Behind the Scenes at a Holistic Veterinarian's (1998).

 This is a story I wrote for school back in 1998 that was never published.

I'm sharing it here because it emphasizes how much the world has changed; and because I haven't read much else on holistic veterinary medicine...
 

            A short, fat, brown dog was panting heavily in the examining room of the animal clinic.  Her owner was with her. Fine stainless steel needles punctured the dog's skin, yet the dog didn't try to remove them. She made no attempt to bite the slightly-built, brown-haired veterinarian in charge. She was as unconcerned as any dog could be in a veterinarian's office.

            Dinga the corgi was being given an acupuncture treatment by one of Austin's few holistic veterinarians, Kathryn Van Winkle, DVM.

             Holistic medicine is the umbrella term for a number of forms of medicine that focus on strengthening the body's own defenses, rather than on fighting specific diseases.

            Acupuncture treatments, such as the 6 year-old Dinga was receiving, are only one type of alternative medicine that Van Winkle, 45, performs. She also treats patients using Chinese herbs, chiropractic care, and homeopathic medicine. She is a member of the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society, an American association founded in 1974 with approximately 1400 members.

            Dinga's acupuncture treatments were administered according to the belief that there is a life force called the Qi (pronounced chee) that runs throughout the body. The tenets of acupuncture hold that the body's internal organs can be stimulated through manipulation of different points on the skin. The needles are just one way to stimulate these points. The needles can be left in anywhere from 30  seconds to 30 minutes.

            For the corgi Dinga, the needles were stimulating Dinga's Qi for about two minutes. Van Winkle was treating Dinga for complications she had with a sedative the previous week.

            A decade ago, Van Winkle wouldn't have been performing this acupuncture treatment on a dog such as Dinga. While she has been a licensed veterinarian since her graduation from Texas A&M in 1978,  Van Winkle has only been practicing holistic veterinary medicine for the last five years.