An Auburn University equine veterinarian is having success treating horses with chronic pain and other conditions by using a form of integrative medicine: acupuncture.

Kara Lascola, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM (LA), CVA, an associate professor of equine internal medicine in the Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Clinical Sciences, in Alabama, says acupuncture, a key component of traditional Chinese medicine, has been used in humans for over a thousand years.

“In veterinary medicine, it has become more widespread in just the last 10 to 15 years,” she said. “While it is probably used more commonly on dogs, I routinely use acupuncture on horses for pain management associated with musculoskeletal conditions—such as arthritis—and for treating neuropathies