"Some people have successfully used alternative medicine themselves. They are genuinely interested in a more holistic, preventative approach to horse health care," Dr. Beatty said. "This includes careful attention to things like nutrition, lifestyle, dental care, tack fit and farriery.

"Another segment is people who are just curious, " he added. "They know people who have used alternative medicine and were very satisfied with the results this approach offers. They want to see if they can improve their horses’ athletic performance and quality of life, too. The third group is the people who, for one reason or another, have become frustrated with the limitations of conventional therapy."

This is somewhat ironic since all veterinarians who practice alternative medicine must be trained and licensed as conventional veterinarians under state regulations. While any vet can currently provide alternative medicine therapy without special training or licensing, he or she must be licensed as a veterinarian.

Conventional vs. Alternative Veterinary Medicine

The main difference between conventional and alternative veterinary medicine that Dr. Beatty sees is focus. He believes that conventional medicine’s focus is on diagnosis and treatment of a specific pathogen or group of pathogens that are causing disease. In alternative medicine the focus is on the diagnosis and treatment of the body and the imbalances that are allowing disease to occur.

The treatment approach is also different. Conventional veterinary medicine primarily uses drugs and surgery while alternative medicine uses herbs, which are naturally occurring drugs, body work such as chiropractics and massage; and energy therapy, which includes acupuncture.

The use of diagnostic tools is the one area that is common to both types of medicine since an accurate diagnosis of the problem is vital to the treatment’s success. In addition to a good physical exam and in some cases, blood work and radiographs, this also includes a thorough case history. The extensive case history taken in alternative medicine includes questions not only about the horse’s health history and the current problem but about nutrition, supplements, dental care, tack fit, turn-out and the horse’s work schedule. It often includes looking at the rider as well, since an out-of-balance rider often can inadvertently cause physical problems for the horse.

Some of the tools that are most commonly used in alternative medicine include acupuncture, chiropractics and bodywork, herbology and homeopathy but there are others that also may be used, depending on the problem.

Although there are no special requirements for a vet to provide alternative services, Dr. Beatty has received extensive, specialized training in acupuncture, chiropractics and bodywork for animals. This includes advanced course work in animal chiropractics. He is certified by the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association. He also has worked with Dino Frettard, an internationally-acclaimed equine bodyworker; Rod Raymond, DAc, an equine acupuncturist; and Jochen Schleese, a master saddler. Dr. Beatty is also a member of the International Alliance for Animal Therapy and Healing and the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.

His keen interest in alternative medicine comes from his lifelong experience with the martial arts, which includes many Oriental philosophies and practices that are an integral part of alternative medicine for people as well as animals. When looking at his career options he considered both veterinary school and chiropractic college. He choose veterinary school but after graduating he expanded into alternative medicine for animals, an area that is now the sole focus of his practice. Besides horses, he also offers these services for dogs and cats.

When to Call an Alternative Veterinarian

Most of Dr. Beatty’s patients are referred by either the patient’s conventional veterinarian, the trainer or a current client. "While it is gratifying to see more and more people being open to the idea of alternative medicine, " he said, "it is unfortunate that it is often still seen as a last resort when conventional treatments have failed. Alternative medicine, just like conventional medicine, is likely to be much more effective early in the course of a disease process." His practice is limited to alternative medicine that focuses on nutrition, farriery, dentistry, tack fit, rider balance and the horse’s body mechanics. The tools he uses include acupuncture; chiropractics and bodywork; equine dentistry and supplements. A certified equine therapist, Pam Groetzenbach of Yorkville, Ill, who specializes in herbology and homeopathy, often consults with Dr. Beatty and works with animal patients under his direction.

He added that alternative medicine’s role in preventative care is especially effective.

"The ideal situation is to the keep the body in balance to prevent disease or injury in the first place," he said. "One of my goals is to optimize the immune system through proper nutrition, including probiotics and antioxidants, as well as to maintain an efficient nervous and circulatory system with hands-on therapies such as chiropractic and acupuncture. A strong immune system offers powerful disease prevention and should the animal get sick, it will help them recover more quickly and with less chance of lasting problems."

Dr. Beatty also is highly attuned to the role of mechanical stresses that result from the way we use and keep horses.

"Take dentistry for example, "he said. "There are three reasons that wild horses don’t need dental care. One, they graze constantly; two, they do not ever have a bit in their mouth or a rider on their back, and three, they do not live as long as domestic horses. Domestic horses need regular dental care to make sure their teeth wear evenly. This helps prevent colic and problems with weight loss. It also prevents the jaw, neck and other body stresses that may result from bitting problems caused by dental irregularities. An uneven or sharp tooth can cause all kinds of pain and resistances."

"We use bodywork on physical problems," he added. "We can understand how a horse is using himself by seeing where he may be stressed. For example, back pain caused by poor saddle fit or an injury can cause all sorts of problems that people try to address with training when what the animal really needs is first, relief from pain and second, understanding what needs to be done to prevent it in the future."

When NOT to Call an Alternative Veterinarian

According to Dr. Beatty alternative, conventional and complementary (a combination of alternative and conventional) medicine all have their place and are part of a holistic health care system since each is best at a different aspect of health.

"There are potential side effects to any practice of medicine," he said. "Each requires skilled practitioners to obtain the best results. I suggest consulting with your veterinarian before any treatment is done on your horse."

He added that there are situations where conventional medicine is clearly a better treatment option. One example is severe trauma due to an accident such as a deep wound. In this case, conventional medicine is the best choice to save the animal’s life but alternative medicine may be effective for pain relief and rehabilitation.

Alternative medicine can be a very effective complement to conventional medicine in many situations. What is important is that the veterinarian understands what the appropriate treatment is and when it may be inappropriate or even unsafe to use alternative therapies. Misuse of alternative therapies can cause just as many problems as misuse of conventional therapies.

Interested in learning more about Alternative Veterinary Medicine? There is a tremendous amount of information and data available about alternative therapies and how they might help your horse or other animals. These include books, magazine articles and websites. One website Dr. Beatty recommends is the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association site at www.AHVMA.org.

As for those of you who are skeptics-well just keep in mind that for many years conventional medicine promoted bleeding as a means to cure patients; the lack of basic hygiene and hand washing by doctors contributed to the deaths of many women in child birth who died from infections; and no one had the slightest idea of the role bacteria and viruses played in infectious diseases. What many horse enthusiasts are finding is that as we so often find in working with and riding horses, the more we know, the more we understand how much there is to learn.

To contact Dr. Dan Beatty D.V.M., please all 815-325-0123 or email drdan@horsekinetics.com. For more information you can also visit his website at www.horsekinetics.com.