Dr. Anna Maria Gardner

Dr. Gardner is a holistic veterinarian and was born in England. By the age of 5 years old, she knew she wanted to become a veterinarian, filled her life with many animal companions, and grew to understand and love animals of all kinds. Dr. Gardner achieved her dream when she graduated from Cambridge University in 1988, with a distinction in surgery and pathology.

Following graduation, she spent several years in Hong Kong, where she became frustrated with not being a true healer, and felt limited by the tools of conventional medicine. At that point, after her dog became very ill, she began to study holistic veterinary medicine, which made so much more sense to her to work with the flow of the body, rather than working against it by merely removing symptoms.

In 1990, Dr. Gardner's dog, Isis, became seriously ill and was not getting any better with the drugs she had been taught to give her. A friend recommended that she try homeopathy, and she knew she had nothing to lose as Isis was dying. She consulted with Dr. Richard Pitcairn, started to cook meals for Isis, focused on strengthening her immune system, and used the homeopathic remedies Dr. Pitcairn prescribed. Dr. Gardner was amazed by the changes in Isis, and experienced a miracle in seeing Isis become a beautiful healthy animal once again. Dr. Gardner feels that her companion Isis, (her namesake in history being the Egyptian Goddess of healing), fullfilled a loving and wise role of a very special dog companion who came to teach Dr. Gardner so much, and show her what to do.

The first rule of medicine is "First Do No Harm" and this is what Dr. Gardner became determined to do. She proceeded to study further, and traveled to the US where she begain working full time as a holistic vet. Dr. Gardner is certified in acupuncture and homeopathy, has veterinary licences for WA and TX (as well as her original UK veterinary degree), and has also authored a book to help foreign veterinarians pass the veterinary licensing exams for the USA. She has also written a pet astrology book which she plans to revise and publish when she has time.

Dr. Gardner incorporates use of homeopathy, acupuncture, herbs, nutrition, flower essences, and other holistic modalities. Rather than using drugs and surgery to supress the body, these holistic modalities treat the animals' whole body and being to make it healthy, and provide support for ongoing wellness. For her, it is truly a joy to see an animal raised and treated holistically, glowing with health, and bouncing with energy. Dr. Gardner's current animal companions are her personal testimonials to this fact. They include her dogs, Mckenna, Snickers, Hope, and Boe, her feline family Yin, Yang, Sirius, and Coal, as well as her mischievous parrot, Solo.

Through her experiences and extensive travels, Dr. Gardner has learned about holistic health practices, and has incorporated them into her daily vet practice. The true healer knows that they help the body heal itself, and this is what holistic medicine aims to do. She feels privileged to be able to live her dream in this way, and knows that the modalities she uses have healed many animals which conventional treatment was no longer able to help. She helps animals daily needing this assistance, and her joy comes from being able to participate in their healing, and restore their innate health. Dr. Gardner has shared her experiences and wisdom in numerous articles published in alternative medicine journals, and animal care magazines. She resides on the coast of Washington state with her husband and daughter, and has a very active phone consultation business, in addition to making local housecalls.