Complementary Care

The integrative medicine staff brings many years of experience and advanced training to their patient care, helping to accelerate recovery and expand treatment options for post-surgical patients, seniors, and chronic or non-responsive physical challenges.

We provide therapies such as acupuncture, chiropractic care, and immunotherapy – these can be used to complement the standard veterinary care of issues as diverse as osteoarthritis, seizures, and allergies.

Acupuncture

The basis of acupuncture is the stimulation of specific points on the body that have the ability to alter various biochemical and physiological conditions to achieve the desired effect. These points are collections of specific nerve fibers and vessels. Modern research has described various physiological shifts following acupuncture. These include boosting the body's own natural pain-killers, anti-inflammatory agents, immune system functions, and hormonal activity.

Depending on the medical condition under treatment, most first visits last 30-40 minutes, with additional visits lasting 20-30 minutes. Generally treatments will be done once weekly for four to six weeks but this varies depending on the individual patient’s needs. Following the initial period, the intervals between appointments are increased to the extent possible to maintain comfort, healing, and relief of symptoms. For some patients appointments are eventually extended to every 6-8 weeks.

Please remember acupuncture is not a "cure all" or a one-time fix. Some diseases and conditions may not respond to acupuncture. It is not uncommon for owners to see improvement after the first session; however three to five sessions must be completed to accurately assess the effectiveness of acupuncture for a particular patient. Depending on the severity of the condition, some pets may not show signs of improvement until the sixth to eighth treatment.