All Things Dog Blog

by Carrie Boyko

Dr. Pat Bradley, our new "ASK THE VET" Columnist, is here to meet you today. She and I are thrilled to share her 25+ years of veterinary experience with you. I would like to give you a taste of her journey where it started, at LSU. After graduating from LSU as a conventional veterinarian, Dr. Pat practiced in Arkansas for 10 years, gaining valuable insight and experience into the issues of dog owners and their furry friends.

With this experience came a growing understanding of the challenges of conventional veterinary medicine, as well as the natural methods that were available, yet less well-known. Dr. Bradley's interests peaked in this area and she began studying, feverishly learning and absorbing the techniques of holistic veterinary medicine, homeopathy, and even mental health counseling, a field in which she earned an additional masters' degree.

You may ask, "Why mental health counseling?", and this is a very good question. Dr Bradley's practice has often found her assisting owners with "end of life" concerns for their pets. With her mental health training, she began studying and devising numerous strategies for helping owners get through this decision-making process, feeling comfortable with their decisions.

This experience led Dr. Bradley to write her book, More Than a Pet, which details the many options available for owners. Her book is particularly useful for those owners that linger over such decisions, second guessing themselves and never feeling quite comfortable with any route.

Dr. Pat's practice now has turned to telephone consultations, generally focusing on how best to naturally treat a pet's health issues. By answering your general dog health questions, Dr. Pat hopes to open a door to better understanding of the possibilities with alternative medicine. Realizing that there will always be a need for conventional veterinary medicine, Dr. Pat's extensive experience in both areas of medicine will give you more options to choose from.

Dr. Pat helps pet guardians from around the world to sort through treatment options so they can make a decision in line with their values. Readers can contact her directly for holistic veterinary services. She lives in Arkansas, with her husband and pets Smudge, Lady and Otis.

We look forward to hearing your questions. Send your letters to LetsAdoptaDogPark@gmail.com, placing "Ask the Vet" in the subject line. We'll be sure to dig you up an answer as quick as possible. Happy tails!

Visit Adopt a Dog Park

Help protect our precious dog parks