The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) House of Delegates voted at their January 11, 2014 meeting to admit the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture into the House of Delegates as a constituent allied veterinary organization. The resolution was approved with 97 percent of the vote.

The House of Delegates is composed of AVMA members from 70 state and territorial, and allied veterinary medical groups. AVMA policies that affect the practice of veterinary medicine are set by the House of Delegates, which convenes each summer at the AVMA Annual Convention and each winter at the Veterinary Leadership Conference.

"It is exciting to see the AVMA recognize acupuncture, a growing field in the United States, as a valid adjunct to the care of veterinary patients," says Dr. Lori Bidwell, DVM, DACVA, CVA, assistant professor in the MSU Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences.

The mission statement of the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture, which has more than 900 members, is: To improve animal health care by the advancement of veterinary acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and Traditional Asian Medicine through education, research and leadership.

The practice of veterinary acupuncture began growing in the United States in the 1970s, and its adoption has increased each year since the mid-1990s. Globally, the practice extends back more than 2,000 years when acupuncture was used on horses in China during the Jin dynasty.

An expert in pain management, Bidwell is a diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists and certified in veterinary acupuncture. She will be presenting on pain management and analgesia techniques at the Michigan Veterinary Conference on Saturday, January 25 and, from January through March, will be providing diagnostics, treatment, and consultation at the HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal, California.

January 16, 2014