Acupuncture is an effective and ancient healing method that dates back to prehistoric China and is widely used throughout Asia to relieve a myriad of painful conditions. Pet owners may be surprised to learn that veterinarian acupuncture is also an intense field of study, and one for which our own Dr. Mark Bianchi has been officially certified. He completed his training with the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) during the academic year of 2007-2008, and continues his education with several additional hours of training each year. Dr. Bianchi has been able to relieve many dogs, cats and other small pets here in Edmond from numerous health problems through the practice of acupuncture.




The first recorded historical incidence of veterinary acupuncture dates to nearly 3000 years ago in India, and the patient in question was an elephant. While treating elephants is out of our purview, our Edmond holistic veterinarian successfully treats a variety of small pets with the procedure. Although acupuncture has absorbed many western scientific elements, the basic philosophies of veterinarian acupuncture should be understood from the holistic, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) viewpoint that health problems (for humans or animals) originate from certain imbalances in the life of the patient.

While western veterinary medicine tends to isolate the symptoms of a particular illness to one aspect of an animal’s health, TCM seeks to gain a full picture of the animal’s health—to restore balance and health holistically for complete health and wellness. The main difference between the holistic practice of acupuncture versus the western approach is that, with western medicine, two different pets diagnosed with, for example, a bladder problem, will receive the same drugs or treatments (sometimes with serious side effects), even if the root cause of the problem is different. TCM, on the other hand (of which acupuncture is a part) focuses on discovering and treating the root cause of a pet’s health problems, and not just the symptoms.

A visit to Dr. Mark Bianchi for an acupuncture session starts the same way any other visit to the vet would start; with a complete check up and diagnosis. Pet owners may notice, however, that Dr. Bianchi asks a lot more questions and does a more thorough check up to get to the bottom of each pet’s individual problem. Once he diagnoses the issue, he employs the use of very thin needles inserted into very specific points in the animal’s body, which then redirect energy to promote holistic healing. Holistic veterinarian Dr. Mark Bianchi notes that the vast majority of animals undergoing acupuncture are very comfortable during the procedures.

Veterinarian acupuncture has been successful in providing pets with relief from a myriad of aliments, from hip dysplasia, allergies and joint diseases, to gastrointestinal problems, neurological issues and more. Call us today to learn more about how this holistic health approach can provide relief to suffering pets.