Vet Unique in Many Ways

It's not often these days that you can find a doctor who makes house calls. If you're a pet parent with a four-legged friend, though, you're in luck. A new veterinarian in town, Dr. Karin Johanson of Three Rivers Holistic Veterinary Services, offers house calls in Madison and the surrounding area, as well as a practice with another special feature: care that combines both a holistic and traditional approach.

A graduate of the Washington State University Veterinary School, Dr. Johanson began her practice 11 years ago offering house calls exclusively. She moved to offices in Morristown in 2003 and relocated to 80 Main St. in Madison seven months ago. The practice specializes in dogs and cats.

"Holistic means looking at the whole body," says Dr. Johanson. "For example if your dog has hurt his leg, we don't just look at the leg but at the whole animal." She takes a conservative approach to veterinary medicine that means, among other things, less of an emphasis on vaccination.

"Our goal is optimal health for the animal with an emphasis on nutrition, well being, and preventive medicine, and less emphasis on vaccinations," Dr. Johanson says. "I don't take a cookie cutter approach to vaccination. In other words you won't come in here and get ten vaccinations for your dog. If, for example, a dog is out in the woods often, yes, he should have a vaccination for Lyme disease. But if he's a dog that lives on the 27th floor of an apartment in New York City, that vaccination is not necessary."

Dr. Johanson stressed, however, that vaccinations are not bad in themselves. Nor are traditional therapies. What she does is combine the traditional with the holistic for the best results. "A lot of people consider the holistic as complementary to traditional," Dr. Johanson adds. "We have herbal supplements but we also have antibiotics. I'm combining the best of both."

The practice pays particular attention to animal nutrition. And while that can mean a pet owner may want to provide cooked or raw food for his or her dog or cat, it can also mean feeding a commercial food. There are, Dr. Johanson says, several high quality commercially available foods that are not necessarily advertised. Nutritional supplements are also often appropriate.

Among the services offered at Three Rivers are individualized health plans for pets, comprehensive wellness exams, customized vaccination schedules, nutrition counseling, allergy and pain management, and house calls which work especially well for multi-pet households. Dr. Johanson also offers acupuncture that can be effective in treating a wide range of disorders including neurological problems and arthritis pain.

Three Rivers can make referrals to specialists in neurology, ophthalmology, oncology, dermatology, and more. It works with Werner Animal Hospital in Morris Plains, among others, for surgical and hospitalization services.

Though only in her new offices for several months, Dr. Johanson plans to expand into adjoining space that, like her current office, was also the former home of the First Morris Bank. She hopes to be in by March 1.

The doctor herself lives in Morris Township with her own pet family: two Papillon dogs, Noli and Zipper, and cat Cricket. The three usually accompany the doctor to the office.