In companion animals, severe wounds often result in severe consequences: amputation, infection, sometimes even death. As unbelievable as it sounds, an unexpected savior has emerged.

Medical-grade maggots.

In 2004, the FDA classified sterilized maggots as a medical device – in other words, you can purchase a prescription for fly larvae. Recently maggots have been used to clean human wounds, but veterinary medicine only recently has begun exploring the usage of these little wrigglers.

According to Monarch Labs, a supplier of medicinal maggots, these worm-like insects work wonders on hard-to-heal wounds. The maggots clean infected and dead tissue in a process called “debridement.” They also kill the bacteria while stimulating new tissue growth. Maggots eat dead flesh but avoid live flesh and were used medically in the Middle Ages – but since they weren’t sterilized back then, the results were mixed.

The process involves a veterinarian applying the medicinal maggots to your pet’s wound along with a special dressing that prevents the maggots from squirming away.

According to Monarch, “World-wide, approximately 50,000 treatments were applied to wounds in 2008.” That statistic applies to people, though – veterinarians seem hesitant to adopt the treatment. It might seem creepy at first, but it might also be a safer alternative to antibiotics that have incredibly harsh side effects.

If your dog or cat had a severe wound, would you consider medicinal maggots as a treatment?

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Yesterday we looked at alternative therapies that are the veterinary equivalent to snake oil. Today, let’s consider a few that are scientifically proven. According to our expert, Dr. V, “There are some practitioners who solely do alternative treatments, though in my experience the majority of veterinarians use them as a complement to traditional Western medicine.”

Whichever treatment route you take with your animal, Dr. V suggests finding a specially-trained practitioner. “The good news is, for most of these modalities there are formal training programs to ensure your vet has at least a basic understanding of the principles before setting off into practice,” she said. “It’s a fair question to ask, and one any good vet should not be offended by, “˜What’s your training in herbs/chiropractic/acupuncture?’ If they just took a one hour course at a continuing education conference, I’d suggest you keep looking.”

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is used to treat chronic diseases or for pain relief for conditions like arthritis. Most veterinary acupuncturists undergo rigorous training from the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society or the Chi Institute where they learn the traditional Chinese medicine and the Western science that supports it. “Acupuncture can be a very helpful treatment modality in veterinary medicine,” she said. However, it’s important to recognize the limitations of acupuncture. “No holistic practitioner who wants to keep their license is going to recommend acupuncture to treat an open fracture, for example. Bacterial infections should be treated with antibiotics. With that in mind, a knowledgeable practitioner can incorporate alternative treatments to most disease processes.” To get the most bang for your holistic buck, work with a DVM and an acupuncturist to treat your pet’s condition.

Physical Therapy

When it comes to physical therapy, there are a range of specialties to choose from: chiropractic care, massage therapy, and physical rehabilitation, among others. While massage can do a lot of good for your companion animal, if you’re looking for a proven therapy, you can’t go wrong with a veterinary chiropractor. According to the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association, a certified animal chiropractor can help your pet with a variety of problems like joint, spinal, or limb pain; surgery recovery; bowel, bladder, or other chronic internal medicine issues; and orthopedic disease. If you consult with a chiropractor, ask where she trained, what certifications she earned, and if she is a DVM or works in conjunction with a DVM. The great thing about holistic treatments is that you can combine several to provide your pet with top-notch, well-rounded care. For instance, for an acute injury, a trained physical therapist can assist your DVM or chiropractor with treatments like hydrotherapy.

Traditional Chinese Herbs

“At the end of the day, all medicine originated with herbs, didn’t it?” said Dr. V. “Make sure the person prescribing the herbs is someone trained in veterinary herbal medicine,” she said. “If you are also going to a Western vet, make sure they know about the herbs your pet is taking! They often do have potent measurable effects, and just like any medication have the potential to react with other meds.” Avoid the homeopathic black hole and consult with practitioners trained at respected schools like the Chi Institute.

The Bottom Line

Alternative medicine focuses holistic health and preventive care, whereas traditional Western medicine focuses on treatment of disease. “The two can and should go hand in hand,” said Dr. V. “I think anyone interested in a long and healthy life for their pet should begin with a thorough evaluation of what type of nutrition their pet is getting; the importance of this can’t be overestimated!”

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Veterinary medicine has come a long way from the shoot-“˜em-when-they’re-sick days. Now, when your dog or cat is ill, you can visit veterinary specialists like oncologists, dermatologists, and even dentists. In addition to these advances, there are alternative treatments available for your furry friend.

Jessica Vogelsang, DVM (otherwise known as Dr. V) is a 2002 graduate from the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. In 2006, she completed a training course in veterinary acupuncture through the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society. Dr. Vogelsang works in San Diego, CA, and she writes about life and veterinary medicine daily at Pawcurious. “Alternative medicine is playing an ever-increasing role in veterinary medicine,” she said.

In this first of two posts on alternative medicine for pets, we’re going to take a look at therapies that should be avoided. These are the treatments that are unscientific and unproven – and that, usually, cost a pretty penny. Tomorrow we’ll look at therapies that are worth the investment.

Homeopathy

The idea behind homeopathy is that like cures like. In other words, an allergic reaction to a bee sting can be treated with diluted bee venom. The idea is that this will stimulate the body’s natural responses to fight off the sting. Dr. V hasn’t had tremendous experience with homeopathy. “I think even a lot of practitioners that are open to alternative modalities are a little hesitant to advocate this type of treatment because so few of us have experience with it,” she said. “It is not something I recommend, though if someone wants to find a trained veterinarian they could consult the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.”

Homeopathic treatment hasn’t been proven effective – in people or animals. For one thing, the homeopathic remedies are highly diluted so only an imprint of the remedy remains. In addition, clinical trails have demonstrated homeopathic treatments to show no improvement greater than the placebo effect, and no large-scale clinical trails have been conducted on animals.

Reiki

Reiki practitioners place their hands on different spots throughout the body to stimulate healing or relaxation. In a 2008 study, scientists in the UK compiled all the published data on the effectiveness of reiki. The study authors evaluated published clinical trails and determined that, “the evidence is insufficient to suggest that reiki is an effective treatment for any condition.” While reiki’s success stories are anecdotal, there is evidence that physical contact – through play, patting, rubbing, etc., – releases stress in companion animals. Try giving your pet a massage at home (for free!) to experience the stress-reducing benefits of physical contact.

Animal Communication

Animal communicators claim to speak with your animal via telepathy. According to practitioners, your animal can communicate freely, usually in pictures, or you can seek answers to specific questions like, “Why do you keep peeing in my bedroom?” or “Does your leg hurt?” The communicators – who charge an average of $50 for 30 minutes – relay the answer to you. “That’s not my thing,” said Dr. V. “I think a lot of these animal “˜communicators’ go into it with their heart in the right place, but I’ve also seen some pretty kooky stuff going on. Animals are indeed good communicators, but an observant behavior specialist is often better at figuring out what the pet is trying to say than any pet telepathist.”

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