicine for the American Veterinary Medical Association says that:

Description

In practice, alternative veterinary medicine may incorporate, but is not limited to, acupuncture, botanical medicine, chiropractic, homeopathy, massage therapy, and nutraceuticals. A veterinarian interested in alternative treatments may be a member of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association. The modalities comprising alternative veterinary medicine vary in their evidence for effectiveness.
According to the AHVMA, holistic medicine is humane. Use of blood tests, X-rays, and similar objective diagnostic techniques are minimized. Nearly every form of medicine and therapy used in alternative medicine for humans is also used in holistic veterinary medicine.