For many new practitioners of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) the transition from conventional diagnosis, learned in veterinary school, to TCVM pattern identification and diagnosis (Bian Zheng) can be challenging. Bian means to differentiate or identify. Zheng refers to the pattern of a disease or illness. Bian Zheng is the final TCVM diagnosis. The first impulse for many veterinarians, beginning TCVM study, is to focus only on the points needed to treat a conventional diagnosis. Because of their busy practices, many beginning TCVM students may initially want to simply know “What acupoints are effective to treat hip osteoarthritis?” They then may choose to insert an acupuncture needle into local points around the hip like BL-54, GB-29 and GB- 30. This local treatment, especially if electroacupuncture is used, may definitely relieve some pain and such “cook book” approaches are easier than learning a whole new unfamiliar scheme of physiology and pathophysiology, with strange words and concepts. A “cookbook” approach may be a good starting point after an initial acupuncture training session, but is certainly not where effective TCVM practitioners end. Without a specific Bian Zheng, as in a case of osteoarthritis, the treatment effect is similar to giving a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (without the side-effects), which provides some limited benefit, but offers no treatment for the underlying disorder causing the osteoarthritis. So what do TCVM practitioners need to do to tap into the power of Bian Zheng and make their treatments more effective? This article provides information for a deeper understanding.