Dr. Doug

Hello and welcome to my blog. I’m Dr. Doug Knueven but I go by Dr. Doug for reasons that become obvious when you try to pronounce my last name. (By the way, it is pronounced “KNEEVEN” - you pronounce all the letters except the “U”) I was raised in a small suburb of Cincinnati named Mt. Healthy. This town name has taken on new meaning throughout my life.

When I graduated from The Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine in 1987, my idea of health revolved around the mechanistic, Western model of medicine where there is a drug or surgery for just about every condition (never mind the side effects and surgical risks). After a few years in practice I realized that things didn’t always go the way the text books said it would. I realized there had to be more to health and healing than what I was taught in vet school. This realization started me on my journey into holistic medicine.

I started with veterinary acupuncture as I had an interest in this therapy that was sparked by an after-hours lecture in vet school. After seeing the benefits of this strange healing modality, I completed courses in homeopathy, Chinese herbal medicine and chiropractic. I also joined the American Holistic Medical Association and through their conferences, continue to learn more about holistic pet health. Today, for me the word health is more about lifestyle and less about what you go to the doctor to get.

As excited as I am about alternative medicine, I have not thrown the baby out with the bath water. I do see the value of Western medicine for certain situations. I practice integrative veterinary medicine which involves the use of the most appropriate treatment for the individual animal. As an integrative medicine practitioner I have more tools in my kit to treat the many patients I see.

Along the way I also realized that any given patient was not going to heal if they were not being fed properly. This led me into my own research into animal nutrition. I soon abandoned much of what I had been taught about nutrition in veterinary school, as that information is highly influenced by the major pet food companies. From my research and decades of experience it is obvious to me that pets benefit from an evolution-based diet rather than the starch-rich, highly processed convenience pet foods most pet caregivers currently feed. Animals simply cannot be healthy if their bodies are not provided the raw materials and nutritional signals that are needed.

The longer I have practiced veterinary medicine, the more convinced I am of the value of the Holistic-Integrative approach to pet health care. My passion for pets and for true health (physical, mental and spiritual) is what this weekly blog is all about. Together we will explore pet health topics.

This weekly blog will cover topics in holistic veterinary medicine as well as current events in the veterinary world. I hope to open a dialog with pet caregivers and veterinarians about these issues. Much of what I say may be controversial to some readers. I am all for healthy criticism and I love to hear different points of view. I do not claim to know it all and I plan to learn from the people who participate in the discussion.

Have you or your pet had experience with holistic medicine? Click on the title above and join the conversation. Don't forget to sign up on the right for blog notifications.

The True Spirit of Medicine

There are many catch words that get bandied about regarding holistic medicine and I would like to make it clear why I first and foremost consider myself a holistic vet. Yes, I use Natural treatments. This means that I work with the body’s natural abilities for self-healing. Unfortunately, the word “natural” has been so overused recently that it has become almost meaningless. Ultimately, everything comes from Mother Earth. Yes, much of what I do is considered Alternative Medicine. This simply means that it is not widely accepted in the Western veterinary medical community. Unfortunately, it takes too long for conventional medicine to[...]

Under Attack!

I recently gave a day of holistic lectures at the Iowa State Veterinary Medical Association Winter Conference. I was warmly welcomed by the meeting staff and just about everyone who attended my lectures. I say “just about everyone” because there was one veterinarian in the audience of about 50, who for the entire morning portion of my presentation, loudly opposed nearly everything I had to say. Now, I fully understand that most conventional veterinarians are challenged by much of what I present. In my opening lecture, I very systematically offered research that is troubling for those vets who strongly adhere to[...]