Blending Holistic

& Modern Medicine

In today’s world, pet owners have more options than ever when it comes to caring for their furry friends. Traditional veterinary care has long been the go-to method for treating animals, but holistic veterinary care has been gaining popularity due to its alternative approach. With so many choices available, it can be challenging to navigate the different approaches and determine what is best for your pet's health.

At Chi Animal Hospital we explore the benefits of both holistic and traditional veterinary care, and how they can complement each other to provide well-rounded care for your beloved pets. From acupuncture and herbal remedies to surgery and medication, both approaches have their strengths and weaknesses. By understanding the principles behind each method and consulting with professionals in both fields, pet owners can create a cohesive treatment plan that optimizes their pet's health and well-being.

You don't have to choose one over the other - by bridging the gap between holistic and traditional care, you can give your pet the best of both worlds.

Areas of Expertise

This includes: Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, Tui-na, and Food Therapy

This includes: Vaccinations & Preventative Medicines, Wellness Examinations, Advanced Imaging & Lab Work

This includes: Rehabilitation Therapy, PiezoWave-2 Shockwave Therapy, Laser Therapy & Veterinary Medical Manipulation

This includes: Chiropractic/Manipulation Services, Acupuncture & PiezoWave-2 Shockwave Therapy

Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

Acupuncture

Target the root, not just the symptoms

  • Acupuncture is the insertion of a needle or injectable substance into specific locations to treat imbalances (disease) in the body. The acupuncture points (where needles are placed) are chosen based on a thorough examination and Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis. This is different from, and compliments, a conventional (Western) diagnosis.

    Acupuncture can be used to treat a myriad of conditions. In the United States, most people think of acupuncture when it comes to treating musculoskeletal and neurological diseases like arthritis pain, disc disease and seizures. Acupuncture is also highly effective in aiding in the treatment of most medical conditions including heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, gastrointestinal disease, disorders of the skin, and cancer. Acupuncture can also be used along with conventional therapies to either mitigate side effects or enhance treatment. As an example, acupuncture can be used to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy.

    • Arthritis and other orthopedic conditions

    • Diseases of the nervous system including seizures, cognitive dysfunction, intervertebral disc disease, degenerative myelopathy, and vestibular problems.

    • Cancer, including treating and preventing side effects associated with chemotherapy

    • Internal medicine diseases including heart disease, kidney disease, and liver problems.

  • Number of sessions varies greatly depending on the condition. Minor, acute conditions may require only 1-3 treatments while chronic diseases such as arthritis, degenerative myelopathy, and chronic kidney disease may require lifelong management.

    Frequency likewise varies depending on the condition. Severe problems such as paralysis with no deep pain may need to be seen 2-3 times a week while support of a slowly progressive condition such as arthritis or kidney disease may be managed with once monthly maintenance.

Herbal Medicine

A powerful & natural alternative

  • Herbal medicine is the use of formulas containing plant parts and minerals to treat specific conditions. Herbal medicine differs from allopathic medicine in that herbal medicine maintains the benefits of the whole plant part rather than just a single active ingredient or synthetic chemical. Herbal formulas contain ingredients that work together to treat disease as well mitigate potential side effects from the herbs.

    Herbal medicine can be used to treat endocrine diseases such as hypothyroidism and Cushing’s disease – either alone or in combination with lower doses of Western medications. Diabetic patients that are having challenges regulating their diabetes with insulin can greatly benefit from herbal formulas. Many patient with gastrointestinal disease, liver disease, and kidney disease can often be managed just with herbs and diet adjustment alone.

    At Chi Animal Hospital, we use primarily Chinese herbal formulas, manufactured under strict conditions to ensure quality, potency, and safety. Formulas contain multiple (usually 4-10) herbs that work together in harmony to maximize their effect.

    Most dogs and some cats will take the herbs mixed right in their food. When that’s not the case, we can use encapsulated herbs instead.

  • Herbal medicine can be used to help alleviate pain, treat cancer and the side effects of other cancer treatments, and maximize internal organ health.

    It is also often used for the treatment of skin diseases such as atopy (allergic skin disease) and auto-immune conditions such as lupus and immune-mediated anemias and thrombocytopenia.

  • Most herbal formulas require twice-daily administration mixed or given with a meal. Topical formulas are generally applied once daily with any residual paste being removed 12 hours after application.

