Veterinary Naturopathy and Complementary Medicine: A Survey among Homepages of German Veterinary Practitioners

BACKGROUND: The use and interest in veterinary naturopathy and complementary medicine are increasing and modes of treatment are diverse. To this point, only a few data on the German situation in small animal medicine exist. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An online research of 1,083 German veterinary homepages for contents of veterinary naturopathy and complementary medicine was performed in September and October 2017. “Veterinarian” and “Chamber of Veterinary Surgeons” were used as search items. Homepages of small animal medicine were included. They were surveyed for modes of complementary and naturopathic treatments and corresponding qualifications of the offering veterinarian. Data were collected and processed using Excel 2013 Version 15.0. Afterward, a descriptive data analysis was performed. RESULTS: 60.7% (n = 657) of homepages showed contents of veterinary naturopathy and complementary medicine. The highest percentage was found in the Chamber of Veterinary Surgeons of Saarland (91.7%, n = 11 out of 12). Homeopathy was cited most frequently (58%, n = 381). Out of all homepages with relevant content, 31.4% (n = 206) gave information about user qualifications, with continuous education programs named most frequently (52.9%, n = 109). CONCLUSION: The given data illustrate the high number of German veterinary homepages with contents of veterinary naturopathy and complementary medicine, corresponding to actual data of a high usage in veterinary and human medicine. Therefore, further scientific research in this field seems reasonable. Modes of treatment and qualifications are highly diverse and despite of controversial public discussions, homeopathy was the most frequently cited treatment modality on German veterinary homepages.