Pet Owners Turning To Alternative, Holistic Medicine To Treat Four-Legged Friends

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Holistic healing is hot these days, especially for our four-legged friends.

CBS2's Weijia Jiang found more pets owners are turning to alternative medicine to treat their animals and more veterinarians are offering complementary techniques.

Resistance workouts on an underwater treadmill and acupuncture treatments gave Peter Wood's dog, who suffered from hip problems, a new "leash on life."

"Every day you could see her getting stronger and she'd run a little bit farther and she'd play a little bit harder until the point where she was a puppy again," Wood said.

Wood said he tried unconventional medications for Sundance but they didn't work or caused side effects, so he sought alternative therapies for his pooch.

So what exactly is alternative and holistic veterinary medicine?

"Holistic veterinary medicine for me is really looking at the whole animal and trying to find a treatment that will be effective and non-invasive," Dr. Barbara Royal said.

That could include using a cold laser light therapy to treat arthritis and soft tissue injures, chiropractic techniques to treat pain, therapeutic ultrasound to decrease inflammation and using herbs, supplements and vitamins to help health problems instead of, or in conjunction with, traditional medicine.

"I believe holistic medicine can work just as well as some surgeries and medications," Royal said.

Royal, president of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Foundation, wants pet owners to know many vets who offer alternative treatments still use conventional medicine like x-rays and bloodwork. But once they reach a diagnosis, they see if a holistic or alternative approach could help.

Veterinarian Ruthanne Chun cautions if your pet has a health problem, you should review all the treatment options available.

"If a pet owner is considering holistic treatments, I think that's a reasonable thing for them to be thinking about. They need to think about who they're going to see, what veterinarian they're going to see that can help them understand what would be the best options for their pet, holistic or Western?" Chun said.

The key is coordinating your vet along with the holistic treatments.

For resources on how to find holistic vets in your area, click here.