Conventional medicine is generally considered the art of using refined drugs to heal and treat an illiness. Alternative medicine consists of techiques often used by the general public, but not accepted by the majority of medicial practitioners (usually MD's). Such techiques include Chinese Herbal medicine, Acupuncture, Laser therapy, and many others.

Veterinarians were trained in conventional medicine for the most part just as the MD's. Due to the number of reactions to many drugs used or the failure of these drugs to accomplish their goal, a small percentage of veterinarians have pursued training in different forms of alternative medicines. Their goal was to improve the qualilty of care for their patients.

Our first step into alternative medicine was the use of Laser therapy for osteoarthritis. Initially, we used laser therapy for patients that could not tolerate pain medications or patients in which traditional pain medications did not provide adequate relief any longer. We had such success relieving the pain in these patients that laser therapy is often our first choice to treat joint pain now.

Donald Loden has completed the required training in the art of acupuncture with the International Veterniarian Acupuncture Society (IVAS). Dr Loden has passed the test required for certification by IVAS. We are now offering acupuncture as the single modility, or in conjunction with conventional medicine for treatment.