Acupuncture for horses? Chiropractic and homeopathy, too?

That’s right.

These alternative modalities, now commonly accepted treatments for human disease, are now more available and accepted in equine medicine in the High Desert.

The pioneer bringing these treatment options to horse owners in Central Oregon, and the only veterinarian exclusively offering them, is veterinarian Leslie Griffith, of Sage Veterinary Alternatives, in Bend.

Griffith grew up in Portland in a family that kept horses, goats, rabbits, cats and dogs.

“I knew from the time I was a little girl that I wanted to be a vet and work with horses,” she said.

Graduating from the Oregon State University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1995, she went on to specialize in equine internal medicine at Colorado State University.

Griffith was first drawn to acupuncture during her residency at CSU. A fellow student, Narda Robinson, an osteopath and acupuncturist, started a veterinary acupuncture training program and treatment service there.

“I would have her out to treat these nonresponsive sick horses, and they would finally get better,” Griffith said. “That’s when I knew I needed to know how to do it.”

In 1999, Griffith was certified by the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society, the same year she became a board-certified equine internist and moved to Bend.

“I thought it was only going to be a small part of my practice, but I was the only certified veterinary acupuncturist in Central Oregon 13 years ago,” she said.

After six years, her practice was half Western veterinary medicine and half acupuncture. That’s when she decided to focus exclusively on alternative equine medicine, which led to the creation of Sage Veterinary Alternatives in 2005.

Today, Griffith and her partner, veterinarian Steven Blauvelt, provide equine acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, homotoxicology and laser therapy.

Like human acupuncture, the equine version is based on the flow of energy or chi through the animal’s body.

“The goal of acupuncture is to support the body’s intrinsic ability to heal itself when it is brought back into balance,” she said. It can be useful for pain relief, improved cardiovascular function, improved immune system, internal organ support, intestinal motility and other physical issues, she said.

As with acupuncture, equine chiropractic techniques are patterned after human treatment techniques; it involves manipulation of a horse’s spine, joints and soft tissues for treatment and prevention of disorders of its neuromusculoskeletal system, Griffith said.

Acupuncture and chiropractic present unique challenges to equine veterinarians compared to practitioners treating people, with safety being paramount.

Young horses or horses in extreme pain may bite or buck upon the initial insertion of acupuncture needles, though they usually settle down following the release of endorphins from the treatment; achieving the optimal position for chiropractic corrective spinal manipulation often means the veterinarian standing on blocks to gain the needed elevation.

Acupuncture is now part of the curriculum at many veterinary schools including CSU, Tufts and University of Florida, and the Oregon Veterinary Practice Act specifically recognizes acupuncture and chiropractic as accepted treatments, Griffith added.

Homeopathy and homotoxicology are herbal therapies based on the theory “like treats like.” A given remedy creates symptoms similar to those of the malady being treated, stimulating the body’s immune response to fight the disease naturally, Griffith said.

“Homeopathy uses a single remedy in a single potency or dilution to treat a disease. Homotoxicology uses complex combinations of remedies with multiple potencies, and was developed to work in concert with acupuncture, whereas classic homeopathy is meant as a solo therapy,” she said.

Some herbal remedies used for humans can be poisonous for animals and should only be administered by a trained professional, she cautioned.

Equine homeopathy and homotoxicology “are still a new frontier” of equine medicine, according to Griffith, and neither are currently recognized treatment modalities by the Oregon Veterinary Practice Act; she believes that will come with additional research and development of clearer practice standards.

Griffith is a paid lecturer in alternative veterinary medicine at CSU and the Chi Institute in Florida. In 2008, she was awarded a scholarship and attended a weeklong conference in China as teacher and student sponsored by the Chinese National Society for Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine.

“There are some diseases that respond best to acupuncture (and alternative therapies), some to straight Western medicine and some to a combination,” Griffith said. “I do a lot of internal medicine consultations and case reviews for owners and veterinarians to make sure horses with difficult diseases get appropriate care,” she continued.

“I think we need both Western and alternative therapies since neither can fix all cases alone.”

In addition to Griffith at Sage Veterinary Alternatives, veterinarians Meredith Pierce of Tumalo Animal Hospital and Mary Masterson of Bend Equine Medical Center offer acupuncture as well as traditional equine care, according to vet Gordon Bunting, an equine specialist in Bend.

“Most people can wrap their heads around acupuncture and chiropractic these days,” Griffith concluded, “but 13 years ago what I did was considered voodoo. Then I would have old ranchers come in and say: ‘I don’t understand the voodoo you do, but my critter is better so keep on doing it.’”