The Integrative Veterinarian

Dr. Sarah Brett was raised in Perth, Australia and earned her veterinary degree from Murdoch University in 1986. After graduation, she spent time in a mixed animal practice in South West Western Australia. Afterwards, she moved north to Dongara for 3.5 years to work in a mixed practice and spent time working as a barmaid, sheep roustabout, and freight deliverer. 

She then took a three month locum position in Kununurra, a northern border town in the Kimberley, and hasn't left in the last 33 years! The practice is mixed but mostly small animal. They also have a satellite practice 100 km away. Dr. Brett has had a long-standing interest in wildlife medicine and does this as well. 

After learning the value of holistic medicine first-hand after some injuries, she uses homeopathy, Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture, Tui Na, and nutritional supplements in her patients. She has lectured about the use of holistic medicine in treating wildlife at conferences around Australia. 

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Sarah Brett as we talk about her education, practice life, and her life outside of practice on a property with 800 Mango trees and a wonderful stone home. We also discuss her love of live music and belly dancing. 

Dr. Judy Jasek was raised outside of Chicago, Illinois. She earned a degree in Zoology from Colorado State University in 1984, and her DVM from CSU in 1988. After graduation, she went into mixed animal practice in Idaho. 

She then transitioned to small animal practice in Salt Lake City, Utah and then moved to Denver, Colorado in 2001. She purchased an allopathic practice near Denver in 2003, added holistic therapies to the practice, and sold the practice in 2015. 

After selling her practice she opened a home-based holistic practice. She recently limited her practice to telemedicine, and she and her husband have relocated to Tennessee. 

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Judy Jasek as we discuss her education, early practice life, adding holistic modalities to her treatments, and her recent conversion to a telemedicine only practice. 

Dr. Holly Mash grew up in both urban and rural areas in England. She discovered a love for animals at an early age and set a goal to be a veterinarian. She earned her veterinary degree from the University of Bristol in 2001. While in veterinary school, she spent time on a farm in Norway and an externship at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Equine Center. 

After graduation, she worked in both mixed and small animal practices for a few years, before deciding to go to Australia and New Zealand for a year to take a break from practice. At the same time, her interest was kindled in holistic medicine because of successful treatment of a resistant corneal ulcer in her parent's dog. 

While in Australia, she spent time at Dr. Barbara Fougere's practice and was convinced to take the IVAS acupuncture course during her year away from practice. When she returned to England, she started a referral acupuncture practice, which continues to this day. 

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Holly Mash as we discuss her education, holistic training, visiting King Charles III organic dairy farm and a leading pet food brand, and her two books, The Holistic Dog and the Holistic Cat. 

Dr. Emily Mangan was raised on a small farm outside of Eugene, Oregon. She developed a love for animals at an early age and was able to spend time in veterinary clinics as a young teenager. She was accepted into an Honors program at Oregon State University that prepared her for entry into the College of Veterinary Medicine there, where she earned her veterinary degree. While a student, she got exposure to acupuncture through a faculty member who treated patients in the University clinic. 

After graduation, Emily completed a one year Internship in Equine Medicine and Surgery at the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center before doing an Internship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. During her Internship, she was able to complete a number of certifications at Chi University, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, Tui-Na, Food Therapy, and Rehabilitation.

After completing her Internship, Emily moved back to Oregon and established a mobile practice, Wisewood Integrative Medicine.  Her time is spent between growing her practice, lecturing, and scientific writing.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Emily Mangan as we discuss her childhood, university experience, Internships, clinical practice, teaching, and her upcoming webinar for CIVT.

Dr. Nicole Rous was raised in Melbourne, Australia. She decided at an early age that she wanted to make veterinary medicine her life's work. She earned a degree with Honours in Animal Science with a co-major in Vision Science from the University of Melbourne in 2003. Her Honours Thesis work led to the publication of a paper in Veterinary Ophthalmology in 2007.

She then earned her Veterinary Degree, with Honours, from the University of Sydney in 2008. After graduation, she and her husband moved to the UK where she worked in a two doctor small animal practice near Norwich. In 2009 they moved back to Australia and she joined the Monash Veterinary Clinic, where she completed her Membership in small animal reproduction and was the co-author of a paper published in the journal Theriogenology.

In 2017, Dr. Rous joined Mont Albert Veterinary Surgery in Melbourne, and she and her husband purchased the clinic in August of 2021.

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Nicole Rous as we discuss her education, practice evolution, and the entrepreneurial spirit which led her to become a practice owner and start a holistic veterinary business, which is the subject of an upcoming CIVT webinar.