Tui-na

Increase blood flow & improve mobility

  • Tui-na is a form of Chinese medical massage therapy that is often used to prevent and treat disease. It is used to regulate the Channels, promote health joints and sinews, and improve circulation of Qi and Blood. It is most commonly used to treat acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions and to strengthen the immune system.

    And, patients LOVE it!

    • Excellent for anxiety and fear-based conditions

    • Wonderful for muscle tension, spasms, strains, and trigger point pain

    • Great for at-home treatment of many conditions treated with acupuncture between acupuncture sessions

    • Can be used in conjunction with, and to enhance, acupuncture and herbal treatments

  • Like acupuncture, the frequency of tui-na largely depends on the severity of the problem. Most conditions are initially treated in-clinic every 1-2 weeks until the problem is resolved, or for chronic conditions, maintained with in-clinic monthly treatments along with an at-home program for owner to do daily or a few times a week.

Food Therapy

Food as medicine

  • Food therapy is the practice of using a patient’s diet to directly treat their condition and bring that body back into balance. At CAH, we combine Western nutrition principles and Chinese Food Therapy to devise nutritionally balanced recipes for home-cooking. When that's not possible, we make specific recommendations for feeding commercially prepared diets.

    Whole food is always better than processed foods, such as heat-extruded kibble. Man, animal, and plants evolved together on our planet for harmonious living. This also means that our digestive systems are designed to eat the foods as nature created them. Most plants actually contain enzymes that help our (and our pet’s) bodies break them down for maximum nutrition; the processes used for making most commercially available dog and cat foods destroys those enzymes as well as the vitamins that are naturally found in the ingredients we eat.

    At Chi Animal Hospital, we always recommend gentle cooking (not over-cooking) for our patients. Gentle cooking starts the digestion process, making it easier for pets to absorb the food’s natural nutrients while protecting the vitamins and enzymes present in the food. Most raw vegetables, unless pureed, are poorly digested by dogs and not digested at all by cats. Additionally, purchasing meats from a grocery store to feed raw can be dangerous – not only for the pet, but also for the owner!

  • Food therapy is necessary to achieve maximum health in any animal.

    Achieving temperature balance within the body.

  • Food therapy should always be used to feed a pet.

Western Medicine, Diagnostics & Care

Vaccinations & Preventative Medicines

  • Vaccinations provide immunity and protection against serious, life-threatening diseases. Being holistically-minded, we understand and agree with client concerns about over-vaccinating. Vaccination recommendations are based on a case-by-case basis and take into consideration your pet’s age, health, and lifestyle.

    Preventative medications such as heartworm, intestinal parasite, flea, and tick prevention are often necessary in Florida. Nearly 100% of dogs in Florida not on heartworm prevention will develop intestinal parasite infestations and 60-70% will develop heartworm infections. Adverse effects of quality products are now thankfully rare. The likelihood of serious complications from parasites is far greater than the likelihood of serious complications from preventative medicine. We will discuss with you, based on your pet’s health and lifestyle, the preventions we feel are most important for your pet.

    • Prevent common and serious vaccine-preventable diseases.

    • Avoid costly treatments for diseases that can be prevented.

  • For vaccines – each patient receives tailored vaccine recommendations based on their age, risk and potential exposure. Our goal is to provide excellent protection while giving on those vaccines that are needed as infrequently as possible.

    Because no preventative is 100% effective and because mosquitoes (which carry heartworms), intestinal parasites, fleas, and ticks are so prevalent in Florida, we recommend annual heartworm, intestinal parasite and blood-borne parasite (from fleas and ticks) testing annually.

Build your pet’s immunity to serious diseases

Wellness Examinations

Prevent & detect disease early

  • A wellness exam is performed every 6-12 months depending on your pet’s age and condition to make sure that everything is working as well as it appears. During this exam, we obtain a comprehensive history and perform a complete physical examination from “nose to toes”.

  • Wellness exams can help identify diseases and imbalances before they become apparent and the patient acts sick, such as a heart murmur before significant heart disease is present.

    Wellness exams allow us to treat imbalances proactively before they become severe.

  • Every 6-12 months depending on the age and overall health of the pet.

