Clean Run - March 2014 - 45

I helped write the pharmaceutical knowledge base guidelines
that they need to learn in order to become specialists). To find
a member of this organization, go to www.vsmr.org and click
on the tab that says "Diplomates."
The final set of veterinarians you might want to consider are
the graduates of the Medical Acupuncture for Veterinarians
group. Medical acupuncture is a science-based discipline that
spends a huge chunk of its curriculum teaching pain management to veterinarians from all disciplines and specialties. There
are countless forms of acupuncture, but I feel strongly that this
scientific branch of acupuncture takes the science of pain into
consideration more than the others, and it strongly relies on the
science behind the treatment. A careful Western diagnosis (usually includes a physical exam, blood tests, radiology) and/or
MRI is used to determine the precise cause of pain in your dog.
You will not find the use of tongue or pulse diagnoses common
in most other forms of acupuncture. Nor will it be filled with
many of the colorful metaphors commonly found in traditional
Chinese medicine. Although treatment of pain by acupuncture
can be used as a standalone treatment in its own right, it is also
common that it will be paired with traditional Western medicine and rehabilitation techniques. To find one of these acu-

puncturists go to www.colovma.com then click the "Meetings/
Education" tab. When that page loads look for the link that says
"Find a Veterinary Acupuncturist" and search by state.
In human medicine, a person in pain goes to an average of
seven different health care professionals to find someone who
can both understand and treat their pain. The statistics in veterinary medicine are probably worse, although no one really
knows. By following the above guidelines, you can reasonably reduce your search, probably to the first person you find.
However, no one is perfect and not everyone might have the
skill set to administer the proper treatment for your dog. It is
my advice, should your treatment goals not be met, that you
have a discussion with your pain practitioner rather than giving up and starting the search all over again. The veterinary
pain community is a small one and most pain practitioners
know who else is good and who might be able to complement
the treatments your dog is already receiving. Chances are
good they might have already been thinking about whom else
you can go to for your dog to get the help he needs. Tell your
veterinarian you are not satisfied with the progress and have a
discussion as to what other avenues you might explore. D

Michael Petty is a graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University. He owns and operates the Animal Pain Center in Canton, Michigan
and is the current president of the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management. He has advanced training in various fields of pain management and
is a Certified Veterinary Medical Acupuncturist, Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist and a Diplomat of the American
Academy of Pain Management.

March 14

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http://www.colovma.com http://www.vsmr.org http://www.ivapm.org http://www.ivapm.org

Clean Run - March 2014

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