TCVM stands for Traditional Chineses Veterinary Medicine
Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) is growing in acceptance and practice in veterinary clinics around the world. In China, it has been used in veterinary practice for over 3000 years to treat many ailments. The Chinese regularly practiced acupuncture on horses, as evidenced by Dr. Bo Le’s canon of veterinary acupuncture “Bo Le Zhen Jing”, written between 659 BC and 621 BC. Later it was gradually tried on other farm animals and finally dogs, cats and birds.
TCVM focuses on health maintenance, illness prevention and non-invasive treatment through its four branches:
- Acupuncture,
- Chinese Botanical (herbal) medicine,
- Nutritional (food) therapy and
- Tui-Na bodywork massage.
In human therapy there is a fifth branch: Qi-gong meditational execise. One might argue that companion animals already spend a good part of the day in meditation, so do not require this technique! The philosophy and practice of TCVM are consistent with the most significant developments in veterinary health care today:
- emphasizing regular examinations and preventive care;
- less-invasive or non-invasive approaches;
- balancing environmental, physical, emotional and spiritual factors in health; and
- the role of the veterinarian as a partner with the animal’s guardian to facilitate the patient’s health and well-being.
