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The History of
Animal Acupuncture
For nearly 3000 years, from the Zhou dynasty and the reign of Emperor Mu around 930 B.C., up until the Yuan dynasty of the 11th century, Chinese medicine was used sparingly on large animals. Much of the focus was on the treatment of horses since they were so essential to the military. After the 11th century, there are records of certain publications that briefly referred to animal acupuncture, but over this long span of time there were very few. Unfortunately, no comprehensive charts or texts survived this period. The popularity, and evidently the use of acupuncture for the treatment of animals, primarily for horses but also for some other farm animals, eventually diminished to the point that after the 11th Century, nothing was mentioned in any of the major texts. It is important to note that there never were any charts, texts, or any known references regarding the treatment of dogs or cats with acupuncture.
The National Acupuncture Association (NAA) was the first formal professional organization for acupuncturists in the US, organized as a non-profit corporation. In 1971, the National Acupuncture Association (NAA) created its Animal Acupuncture Research division to understand if acupuncture had a practical use for treating diseases and functional disorders in large and small animals. Members of the NAA team, John Ottaviano and Gene Bruno, had been treating their own dogs and friends’ animals with good results. Dr. William Prensky, the President of the NAA, put Ottaviano and Bruno in charge of the Animal Acupuncture Division.
In 1972, a small animal veterinarian named Richard Glassberg, DVM, contacted the NAA about his interest in using acupuncture to treat small animals. He agreed to work with Ottaviano and Bruno on comparative anatomy if they taught him how to treat animals using acupuncture. They began working with Dr. Glassberg, and later with other veterinarians, including Dr. Alice DeGroot and Dr. Joel Rossen, and others. This led to Ottaviano and Bruno working with several veterinarians and treating at five small animal clinics, several locations for horses, and finally the racetracks, all with the permission of the California Veterinary Medical Board and the California Horse Racing Board.
The National Acupuncture Association (NAA) was the first formal professional organization for acupuncturists in the US, organized as a non-profit corporation. In 1971, the National Acupuncture Association (NAA) created its Animal Acupuncture Research division to understand if acupuncture had a practical use for treating diseases and functional disorders in large and small animals. Members of the NAA team, John Ottaviano and Gene Bruno, had been treating their own dogs and friends’ animals with good results.
Dr. William Prensky, the President of the NAA, put Ottaviano and Bruno in charge of the Animal Acupuncture Division.
In 2013, Gene Bruno, OMD, LAc, and Joel Rossen, DVM, CVA, established the American Board of Animal Acupuncture (ABAA). The American Board of Animal Acupuncture certifies acupuncturists in animal acupuncture.
The first complete course in animal acupuncture for licensed acupuncturists was developed and taught by acupuncturist Noreen Javornik and her associates at Tai Sophia Institute in the late 1990’s. This course was last offered in 2015. In 2001, Noreen was joined by Randi Sobel, LAc, a graduate of Javornik’s program who worked was an instructor in the program for 15 years. The International Academy of Animal Acupuncture offered a course for licensed acupuncturists in 2014-15. Two courses in animal acupuncture were offered at Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine & Acupuncture in 2021-22 and 2023-24. Currently, the National Academy of Animal Acupuncture is offering the only courses that are approved by the ABAA.