MADISON, Conn. -- Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years on humans, but now more and more veterinarians are offering the alternative treatment for pets.

Monica Clark told Eyewitness News that she brings her 12-year-old dog Kahlua for acupuncture because of her severe arthritis.

"She has type II disk disease, she has degenerative joint disease in her elbows and she has laryngeal paralysis," said Dr. John Oullette of the Madison Veterinary Hospital.

Oullette said he has used traditional medicines in the past to treat Kahlua, but that acupuncture is the only treatment left.

"We've come to the point where now alternative medicine -- specifically acupuncture -- is probably all we have left," he said.

Oullette selects specific spots to insert the acupuncture needles to give Kahlua more energy and help relieve her pain.

More than a dozen needles are left in for about 20 minutes and within several days Clark says she can see a difference.

"I notice she's perkier, clearer, and she will move around more," she said.

While Oullette performs acupuncture mostly on dogs, cats and horses, he said he's successfully performed it on other animals.

"A client came in and wanted the chicken treated," he said. "It was egg-bound, it couldn't produce an egg. It was treated and laid its egg when it went home."

Learn more about animal acupuncture in an exclusive Q & A interview with Oullette.

For more information, contact Dr. Ouellette at the Madison Veterinarian Hospital by dialing 203-421-3300.

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