Do you believe in CAVM?

[silvershadow81]

I was only wondering as it was the subject for my dissertation a few years back!

I looked at horse owners opinions on Complementary and Alternative Vetinary Medicine. (massage, chiro, shiatsu, herbs, aromatherapy, accupressure etc etc..)

Do you use any of these methods?

Have you used them on yourself?

Do you think that by usuing them on yourself, you are more likely to use on your horse?

And if you do, do you think you will base the outcome on your own experiences and how that worked out when you analyse how it went on the horse?

Would you be more likely to use CAVM than conventional methods?

Only wondered as when i did the study a few years ago there were a number of therapies which were more used than others, and since being on here I think that people are becoming more open minded with these therapies?? (which would support my conclusion!)

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

You could be right Ss81. I was extremely sceptical about ALL alternative medicines but I have since experienced how much milk thistle is supporting my mare's liver and I also think echinacea has helped my veteran through the winter when he's been out all night, every single night, rugged up to the eyeballs (or eye BALL) and with only 1 eye and the other intermittently gungy and weepy. In my last yard, he was lucky to have a couple of hours turnout a week and even then the livery YM used to keep him in if it was windy, to protect his eye she felt. But of course that meant he had NO turnout and it may have helped his eye but it sure didn't help his mind! Daily winter turnout + mahoosive rugs + echinacea has made him happy and settled and only 2 episodes where his eye needed help. I also feel differently about acupuncture since seeing the vet on our livery yard treat her own arthritic horse very successfully with it. I'm still not certain about some of the more "magic" sounding stuff but maybe others have had some good experiences?

 

[kerilli]

i have used homeopathy with great success in the past. i use aromatherapy oils, mctimoney chiropractic, and massage.
i try everything on myself first. i don't use acupuncture because i had a bad experience with it the only time i tried it, but i should probably try it again with a different practitioner.
i get the vet immediately for anything serious-looking, but for very low-key stuff i am happy to try complementary/alternative therapies.

 

[Marchtime]

I use massage therapy on both myself and my horse. I see a sports massage therapist fortnightly and quite honestly it's the only thing that allows me to ride. I've tried all the doctors recommendations - painkillers, injections etc but the only long term thing seems to be massage.
My equine sports massage therapist comes out once every six weeks. I think it helps ensure my horse is developing the correct muscles and he enjoys it.
I'm far less sceptical than I used to be about most alternative therapies.

 

[silvershadow81]

When I wrote it I predicted that there would be a pattern where equine cavm would follow human ca methods, but four years later.... I would still keep my prediction coming up to the four year anniversary of my dissertation!

I do also think that there is a correlation between human perceptions of a treatment and how owners go on to think it worked on their equine... though as Kerilli points out, if you have a poor practitioner then this can also sway your perceptions.

the ones i use(d) on myself would be:

Herbal (teas and calm tabs)
Physio
Chiro
Aromatherapy

And Gem has also had all of these treatments!
The aromatics worked really well on her- she jumped a 5-bar gate (unsucsessfully) a few years back and my friend offered some arnica and carrot oil (I think) and i couldnt believe that she wasnt stiff the next day. The hair started growning back within about 3 days!

Below is a picture on her website of gems legs:

Her website is: http://www.purelyanimals.co.uk/index.php?f=data_home&a=7

definatly believe that she would have suffered much more without treatmenrt and dont think the vet could have done much as the skin wasnt broken?

 

[Dolcé]

another advocate of Arnica, our 8 week old foal had a run in with a barbed wire fence and was given arnica starting 20 minutes after his accident. He was ripped to shreds but had absolutely no swelling becauseof the regular doses. A livery whose horse had a similar accident couldn't believe the condition he was in the next morning, having seen the wounds the night before, compared to her horse.

I also use Reiki on our own horses, brilliant for abcesses and other illnesses providing the horse will accept it.

 

[silvershadow81]

Definatly a good one. Apparantly Carrott Oil is for cell repair- hence how quickly the hair grew back and the arnica for the brusing.

I would rather use these treatments in the long run with my girl.

I have not tried Reiki on myself or her. There was a lady who wanted to do equine shitsu on her, i didnt mind her doing it on her but we never set a date.

Not sure what that would have involved though!

 

[dwi]

I use arnica and ecchinacea on the recommendation of a friend and have been very impressed with the results of both