Having experienced the benefits of acupuncture both for my animals
as well as personally, I was excited to have the opportunity to interview a qualified veterinary acupuncturist about how acupuncture can benefit animals.
Brian T. Voynick is the Owner and Director of American Animal Hospital in Randolph, NJ
and is a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist. Dr. Voynick also hosts The Pet Stop on News 12 New Jersey and happens to be my cat
TirNa's acupuncturist. TirNa has been receiving acupuncture for about 5 weeks
for some breathing episodes and I have been very pleased with the results.
Q. How did you
become interested in using acupuncture to help animals?
A. In 1993 I was
sent case of Immune-Mediated Polyarthritis which is analogous to rheumatoid
arthritis in humans. The immune system recognizes the body's own joints as
being foreign and attacks them causing crippling arthritis. This dog was taking
steroids to decrease the immune system's damage to the body. Steroids are
usually successful in relieving pain but they are fraught with unfortunate side
effects. So whenever possible we like to stay away from steroids as they are a
double-edged sword. They can do good but we only like to use on a short term
basis. The client asked what else could be done.
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| Dr. Voynick treating TirNa with acupuncture |
Western meds told me to increase the steroids on an as needed basis but my heart was telling me it's
going to the demise of your pet because he'll have much worse side effects. It
will influence his liver, make him predisposed to diabetes, change his quality
of life and so forth. I asked if she would consider a veterinary
acupuncturist in East Brunswick who was a mentor of mine while I was a Rutgers
student. She took her dog to him for acupuncture and called me later and thanked me profusely, saying that the dog was so much better. He was weaned off of steroids so she and I
were elated.
Q. How did you proceed to pursue the study of acupuncture after this experience?
A. After taking a weekend acupuncture course with Alan Schoen, D.V.M., who is the author of Love,
Miracles and Animal Healing (which I would highly recommend), he convinced me to complete the certification in
acupuncture through IVAS - International Veterinary Acupuncture Society. I
heeded his advice and completed the course in 1996. I was
really encouraged to do it because on my first flight home from training, my mind was filled with traditional Chinese therapy of Yin and Yang
and I really questioned if I was making the right decision to do this.
When I came in through the door of the practice no sooner did a
receptionist who was working for me say I have a dog, Suzy, who can't use her
back legs. Suzy was a dachshund who was treated with steroids because they
declined surgery at the time. She had been dragging herself with her front legs
for months. So I chuckled to myself. I didn't know how to acupuncture an orange
nonetheless practice it on an animal. I called the owner and told her I'm taking this course but I don't
know what I'm doing yet and if she'd like I’d call 5 or so of my
professors from around the country and try acupuncture on Suzy for a week while
we're expressing her bladder and carrying her outside to eliminate and so forth. I told her I wouldn't charge her because I wasn't certified yet.
So I called these
practitioners and I studied up on them and
administered the needles. I came
in on a Sunday and treated Suzy again. I figured I would do alternate days of therapy
on her. On Monday morning Suzy walked out of her kennel. It was a real
eye opening and spiritual experience that she was actually able to walk on her
own power and to urinate as well. So when the client came back on Thursday
to pick up Suzy, she actually walked up to her in the reception area and the client, myself and everyone else was in tears. I thank God it was a successful
experience for my first time around because it really gave me the confidence
and the positive energy to move forward knowing there really is something with
acupuncture.
Q. Would you generally
say all types of animals can benefit from acupuncture?
A. Yes, I even used it on a black
footed African Penguin from the Turtleback Zoo. But the important thing is to get a
diagnosis first. Once you have a diagnosis from a licensed veterinarian then
you can consider alternatives like acupuncture and herbal medicine. Make sure you
what kind of a diagnosis you have to work with and once that diagnosis is made
then you can make a good intelligent treatment modality. Some are proven, some
are not proven, some are expensive and some are extremely expensive. So that's
where it’s a 3 way decision between how the patient feels, the caregiver and the veterinarian to make a decision on what 's the best treatment
modality or modalities.
Q. Can acupuncture
be used to treat any condition?
A. I wouldn’t say it works for everything. For example if a dog
came in for a brain tumor. You may improve the dog’s quality of life if the dog
has arthritis at the same time as far as mobility but you’re really not going
to anything to slow down the tumor. There are other modalities that can be used
such as food, as food is medicine and herbal supplementation. It can be very successful for gastrointestinal issues.
Q. How do you find most animals react to the needles?
A. That's a great point because I know from experience that the needles do not hurt them. They
are made in Japan and they are the finest needles. They happen to be the most
expensive but they are worth it because they are so fine. As opposed to causing pain they actually have
a sedative effect. When I go in for acupuncture I am often sleeping when they
come in to take the needles out. They wake me up by opening up the door.
Anne: Acupuncture can greatly improve the quality and even save the life of an animal. I have provided massage in conjunction with a client's pet being treated by a veterinarian for acupuncture with great success. When I ask my cat, TirNa, how she feels having acupuncture, she explains that she feels like she is filled with light when she is receiving a treatment. I can relate to this feeling when I receive acupuncture and am a strong advocate of the use of this modality for animals.
American Animal Hospital website: http://americananimalhospital.com/about-us/office-hours/index.html
Find out how your pet feels by taking a course or scheduling an animal communication session. More!
Have you used acupuncture to treat a pet's condition? Leave a comment.