Animal Therapies

Animal acupuncture originated nearly 3,000 years ago, predating Western veterinary medicine by over 2,500 years. While its practice in China largely ended by the 10th century, it re-emerged in 1972, not in Asia but in the United States. Acupuncturists, rather than veterinarians, were instrumental in reintroducing animal acupuncture in the U.S., bringing the practice back into global awareness. John Ottaviano and Gene Bruno were the pioneers of bringing animal acupuncture back into the world.

“The successful treatment of horses and small animals for conditions that veterinary medicine could either not treat, or had poor results treating, led to the introduction of Animal Acupuncture in the United States, and later to the rest of the world.”

From 1972 to 1976, John Ottaviano and Gene Bruno treated numerous horses and small animals with acupuncture, creating the first modern animal acupuncture chart in 1973, focused on horses. Their goal was to teach veterinarians the principles of Chinese medicine and acupuncture. At the time, there was no U.S. licensing for acupuncturists, but some veterinarians began practicing animal acupuncture under their guidance.

In 1973, Ottaviano and Bruno founded the National Association of Veterinary Acupuncture (NAVA) to train veterinary professionals. By 1974-75, with contributions from NAVA’s research team and other veterinarians, the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) was established. They referred to the developed system of points and protocols as Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM).

The first complete animal acupuncture course for licensed acupuncturists was created in the late 1990s by Noreen Javornik, LAc, and her team at the Tai Sophia Institute. Currently, the only comprehensive program is offered by the Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine & Acupuncture in Arizona.

In 1973, Gene Bruno, OMD, LAc, and Joel Rossen, DVM, founded the American Board of Animal Acupuncture (ABAA), which remains the sole certification body for licensed acupuncturists practicing animal acupuncture.