At Dr. Bob Smatt’s pet clinic, pets seldom receive the standard prescription of pills to regain their health.
Rather, dogs and cats can get their backs adjusted, receive acupuncture treatments and even enjoy a rubdown.
That’s because Smatt’s Genesee Bird & Pet Clinic in San Diego believes combined conventional and alternative medicine is best for all animals, not just humans.
“We use conventional treatments (blood tests, X-rays and physical exams) to diagnose the problem,” Smatt said. “To treat patients, we use mostly herbs and homeopathic medicines and acupuncture. When you use drugs, most of the time it’s to correct the symptoms but not the underlying problem.”
The doctor of veterinary medicine and a certified veterinary acupuncturist of 32 years said he’s helped thousands of animals regain their health using a combination of Eastern and Western medicine.
These days, Smatt and his staff of two treat about 15 animals a day, mostly cats and dogs, he said. Many of them receive several acupuncture and chiropractic treatments a week , and love it, he said.
Just as in humans, acupuncture can mitigate internal disease, such as kidney and liver problems, and help overcome arthritis pain in pets, he said.
One acupuncture treatment runs about $50, but treatments are often combined to achieve better results, he said.
Smatt also promotes healthy recipes and diets for his patients and sells prepackaged foods to clients.
