Quirky Pet Businesses Worth Barking About

Gladstein is a rare breed: She makes house calls. The 59-year-old stock broker turned veterinarian treats furry patients with a combination of traditional and alternative medical techniques--from chiropractic massage and acupuncture to prolotherapy and in vitro fertilization treatments. (Prolotherapy is a non-surgical orthopedic procedure that helps ease arthritis.) Founded in 2002, Animal Acupuncture charges up to $3,000 for prolotherapies and $300 an hour for acupuncture and laser treatments. Gladstein says about 80% of her roughly $330,000 in revenue this year will come from alternative treatments for dogs, cats and the occasional horse. Her biggest challenge: credibility--which she aims to shore up by doing pro bono work for the Humane Society.

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