Answers Academy Presents: Conversations With Veterinarians

This month Dr. Doug talks to Dr. Paul Rowan: Dr.  Rowan graduated from veterinary school at UC Davis, interned and did a  surgical residency at the Animal Medical Center in NYC, He spent a year  as a Fellow in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital and School  of Medicine in NYC. Dr. Rowan founded the first veterinary hospital for  cats in NYC (The Cat Practice) which is still in operation today. He  currently owns and operates The Center for Animal Healing in Virginia  Beach Virginia.

This month Dr. Doug talks to Dr. Keith Weingardt: Dr. Keith Weingardt, DVM, CVA grew up in a suburb of New York City. After completing his Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science at Cornell  University, Dr. Weingardt attended Cornell University College of  Veterinary Medicine. He graduated with distinction in 1999. Needing a break from the cold rain and snow Dr. Weingardt moved to San Diego, California. After moving to San Diego, Dr. Weingardt completed an internship in  Emergency and Critical Care with rotations in surgery, internal  medicine, ophthalmology and exotic animal medicine. After his internship  he continued to work as an emergency and critical care veterinarian.  During this time, Dr. Weingardt had a very powerful realization.  Conventional western veterinary medicine had significant limitations in  influencing his patient’s care. There were many times where western  diagnostics and treatment had provided all the benefits that they could.  In addition, the drugs and treatments utilized often had limiting side  effects. This point was driven home when Dr. Weingardt’s dog Max fell  ill with a brain tumor. Max was on high doses of steroids and was  developing severe complications (gastrointestinal bleeding). At this  time Dr. Weingardt began to look for other options. Max saw a holistic veterinarian who counseled Dr. Weingardt regarding  diet and nutritional supplementation, in addition to homeopathy. After  switching to a raw food diet, Max began eating without hesitation, his  GI side effects subsided and his dose of steroids was minimized. Max  lived another six months and left Dr. Weingardt with a legacy that would  influence the rest of his life. This experience would begin a  passionate quest for knowledge to benefit his patients. This dramatic  shift in mindset allowed for Dr. Weingardt to better understand how to  holistically help his patients achieve optimal health. Dr. Weingardt began studying acupuncture and Traditional Chinese  Medicine and received his acupuncture certification with the  International Veterinary Acupuncture Society in 2003. Dr. Weingardt  ravenously began to learn multiple holistic modalities and incorporate  them into the care of his patients. He has studied and become certified  in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, chiropractic care, herbal  medicine, homotoxicology and homeopathy.   In 2005 he and his wife Beth  started the Animal Healing Center. This was a dream come true for Dr.  Weingardt. He was able to practice veterinary medicine from the heart in  a quiet, nurturing environment where compassion and empathy were the  foundations to the care provided. Over the next seven years Dr.  Weingardt was able to share in an amazing and rewarding journey with  many patients and clients. In 2013, Dr. Weingardt relocated to Portland, Oregon with his wife  Beth, daughter Abigail and several four legged children. After taking a  huge Northwest breath, Dr. Weingardt is happy to be back helping dogs,  cats and their people. Dr. Weingardt and Beth have started Animal  Healing Arts of Portland. They are proud to be providing holistic  veterinary care including acupuncture, herbal medicine  (Chinese/Western), nutrition counseling, Reiki and homeopathy, at their  home-like clinic at 3575 NE Broadway St.

This month Dr. Doug talks nutrition and health with Dr. Christina Chambreau: Christina Chambreau, DVM, is an internationally known homeopathic veterinarian, lecturer and author of the Healthy Animal’s Journal. Graduating from the University of Georgia Veterinary College in 1980, she began using homeopathy in her veterinary practice in 1983. She is a founder of the Academy Of Veterinary Homeopathy, was on the faculty of the National Center for Homeopathy Summer School for 10 years and has been the holistic modality adjunct faculty liaison for the Maryland Veterinary Technician Program. Currently she teaches classes in Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced Homeopathy for Animals of all Species across the country. She lectures on a wide array of topics including integrating holistic options into veterinary practices, selecting the best approaches to heal animals, ones that will also sustain the planet. Her venues have included the World Small Animal Veterinary Conference, American Veterinary Medical Association, Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference, North American Veterinary Conference, American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, Groom Expo, American Boarding Kennel Association, breed shows, health food stores, and more. She is co-author of the Homeopathic Repertory: A Tutorial and How to Have a Stress Free Wedding.

This month Dr. Doug Interviews Dr. Katie Kangas. She describes herself here: "I am an integrative veterinarian, which means that I focus on  preventative health and supporting natural healing or wellness through many holistic options in combination with traditional veterinary medicine. Preventative wellness and holistic care options include diet/food choices, nutritional supplements, acupuncture, herbal medicines, homeopathic remedies, essential oils and more. Conventional medicine (for both animals & people) tends to focus more on the  treatment of disease and the symptoms of disease, after the condition or illness presents itself. While this type of health care can have value, it also has limitations. Preventative  and integrative veterinary medicine aim to support the animal’s health through diet, nutrition and lifestyle practices that allow our pets to  be more resilient to disease and live better quality lives. In other words, providing our pets with  the tools to thrive, rather than to just survive. In my opinion, the most balanced health care uses a combination of both conventional and holistic options. This is called Integrative Medicine. It is my goal to empower pet parents to make better choices and take a more active role in promoting health and quality of life for their pets."

This month Dr. Doug Interviews Answers Pet Food's very own Roxanne Stone: Roxanne Stone is Vice President of Research and Development for Answers Pet Food. She earned her master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Science with a minor in chemistry from Utah State University. With 24 years in research, product development, and quality assurance, Roxanne sources, formulates Answers pet food, and is responsible for quality control and food safety. This month's episode is a great way to learn more about Answers Pet Food's philosophy and the role that Roxanne plays in it.