RUNNING her deft fingers over the entire length of the torso, Dr Susanna Brida-Hofherr expertly locates energy points which she thinks are blocked. She then takes a needle, fine as hair, and inserts it into the patient. A few more needles here and there, and the patient relaxes and dozes off.

However, Brida-Hofherr is not your usual acupuncturist.

For three years now, Brida-Hofherr has been practising vet acupuncture and is probably the only certified practitioner in the country.

The 42-year-old, who has a degree in veterinary medicine from Vienna, Austria, has had 12 years experience as a veterinarian before venturing into animal acupuncture.

Despite its novelty in Malaysia, animal acupuncture is a very old practice. It dates back more than 2,000 years. The Chinese performed it on army horses during wars.

Today, it is widely practised in Hong Kong, Austria, Germany and England.

Brida-Hofherr, who has made Malaysia her home the last seven years, has treated cats, dogs, horses and rabbits.

How did she come to incorporate traditional Chinese medicine into her practice?

Some years back, while she was undergoing fertility treatment, her gynaecologist suggested she try acupuncture.

Even though she did not believe in it, Brida-Hofherr gave it a try.

"I didn't get pregnant, but I noticed that I felt much better, and I loved it."

The positive results gave Brida-Hofherr "something to think about" and she began to look into acupuncture for animals.

There was no turning back after she enrolled in a two-year course with the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society in Australia. Her practice thereafter was solely centred on traditional Chinese medicine.

However, it is not a cure-all, says Brida-Hofherr, who always advises clients to go to their primary caregivers for treatment first.

"It is when modern medicine can no longer improve a situation that vets normally refer their clients to me," says Brida-Hofherr, who sees four to eight patients a day. Each session takes about half an hour.

So, is the process painful?

Not really, she says. "Sometimes, the animals become anxious when they see the needles. Some, when they feel the slight prick of the needle, tense up because they expect an injection.

"But acupuncture needles only part the fibre of the skin, they do not cause lesions.

"Animals do learn very fast though. Normally, there are no problems when they come for treatment the third time. They enjoy it, in fact."