In this episode I check back in with Eric Grey, licensed acupuncturist, who was a guest on episode 35. Eric and his wife and business partner, Licensed Massage Therapist Amanda Barp, own Watershed Wellness Astoria. In episode 35, Eric and I discussed the history of their business and his intention to limit his practice to herbal medicine. In this episode, he and I return to that decision, talk about the changes that have occurred at the practice, and how his recent commitment to Buddhism has given him the space to resume practicing both acupuncture and herbal medicine. We also discuss how they have managed transitioning patients between providers in the practice. 

Please enjoy this episode with Eric Grey as we examine how stress affects our professional practice and the importance of self-care in maintaining our health. 

Notes: Great Vow Zen Monastery

Dr. Rosemarie Niznik was raised in Northeastern Pennsylvania. She was admittedly one of those children that new from an early age that she wanted to be a Veterinarian. 

She earned her B.S. in Animal Bioscience at Pennsylvania State University and her DVM from the University of Georgia in 1990. She did a small animal Internship, followed by a number of positions in small animal practices in the Northeastern United States. 

Like many of us, she experienced holistic medicine first-hand while getting treatment for a back injury. She completed the mixed animal acupuncture course at Chi University in 2017, and her holistic education has continued every since. 

Dr. Niznik is also certified in Veterinary Spinal Manipulative Therapy from the Healing Oasis and in Veterinary Food Therapy from Chi University. She has studied Chinese Herbal Medicine and Tui Na at Chi University and is currently enrolled in their Masters Program. She has also served as a Teaching Assistant for both Chi University and IVAS. 

Currently, her clinical work is divided between relief work in allopathic small animal practice and her own holistic house call practice in both Wisconsin and Illinois. 

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Rosemarie Niznik as we discuss her education, practice life, activities in organized veterinary medicine, and life outside of work. 

Dr. Wil Moorhead was raised in Beach Island, South Carolina. He grew up riding barrel racing horses. He earned his undergraduate degree in Animal Science from Auburn University and his veterinary degree from Mississippi State University in 2019.

After graduation, he did an Internship at Brazos Valley Equine Hospital in Texas and took an Associate position in that practice after his Internship year. While he was an Associate, he completed the animal chiropractic program at the Animal Chiropractic Education Source in Meridian, Texas. He is certified by the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association. 

In November of 2021, he took the big step of leaving general equine practice and starting his own animal chiropractic business, FLEXX Animal Chiropractic. 

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Wil Moorhead as we discuss his education, experience in equine practice, the factors that led him to start his own animal chiropractic business, and how he is building that business while working as a Music Director for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. 

Dr. Jeff Judkins was raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. He did his pre-veterinary work at the University of Arkansas, then earned his veterinary degree from Louisiana State University in 1984. Afterwards, he worked in traditional small animal practices in Austin, Texas and Fairbanks, Alaska. 

While he was in Fairbanks, he attended a three day acupuncture course taught by Dr. Allen Schoen. He moved to Portland, Oregon and worked in conventional practice before starting a house call acupuncture practice. During that time, he listened to audio recordings of Dr. Richard Pitcairn's Homeopathy course between patients. He also took courses in Chinese and Western Herbal Medicine. 

In 1995, he founded Portland's first holistic veterinary practice, Hawthorne Veterinary Clinic. He sold the practice in 2011 and relocated to Jacksonville, Oregon and opened Animalkind Veterinary Clinic in 2012. He treats his patients with acupuncture, herbal medicine, and homeopathy. 

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Jeff Judkins as we discuss his education, practice life, the future of holistic practice, and his long-standing membership with the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association. 

Dr. Kevin Landau was raised just North of New York City with dogs, cats, and horses. Initially intending to attend medical school, he got an undergraduate degree in Biology from Oberlin College in Ohio. He took a year after graduation to get some varied veterinary experience in both small animal and equine practice, he earned his veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1994. Afterwards, he did a one year internship at Mid Atlantic Equine in New Jersey. He then spent 3 years in equine practice in Burlington, Vermont. 

After a brief stop back in New Jersey, he relocated to Massachusetts and started a holistic equine practice that has evolved to a brick and mortar holistic practice that is 80% small animal and 20% equine. 

He is certified in Chiropractic by the AVCA, in Acupuncture by Chi University, and in Chinese Herbal Medicine by A Time to Heal. He also had advanced study in Chiropractic and Chinese Herbal Medicine. His practice also includes laser therapy, Applied Kinesiology, and Autonomic Response Testing. 

Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Kevin Landau as we discuss his education, time in traditional practice, the future of holistic medicine, and his time serving on the Board of Directors of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.