Four major differences

          
          
   ONE: 
   Our clinic has the only veterinarian in Las Cruces certified as an 
   acupuncturist by the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society
   and certified by the Chi Institute as a certified Traditional Chinese
   Practitioner and Herbologist. There are only 92 veterinarians in the nation
   certified by the Chi Institute. Dr. Craig has made Traditional Chinese Medicine
   a passion. She is involved in the advancement of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
   She has volunteered as a Teaching Assistant for the IVAS course and she is
   currently serving as a member of the Education Committee. We offer both
   Conventional Western Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine for our 
   patients  Integrating the best of both worlds helps us provide a more complete 
                                                                                treatment plan. 
   

               TWO: We are a "low volume" clinic. We choose to see less patients per day,  spending more time with each patient 
               and client. Our appointments are blocked off for forty-five to sixty minutes. Our initial Eastern appointments are ninety
               minutes to two hours. We discuss at length the disease process, the necessary diagnostic tests, the treatments, 
               and the medications necessary for the patients' care. 

               THREE: We treat our patients as if they were our own. All surgery patients, from the routine (spays, castrations, 
               dentistries) to the more serious (tumor removals, exploratories)  have intravenous catheters placed and intravenous
               fluids given throughout the surgery and after the surgery. Humans do not have surgeries without this basic care.
               We advocate annual wellness exams for the younger patients and twice a year exams the older patients. This makes 
               it possible for us to detect health problems before they reach a  critical state.  We strongly advise annual blood work
               and other screening diagnostic tests to aid us in diagnosing hidden medical conditions such as kidney disease, 
               hypothyroidism, liver disease, and heart disease. 

               FOUR: We do not vaccinate patients just to vaccinate. Instead, we vaccinate based upon the individual pet. 
               We consider the age of the pet, the health status of the pet, and the risk of exposure. We compare the benefits 
               of the specific vaccination against the possible side effects. We work as a team with the client to decide what is
               best for the pet.