Advanced Imaging

Improve your pet’s odds of success

  • Advanced imaging allows us to see inside the body without surgery. CAH offers digital radiography (x-rays) and diagnostic ultrasound. Radiographs allow us to evaluate for arthritis and other bony changes, respiratory tract health, and organ size and shape. Ultrasound allows us to see inside the organ to see small masses or areas of disease. Ultrasound-guided aspirates provide us with important information about disease processes that are less invasive than surgery. Patients requiring CT or MRI will be referred to a qualified facility.

    • Radiography is helpful in diagnosing orthopedic disease, lung disease, and some abdominal diseases.

    • Ultrasound is ideal when we need to see inside of an organ, such as for liver disease or intra-abdominal tumors.

  • Imaging is obtained as needed on a case-by-case basis depending on clinical signs and examination findings.

Lab Work

Bring forth a wealth of information

  • Lab work involves the testing of blood, urine, tissue or secretions for the presence of disease. Blood work and urinalysis allows us to test for disease and imbalance before it becomes apparent, and to help diagnose diseases when your pet is sick. Tissue and secretions testing allows us to find abnormalities and infection in diseased areas of the body.

    Chi Animal Hospital offers both in-house and reference lab diagnostic options.

    • Blood work and urinalysis can diagnose debilitating diseases such as pancreatitis, kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes, and more.

    • Tissue testing allows us to tell the difference between malignant cancer and a benign mass, and to diagnose diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease.

    • Exudate testing, such as an ear or skin cytology, allows us to determine the type of infection present so we can best treat it.

  • Blood work and urinalysis should be performed prior to any anesthesia, sometimes when a patient is ill, yearly during their senior years, and as needed to monitor chronic diseases and medication safety.

Soft Tissue Surgery

Remove blockages, treat issues & manage reproductive health

  • Soft tissue surgery is a general term that encompasses most non-orthopaedic surgeries. These include: gonadectomy (castration, ovariectomy), most abdominal surgeries, mass removals, and episioplasty.

    CAH does not offer cosmetic surgery (non-medical tail docking or ear cropping) or declawing.  We are happy to provide humane alternative suggestions to declawing.

  • The benefits would be entirely dependent upon the surgery's purpose. As these surgeries are performed for foreign body removal, mass removal, spaying or neutering, etc, there are, of course, many benefits to each.

    In a foreign body removal, your pet would be having something removed that does not belong in their body (for instance, if they chewed something they should not have and it is stuck).

    In a mass removal, your pet would be having a potentially harmful mass or tumor removed for better quality of life.

    In a spay or neuter, your pet would be havign their reproductive system removed, as to prevent unwanted litters, unwanted behaviors, and serious diseases.

Dentistry

Understand the profound impact on animal health

  • Veterinary dentistry includes the cleaning, adjustment, filing, extraction, or repair of animals' teeth and all other aspects of oral health care in animals.

    CAH does dental cleanings, dental radiographs, and most extractions.

  • As oral care has a profound effect on your pet's health as a whole, it is imperative to maintain optimal oral health and hygiene. Regular cleanings and evaluations should be completed.

Endoscopy

Evaluate internal issues in a minimally invasive way

  • An endoscopy is way to evaluate areas within the body through the use of specialized video cameras. It allows visualization and sampling of abnormalities for diagnostic purposes but can be used for therapeutic purposes as well.

  • An endoscopy provides the ability to view the inside of the stomach, duodenum, and colon as well as obtain biopsies of these areas without surgery and retrieve some foreign bodies. It is a minimally evasive way to evaluate and potentially treat issues without surgery.

Rehabilitation Therapy

Rehabilitation Therapy

Restore & enhance your pet’s functional ability

  • Rehabilitation therapy is similar to physical therapy in humans. Often after an injury or surgery, a pet needs help getting back to full function and comfort. Animals with chronic pain as with arthritis and weakness as with aging and disc disease can also benefit from rehabilitation therapy. Chi Animal Hospital offers laser therapy, shockwave therapy, therapeutic ultrasound, E-stim and TENS treatments (which we can often teach you how to do at home!), underwater treadmill, land treadmill, therapeutic exercises, and manual therapies. Manual therapies include massage, stretching, range of motion, and joint stabilizations.

  • Rehabilitation therapy should be used whenever a pet’s mobility is affected. This could be after any injury or surgery affecting mobility, and for pets with conditions that are painful or cause weakness. Senior pets can also benefit from a tailored strength-building program.

    We offer tailored home exercise programs so that you can be a part of your pet’s healing.

