Page 6 • CEDAR STREET Times • March 5, 2010

Holistic veterinarian? It’s only natural!

 

By Catherine Badin

Ever wonder what a “natural veterinarian” does?

Just ask Dr. Annette Richmond and she’ll be happy to

inform you. Growing up on the Monterey Peninsula,

Dr. Richmond has been a practicing vet for over

thirteen years now, in regular practice for ten of those

years, and officially opening her practice, Natural

Veterinary Therapy, in 2007.

She went to UC Davis, then completed her

internship in Connecticut where she subsequently

worked in General Practice for five years. Returning

to Monterey to be closer to her family, she next

worked for Ocean View Veterinary Hospital for

another five years while also becoming a certified

veterinary acupuncturist in 1999. Says Annette,

“I’ve been incorporating animal acupuncture into my

general practice for over ten years now, along with

Chinese herbs. We also use Western herbs, flower

essences and other nutritional supplements.”

Asked why she’s so gung-ho on natural methods

and Dr. Richmond is quick to reply, “After my first

year out of veterinary school during my internship I

felt so limited with the medications available. Also,

one of my mentors used acupuncture and after seeing

the astounding results I decided to study it for use in

my own practice. I was brought up with all natural

medicines myself, as both my parents were from

Germany, and they were much more interested in

taking a holistic approach to my own health. And

I’ve found so many people living on the Peninsula

preferring to use natural medicines on themselves, so

they are thrilled to find a local veterinarian trained in

using natural medicines for their pets, as well.”

But Dr. Richmond’s expertise certainly isn’t

limited to acupuncture alone. Her clinic also offers

electro-stimulation, laser light therapy, nutritional

consultations, physical rehabilitation, massage,

chiropractic, and nutraceutical supplements and herbs.

And while Natural Veterinary Therapy is not a “fullservice”

hospital, they enjoy partnering with those

more traditional vets. So, they’ll send their patients

back to the primary vet for traditional treatments,

vaccines, surgeries, or any other procedures requiring

anesthesia. Explains Richmond, “We work closely

with the other GPs on the Peninsula to help them with

patients who suffer from musculo-skeletal disorders

and who don’t respond well to traditional medications

such as steroids and other anti-inflammatories.

Just some of the many conditions regularly

treated at Natural Veterinary Therapy include eye

and ear infections, stomach/intestinal problems,

neurologic abnormalities, urinary disorders, allergies,

osteoarthritis, shoulder/elbow and hip/knee disorders,

intervertebral disk disease, postoperative pain,

deficient immune systems, flea/tick infestations, and

the effects of anesthesia or vaccines.

Rehabilitation is a big part of Annette’s practice,

incorporating hydrotherapy, laser light therapy,

chiropractic and massage. States Dr. Richmond, “Last

year I completed the certification program for canine

rehabilitation which allows me to treat and hasten

the recovery of animals having had orthopedic or

neurological surgery. For example, a dog having had

surgery to repair a ruptured intervertebral disk would

greatly benefit from this.” Of these, hydrotherapy and

laser light therapy have proven to offer long lasting

results.

Hydrotherapy utilizes an underwater treadmill

kept at 90 degrees. Hands-on therapy is then applied

via massage, passive range of motion, and stretching

and strengthening exercises. The benefits of water

buoyancy allows an animal to perform low-impact

exercise which eases mobility, increases strength

and improves mobility. And the deep penetrating

laser light therapy offers therapeutic treatment by

reducing inflammation and increasing circulation,

which is great for dogs suffering from hip dysplasia

or arthritis. Says Dr. Richmond, “We’ll also send

exercises home for the owner to do with their pet

which is personalized to each individual animal. This

helps maintain their strength and mobility.”

Benson, a twelve-year-old dachshund-chihuahua

mix, is currently recovering from cervical disk

surgery and works out twice a week with the

hydrotherapy underwater treadmill. He is doing just

great.

Dr. Richmond also works with an animal’s

immune support system via diet and uses different

supplements such as vitamin B-complex, amino

acids and the herb echinacea. “Acupuncture, flower

essences and herbs offer immune support and help

rebalance the effects from anesthesia and vaccines,”

says Dr. Richmond. “Simply put, we combine

conventional and natural healing modalities so your

pet can heal from dis-ease, injury, surgery, and any

adverse drug effects.”

Diet is also significant; so much so that Annette

claims it to be one of the most important factors for

a pet’s well being. “We promote raw food diets or

home cooked diets that are carefully regulated; or else

a high-quality kibble. The raw foods we recommend

using are all organic meats and veggies without any

antibiotics or hormones. Nutritional supplements are

given in liquid, powder or tablets, and are mixed into

the food.”

So how much more expensive is it to go to a

natural vet than a traditional one? Surprisingly, about

the same. Appointment times tend to last a big longer

- anywhere from forty-five minutes to an hour - and

include a thorough history intake and quality time

spent with the animal in order to give a very thorough

physical exam. Says Rachel Ray, the clinic’s office

manager, “We have a very calm, soothing and

nurturing environment and Dr. Richmond takes

a lot of personal time with each patient.” Initial

exams run $80. Acupuncture sessions cost $75.

Hydrotherapy treatments cost $65. The full package

of hydrotherapy with additional laser light or massage

therapy will run you $120. Dr. Richmond also writes

regular articles for THE COASTAL CANINE on

wellness topics, so you can read up on her innovative

ideas.

And when you walk into the reception area

don’t be surprised if a big, friendly cat comes right

up to meow, “hello!” The office boasts not one, but

two house cats. “Stanley,” always a bit shy of dogs

prefers to come out after hours. But “Oliver” is a

total man-about-town, or in this case, man-aboutoffice.

Annette says, “Oliver is very spiritual and has

great healing energies. His main job is to greet all

our clients and their pets. And when dogs come in for

their manual therapies, Oliver sits next to them for

moral support.”

Rachel adds: “We’re very lucky, too, that our

clients are very loyal to their pets and therefore to

their pets’ treatments with us. They recognize the

value of what we do here and notice a difference if

they skip a treatment. We love our clients and they

love us!”

 

Natural Veterinary Therapy is located at:

510 Lighthouse Avenue, 2nd floor (between 14th &

15th)

Hours: Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri. 9-5pm; Thurs. 9-1pm

www.NaturalVeterinaryTherapy.com

831.655.0501

Story/photos © 2010 by Catherine Badin

catherinebadin@yahoo.com