We Offer In-Home Acupuncture, Therapeutic Laser, and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Acupuncture - Acupuncture has been used to treat animals for thousands of years. From a Chinese medicine perspective, acupuncture works by stimulating or sedating certain energetic points to keep energy flowing smoothly and to keep the body in balance. Modern science is still investigating how this works, but there is evidence that traditional acupuncture points correspond to clusters of nerve endings, blood vessels, and inflammatory mediators in the body.
We can use acupuncture to help many conditions including (but not limited to) behavioral issues, allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, kidney disease, arthritis, degenerative nerve conditions, and generalized pain.
Most acupuncture visits last 45 minutes to an hour. Many of our patients become so relaxed during treatment that they actually fall asleep!
Additional Integrative Services
Therapeutic Laser - Therapeutic lasers, or cold lasers, get a specific wavelength of light into deep tissues. This light stimulates cells to reduce inflammation and speed healing. We use a Class 3B laser, which is very safe; it cannot cut or burn cells. It can be used alone or in combination with acupuncture to help with everything from wound healing to the reduction of inflammation associated with arthritis.
Food Therapy - We believe that commercially available dry pet foods are not ideal. Many pets, particularly older pets, benefit from diets that more closely approximate what they would eat in the wild. Canned foods, dehydrated diets, and home-cooked recipes provide more readily available and easily digestible nutrients. Home-cooked diets have the added benefit of being fully customizable to meet a patient’s medical and energetic needs. This must be done carefully, however, to avoid nutritional imbalances. We use a combination of traditional Chinese food theories and conventional veterinary nutritional guidelines to create recipes that owners can use with confidence. Dr. Butchko is certified in the Traditional Chinese Medicine approach to food therapy (CVFT).
Chinese Herbal Therapies - Chinese herbal formulations have evolved over thousands of years. They can be used to treat energetic imbalances that are identified through a thorough Chinese medical examination. They can also be targeted to address conditions that we recognize and treat in western medicine. These conditions include (but are not limited to) arthritis, rear leg weakness, internal organ abnormalities, bleeding disorders, anxiety, and cognitive decline. Chinese herbs can be used in combination with conventional medications. They have the added benefit of being extremely safe; side effects are typically minimal. Dr. Butchko has years of experience using Chinese herbs and is currently pursuing her certification in herbal medicine.
A Note About Our Services - Meridian Mobile Veterinary Care offers integrative therapies to compliment the care that your pet receives from your primary veterinarian. We do not offer vaccinations, laboratory diagnostics, radiographs, hospitalization, surgery, emergency care, or peaceful euthanasia.
If you do not have a primary veterinarian who can provide routine and emergency services, we can refer you to one of the veterinary clinics with which we work.
For specialty and/or after-hours emergency care, we recommend The Carolina Veterinary Specialists (CVS), Charlotte Animal Referral and Emergency (CARE), and UrgentVet Pet Clinic.
Fees and Payment Policy - When you call to schedule an appointment, we will discuss your pet's condition and which services might best meet your pet's needs.
Click here to see a list of our prices and an explanation of our payment policy.