PiezoWave-2 Shockwave Therapy

Treat acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions

  • PiezoWave-2 is a therapeutic modality that uses acoustic pressure waves to target specific tissues in the body. These shockwaves, directed toward an area of interest, promote healing, pain relief, and tissue regeneration.

  • PiezoWave-2 shockwave therapy is often used for tendinopathies, osteoarthritis, non-healing bone, myofascial pain and restrictions, and wounds. Best results are seen when shockwave therapy is used in conjunction with a full rehabilitation treatment plan.

  • Treatments vary in length depending on the size of the animal, but can be between 10-30 minutes, and a series of 3 to 6 treatments is recommended for tissue healing. Time between treatments varies depending upon each case, but typically 1 to 2 weeks is favorable.

Laser Therapy

  • Laser therapy is the application of infrared light at specific wavelengths to stimulate damaged cells to heal faster than they would on their own. Laser therapy also has the added benefit of increasing circulation to the damaged tissue, which helps to bring in nutrients and flush out the toxic by-products of inflammation.

  • Laser therapy is best used for painful, inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and cystitis, for nerve damage such as intervertebral disc disease and degenerative myelopathy, and for wound healing.

    Relaxing, non-invasive treatment

    Alternative to surgery

    Effective for difficult conditions

  • Because laser therapy has to build up to reach full effect, we usually recommend treatments 2-3 times a week for 7-8 sessions, then to reassess and adjust treatment as needed based on the condition. For conditions that are managed (rather than cured) such as arthritis, most patients remain reasonably comfortable with treatments every 2-4 weeks long-term.

A non-invasive alternative to surgery

Veterinary Medical Manipulation (VMM)

Release musculoskeletal restrictions

  • Veterinary Medical Manipulation is the evaluation and release of musculoskeletal restrictions in muscle, fascia, and joints.

  • Similar the gentle chiropractic in humans, VMM is used when pain or poor performance are due to areas of the body not moving or working together in a normal fashion.

  • Chronic conditions may take several treatments to overcome “muscle memory”. Some acute conditions may be addressed within a single session.

Equine Services

In addition to Equine Chiropractic and Manipulation Services, we provide all of the Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine therapies, rehabilitation therapies including Laser Therapy and PiezoWave-2 Shockwave Therapy, and diagnostic services including radiology, ultrasound, and lameness evaluations. All services aside from radiology are available as mobile service (barn calls) within 20 miles of Chi Animal Hospital. Please note that at this time, we do not provide vaccinations, health certificates, or Coggins’ tests.

Equine Chiropractic/ Manipulation Services

A Chi Animal Hospital New Service

  • Joint malfunction affects your horse’s neurological balance, leading to muscle or skeletal pain, abnormal muscle tension and restricted joint motion. Known in the human medical field as chiropractic, Equine Medical Manipulation (EMM) uses high velocity, low amplitude adjustments applied to specific locations in the spine or limbs to improve your horse’s mobility, posture, and nerve function. EMM integrates into a holistic approach to restore joint function, reduce pain, and ease muscle tension, and works well to complement other veterinary treatments. From pasture pets to show horses and everything in between, we can help to optimize your horse’s comfort and performance.

  • Altered gait without obvious lameness
    Maintaining comfort in older horses
    Chronic musculoskeletal conditions
    Enhancing fitness in riding horse
    Poor performance
    Back or neck pain Joint stiffness

  • Horses may show many signs that indicate pain or discomfort. These can include reduced performance, incoordination or uneven gait rhythm, poor attitude, tense muscles, abnormal posture, pinning the ears when saddled or mounted, hollowing the back, swishing the tail, behavior changes, sensitivity to touch, stiffness when bending, muscle wasting, decreased stride length, difficulty engaging the hindquarters, pulling against one rein, lack of flexibility, difficulty flexing the poll, difficulty with collected gaits or lateral movements, or bucking. A great way to avoid getting to these stages is to provide prophylactic EMM care to help maintain performance before big issues arise.

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Our Approach & Services

Compassion

We are pet owners too, and we believe your pet
deserves the same love from their veterinarian.

Exploration

We pride ourselves on exploring options from
both an Eastern and Western perspective.

Empathy

We strive to fully understand you and
your pet’s needs in every consultation.

Teamwork

You are as much a part of the team as our staff; we truly value and welcome your input.

Continued Education

Our team consistently stays up to date on the best practices for Eastern and Western medicine.

See how we do things differently