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Dr Vav Simon tells NagMag exactly
what the term ‘Complementary Therapy’ means.
 Vav
Simon is a leading chiropractor who is qualified to work both with humans and
animals. Although based on the Isle of Wight, Vav offers her services throughout
Hampshire, Dorset, Witshire, Sussex, Berkshire and Surrey, normally assessing
and treating on the same day. Vav was the founder of the Natural Therapy Centre
for Animals in Ryde on the Isle of Wight and provides chiropractic, massage,
homeopathy, herbs and the more gentle and holistic natural therapies for horses,
dogs and other animals that are complementary to the skills of veterinary
medicine.
Very much dedicated to her work,
Vav has been Chair of the Animal Chiropractic Faculty one of her professional
associations, Registrar of another, and is currently Director for Academic
Affairs for the College of Chiropractic Animal Faculty much to keep her
occupied. In this article Vav tells NagMag exactly what the term ‘Complementary
Therapy’ means.
Complementary Therapies are
those treatments not usually provided by vets, but recognised as effective
within their areas of expertise.
For humans, many complementary
therapies are offered to paying customers. Some have now been accepted by the
NHS and other providers like BUPA. For animals, the law is strict in protecting
animals from harm that could be done by untrained individuals.
The Veterinary Surgery (Exemptions)
Order 1962 states very clearly that only a few named types of complementary
therapies can be legally performed. These are chiropractic, osteopathy and
physiotherapy: any other form of therapy must be performed by a suitably trained
vet.
Training
These therapists must be trained in the veterinary form of the treatment.
Four-legged animals move quite differently to humans, and most therapists are
qualified to treat pets like dogs, cats, ferrets, etc as well as horses.
Like vets, chiropractors,
osteopaths and physiotherapists must register with their professional council
following training. These organisations publish codes of conduct and standards
of proficiency, monitor continued professional development training and ensure
suitable professional insurance is in place.
Permission
All therapists must seek the vet’s permission to treat any medical condition.
They may only treat non-medical problems without this permission – which really
means poor performance – and this is what most people contact therapists for.
Other therapies you may hear about
include massage, aromatherapy, herbal remedies and homeopathy. No matter how
well qualified these therapists are for human patients, they are still not
permitted to treat animals by law. Owners, however, are allowed to administer
herbal and homeopathic remedies for their own animal, if that is their choice.
Teamwork
In practice, many vets will give permission for a therapist who’s work they
respect to go ahead. The training that chiropractors, osteopaths and
physiotherapists go through is a post-graduate course that includes a lot of
veterinary science, along with an understanding of farriery and dentistry. This
means that they are able to recognise a medical problem that has arisen since
the vet saw the horse and ensure they do not complicate the situation. They will
recommend the owner returns to the vet for appropriate treatment.
Many vets know about complementary
therapies through trying it for themselves. Like many doctors, dentists and
nurses, they have found that complementary therapies can find answers where
conventional treatments come to a halt.
When vet and therapist work in
tandem they can get the best result for both the horse’s comfort and competition
performance. Occasionally, they can pull off a miracle, where neither profession
could achieve results alone. |
