VETERINARIAN HEALS PETS WITH HOLISTIC HAND.

Byline: Deborah Adamson Daily News Staff Writer

Dr. Nancy Scanlan ran her hand across the sleek, black back of Taylor the Doberman and slowly inserted six needles.

Almost immediately, the canine grew still. She looked up at Scanlan, who was kneeling beside her, and trustingly placed her head on Scanlan's bent legs.

``She likes it,'' said the veterinarian at Southern California Veterinary Hospital in Woodland Hills. She used acupuncture to alleviate Taylor's neck spasms, where pain has radiated down her body to make her limp.

Scanlan is one of a few dozen vets in the Los Angeles area who practice alternative therapies on animals.

In addition to acupuncture, she also uses herbal medicines, homeopathic therapies and spinal adjustments instead of traditional care.

Scanlan says the therapy methods can help animals that can't be helped in any other way.

It also has helped business.

Since Scanlan joined the clinic May 1, demand for her services has doubled, said Dr. Sandy Jongeward, chief of medicine.

``It has gotten a lot busier,'' she said.

The hospital is planning to have Scanlan see patients two mornings a week, up from half a day on Wednesday. She handles about 12 appointments a morning.

Acupuncture involves inserting needles to trigger responses of the body. Acupuncture is used to fight pain, reduce inflammation and speed up healing among other things.

The therapy falls under the umbrella of holistic medicine, which believes in treating the body as a whole, not just the ailing part.

That's because treating one body part can affect other areas as well, said John Ottaviano, an Asian medicine expert in Sherman Oaks.

But the American Veterinary Medical Association in Schaumburg, Ill., wants pet owners to be cautious about the holistic approach.

The concept ``embraces many unconventional and controversial modalities. . . It is recommended that veterinary holistic medicine be practiced only by a licensed veterinarian,'' according to the group's guidelines on alternate therapies.

But one reason for the popularity of the holistic approach is the lack of good remedies in traditional Western medicine for illnesses that include hip displasia, arthritis, allergies and many chronic diseases.

You don't have to tell that to Stephanie Salinsky of Sherman Oaks.

Three weeks ago, her 12-year-old dog Nikki, hardly walked because of arthritis. Aspirin helped the pain, but didn't make her more mobile.

A friend told her about acupuncture and Salinsky decided to try it.

Her vet, Scanlan, supplemented the treatment with Chinese herbal tablets that is supposed to relieve inflammation and pain and strengthen muscles. Vitamin E and C capsules completed the dietary treatment.

Nikki's condition now is much improved.

``She's running around, following me around the house,'' Salinsky said, rubbing her hands across the dog's brown fur. ``She hasn't done that for a long time.''

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: (Color) Acupuncture has been an effective tool in al leviating spasms in Taylor's neck.

David Crane/Daily News