Human VS Animal Acupuncture Education

There are a number of points that are incorrect as far as I understand things. In most states you do not need to be a vet to practice acupuncture on animals, you can do this as a licensed acupuncturist. There is an additional certification known as a "certified animal acupuncturist" which you can take which may or may not be required within your area (your states acupuncture board would be the people to ask). That certification is for licensed acupuncturists only, not vets. If you are a vet you are, in some states, entitled to practice acupuncture with or without proper training much like MD's are allowed to practice acupuncture on humans in some states with no or very limited training related to Chinese Medicine.

So your best route (both financially and clinically), minus laws specific to your state, would be to become a licensed acupuncturist and then pursure appropriate certification in working with animals. That said, becoming a licensed acupuncturist is not, in most cases, all that different in many regards from going to medical school. Most accredited acupuncture schools require classes in organic chemistry, bio chemistry, microbiology, etc. as prerequisites in addition to your undergraduate degree if you didn't take them already. And the expense is still quite high - in most cases it is a 4 year masters program with most schools being private and having relatively high tuition rates. Certainly nowhere as comprehensive in western medical terms as an MD or DVM, but far more comprehensive in Chinese Medicine theory and clinical applications which is crucial for it to be properly applied.