What is Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine?
CAVM approaches include acupuncture, veterinary manual therapy, homeopathy, botanical medicine, massage, flower essence therapy, and more. The term complementary connotes that these modalities work well in conjunction with conventional treatments, while the term alternative suggests that a given approach may be used instead of a standard treatment. Is it legal for non-veterinarians to practice CAVM? Several issues surround this topic, and state practice acts can vary on who is eligible to provide CAVM treatments to animals. What training opportunities exist for individuals who are interested in providing CAVM techniques to animals? Veterinarians have a wide range of educational opportunities that will be discussed. I have heard that there is no scientific evidence supporting CAVM. Is this true? Abundant scientific evidence exists for several CAVM modalities, but more studies are certainly needed to explore the application of CAVM in non-human species. Research evidence will be presente
