NAVC highlights acupuncture for aging pets
by Katie Pfaff
The nonprofit veterinary professional organization, North American Veterinary Community (NAVC), discussed nontraditional medicine options at its “Level Up: Integrative Medicine” virtual meeting in April. Topics included herbal medicine and acupuncture for pets with arthritic pain, cancer, chronic renal failure, and improving QoL for elderly pets.
"As many people are open to integrative medicine to treat illness in humans, the same approaches are now being applied to help our pets live longer and enjoy a better quality of life," said Dana Varble, DVM, CAE, chief veterinary officer of NAVC. "The Level Up virtual summits are another example of how the NAVC is opening the door for veterinary professionals everywhere to learn about advances in animal healthcare that can be used immediately in their practices."
Level Up and other virtual events are hosted on NAVC’s VetFolio online portal and are an avenue for veterinary professionals to learn new material and to earn continuing education credits.
One subject, acupuncture, can offer an alternative to traditional treatment or where those treatments are not possible or have been unsuccessful. Acupuncture can be used to alleviate pain in a pet.
"Quality of life in geriatric animals is one of the top concerns for pet owners and their veterinarians,” said Huisheng Xie, BSvm, MS, PhD, professor of the Chi University, and emeritus professor at the University of Florida and the China Agricultural University. “Acupuncture works on the whole body by stimulating multiple internal systems that help the body respond to help with pain and even repair damaged tissue. What we achieve with acupuncture is that the animal maintains the highest quality of life as long as possible before the end of life which we can often extend another 3-5 years.”
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