As an integrative veterinarian, Dr. Turner helps dogs and cats with chronic illnesses or injury with a combination of conventional Western and holistic options such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition, or laser therapy. 

She sees her patients regularly either in their home or in the clinic and makes changes as needed to keep them comfortable and mobile.  We help pets live longer and better lives. 

Examples of pets she helps include those with any chronic disease including cancer, kidney or liver disease, IBD, allergies, anxiety, seizures, arthritis pain, lameness, ACL tears, back pain/IVDD, neurologic disease, paralysis, geriatric weakness, weight issues, endocrine issues and many more . Many of our patients have a combination of health issues that are not adequately addressed with Western medicine alone and benefit from the addition of integrative options.

• Acupuncture: Each session includes a brief exam and consultation. Acupuncture can also be combined with laser or other rehabilitation options like underwater treadmill for pets that require more intensive therapy.  Read more about acupuncture.
• Advanced Acupuncture: electro-acupuncture, aqua-acupuncture, moxa, tui-na, 
• .Nutrition/Food Therapy:  An unprocessed, species-appropriate diet can lengthen your dog’s healthspan and lifespan. Kibble is a highly processed food with the same downfalls as any processed food (high carb, heat processed, glycation end products, low nutrient density, high glycolytic index, GMO, industrial oils, etc.) If chopping or cooking isn’t for you, Dr. Turner can help you choose the best less processed commercial options available.
• Herbal Medicine and Supplements:  Dr. Turner will help you weed through the label claims and provide evidence-based, high quality products for targeted therapy. Heal has a complete in-house herbal pharmacy and only uses the purest medicinal grade supplements for the best outcomes.

Is your pet in pain or discomfort?

If you are considering palliative care or hospice care for your loved companion, chances are this question is on your mind.

Dr. Turner can help you know  what to look for and how to prevent or address problems on your own to avoid stressful travel or emergency vet visits. Whether or not you have chosen to pursue chemotherapy, surgery, or intensive conventional therapy for your pet, the addition of palliative or hospice care supports the patient and family through ups and downs, and maintains appetite, mobility, and energy.

 Please contact us as soon as your pet is diagnosed so we can help you with strategies to minimize stress, pain, and discomfort and improve quality of life. We don’t want HANK (Hurting And Nobody Knows)!

• Palliative and Hospice Care for Dogs and Cats:  Families enrolled in Heal’s Hospice and Palliative service start with an in-home or in-clinic consultation. You will meet with Dr. Turner to discuss your goals and beliefs, and create a care plan for your companion to keep them mobilie, comfortable, eating, and free from side effects. Comfort care kits are available. Text and email support is always available. Our Hospice and Palliative Care families may feel overwhelmed at first, but they end up confident and empowered caretakers and decision-makers.
• Quality of Life Assessment:  One-hour In home assessment and discussion to answer your questions and help you feel confident about end of life care and decisions for your pet.
• Home Euthanasia: Spend as much time as needed before, during, and after your pet’s passing. Dr. Turner will answer any questions and honor any wishes so your goodbye and final moments are exactly how you want them to be. Private cremation services are provided for families that would like ashes returned in an engraved urn, and a ceramic paw print is included.
• Please contact us for more information. Click here for pet loss support & resources.

Dr. Turner is certified in Canine Rehabilitation (CCRT) and combines acupuncture with rehabilitation in most patients. Rehabilitation modalities help pets gain stability, strength, and manage pain. Heal is the only vet clinic in the area with a state-of-the art AquaPaws Underwater Treadmill. Using the underwater treadmill  has helped  many dogs recover from injury and even paralysis. Senior dogs improve strength and have less pain and stiffness from arthritis after exercising in a controlled, warm-water environment.

• Underwater Treadmill now available at Heal! We have Tahoe’s only underwater treadmill! Read more about the underwater treadmill here.
• Therapeutic Exercise: Therapeutic exercises improves strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination and slows progression of disease. Our goal is to improve mobility and quality of life.
• Electro-stimulation: decreases pain and inflammation by providing a low level electrical current which disrupts the normal pain perception pathways.
• Pulsed Magnetic Electric Field (PEMF):  speeds healing by improving blood flow to injured areas, reduces inflammation and provide pain relief. PEMF therapy can be delivered via mats, jackets and even portable loops and is a highly effective, non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical option for pain management.
• Laser Therapy:  Laser therapy is the use of light energy to stimulate tissue repair and provide pain management. Laser therapy may alleviate muscle and joint discomfort, relieve symptoms of arthritis, relax muscle spasms and increase blood flow to an area, helping injuries to heal.
• Manual Therapy: Manual therapy includes a variety of techniques, including passive range of motion, stretching, and joint mobilization. Manual therapies can be of great benefit to joints, allowing for greater movement and can also provide significant pain relief.

Your pet is healthy or you just got a new puppy? Let’s keep him that way! In conjunction with routine veterinary care, integrative medicine offers powerful tools to keep animals healthy and intercept problems early. Our puppy visits are a full 60 minutes. PLEASE NOTE WE DO NOT PROVIDE VACCINATION. ALL PUPPIES SHOULD HAVE A REGULAR FAMILY VET FOR ROUTINE AND URGENT CARE. 

• • Good nutrition from the start — let’s talk about it now to prevent problems…. instead of later!
  • Concerned about vaccines? Let’s talk about the pros and cons of vaccination so that you can make an informed decision for your puppy.
  • To spay or not to spay?  Does neutering too early cause cancer? We have the answers.
  • We offer Vaccine Titer testing so you know that your puppy responded to vaccination and are protected, and whether older pets need booster vaccines or not.
  • Learning to speak “Dog” can be hard! We can help you know what your puppy is trying to tell you and ways to make training, grooming, and even nail trims, fun!
  • Joint support is key for growing pups and we can help you keep those growing joints healthy and strong.
  • Should you run with your puppy? We’ll discuss age-appropriate exercise to prevent joint disease and injury.
  • What to do if your puppy gets sick or injured, and some handy first aid to have around the house.
  • Do you need pet insurance? Let’s talk about the costs and the benefits. Check out this comprehensive summary of benefits which compares the plans!