Integrative veterinary medicine is a comprehensive medical approach to pet care that combines the best of conventional medicine and complementary and alternative therapies. This type of veterinary practice focuses on treating the whole animal, and each animal as an individual. It is the partnership between the client and the veterinarian, and use of all appropriate therapeutic options to achieve optimal wellness for your pet.
The goal of an integrative approach to veterinary medicine is to provide clients with all the options for pet care available. This is achieved by using conventional medicine diagnostics, drugs, procedures like surgery together with other appropriate complimentary medical modalities to obtain the best possible results.
Complimentary and alternative veterinary medicine therapies that may be included in an integrative medicine approach include acupuncture, chinese herbal medicine, tuina (chinese therapeutic massage), canine physical therapy and rehabilitation, therapeutic nutrition, homotoxicology and homeopathy, as well as laser therapy. All of these therapies treat the whole body and can be referred to by the generic term “holistic”.
Integrative and complimentary and alternative veterinary medicine terminology:
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Complimentary medicine is used with conventional medicine
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Alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine
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Holistic medicine is a generic term for any treatment or therapy that is intended to treat the individual as a whole
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Allopathic medicine is conventional or western medicine