Dr. Brad Kerr, a veterinarian, treats animals with acupuncture and traditional Chinese remedies. He has had success with dogs whose nerves were damaged in the hind legs. He is also using the therapy to treat diabetes in the dog.

Interest in acupuncture- the stimulation of specific points on the body by inserting and manipulating needles -- has been growing in the United States since President Nixon's groundbreaking trip to China in the 1970s. Only recently, however, has the treatment become an option in this area for animals as well as people.

It’s a tricky issue to convince owners to let needles pierce their pets’ flesh. Actually, some animals are very tolerant of acupuncture. It depends on your pet's disposition. The idea is to stimulate qi a kind of life force that pulses through the body. When qi is blocked, disease can result. By inserting needles in selected acupuncture points, the acupuncturist tries to clear up "qi stagnation" and get the qi flowing again. How deep the needles are inserted may vary, depending on the treatment. How many needles he uses will also vary, according to the ailment and the animal's strength; the frailer the animal, the fewer the needles.

Western science has trouble explaining how acupuncture can work. In the U.S., the veterinary school at Colorado State University began teaching acupuncture in 1974. Veterinary acupuncture has found some of its widest acceptance in treating orthopedic problems, such as arthritis, hip dysplasia, degenerative joint disease and age-related conditions that often don't respond well to conventional medical treatments.

Kerr said acupuncture is also effective for skin conditions, neurological problems, gastroinestinal, heart, kidney and liver problems and even some behavioral syndromes, such as aggressiveness, separation anxiety or fear of thunderstorms.

A self-styled "child of the counterculture, Kerr grew up in California and worked in the restaurant trade before earning his D.V.M. degree at Purdue University in 1987. After years of practice as a conventional vet, Kerr enrolled in 2000 at the Chi Institute of Gainesville, Fla., which offered training in traditional Chinese medicine. After a year's study, he was certified as a veterinary acupuncturist. Both Kerr and Wirsing - whose practice does not include acupuncture - prefer to define their practices as "complementary" rather than alternative medicine. They see their therapies not as substitutes for conventional veterinary medicine but as supplements.

For both Kerr and Wirsing, the appeal of their therapies lies in their holistic aspect - the effort to consider the entire animal rather than attacking disparate symptoms.Veterinary care doesn't have to be an either-or choice.