Chartrand said she treats her cat with aromatherapy when she gets sick, offering her different scents to inhale. "She knows which ones her system needs," Chartrand said.
That holistic medicine for animals would catch on in San Francisco, which also ushered in the no-kill movement in animal shelters in the 1990s, comes as little surprise. But the field is catching on among veterinarians across the country.
The Maryland-based American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association claims more than 800 members from Florida to Alaska. Chartrand learned about an alternative treatment called therapeutic touch from her sister, a veterinarian who uses the technique on horses in Kansas.
Still, despite broadening acceptance, alternative medicine for animals faces continued skepticism. The American Veterinary Medical Association said in recent guidelines on alternative medical techniques for animals that the organization is "open to their consideration."
But it stressed that the quality of research into different methods varies, saying some practices "may differ from current scientific knowledge."
Beth Schneider, an animal acupuncturist for Pets Unlimited, said one positive experience with alternative techniques can be enough to convince doubters.
"They see how beneficial it is to the animal," she said. "And they want to start going to acupuncturists themselves."
