The best way to ask Dr. Jeff a holistic medical question about your pet is during a patient consultation. Of course, you first need to be a client of Dr. Jeff's to use this method.

Users of this site have 3 additional options:

• The preferred method is to connect with Dr. Feinman on Facebook. Please enter your pet question or problem along with the information requested below.
• The second method is to use the #askdrjeff hashtag on Twitter. Please ask your general question and Dr. Feinman will request other details as needed.
• The third method is to visit the appropriate folder on the Pet Chat forum here on homevet.com. Dr. Feinman as well as other posters on the board will see your query and respond when possible.

If you are posting on Facebook or the forum please provide the following details: Your pet's problem (or your general question), pet name, species and breed, sex and whether spayed or neutered, vaccinations, diet, and other problems and diagnoses.

Dr. Jeff will try to get back to you as quickly as possible. Please refer any urgent questions to your local veterinarian for immediate attention.

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Please note: The information provided on this site and through "Ask Dr. Jeff" queries is intended to supplement the recommendations of your veterinarian. Do not disregard veterinary advice or delay treatment based on information on this site. Nothing can replace a complete history and physical examination performed by your veterinarian. -Dr. Jeff

Why is Dr. Jeff Feinman's vet practice the holistic choice for pet care?


Thank you for your interest in my practice. I offer both preventive care as well as management of chronic diseases. Homeopathic medicine, healthy lifestyle and nutritional counseling is the mainstay of my practice. I emphasize working through symptoms rather than against them (e.g. with ANTI-inflammatories) them.  Symptoms are signs that the body gives, clues that enable me to help your pet. I do not generally make use of "routine" vaccines or drugs.  In addition, species-appropriate diet and supplementation (when indicated) will help the healing process.

The best time to begin holistic preventive care is when your pet is "healthy" or is a puppy or kitten. In these cases it is usually relatively simple to treat any problems that arise.

However, since we may not start working together until later in life, problems have already arisen (and been suppressed). Although improvement can sometimes be seen quickly in these difficult situations, it can also take months and years of treatment to make significant progress.

A large part of my practice is management of such chronic and degenerative disorders as recurrent ear and skin “infections”, arthritis, allergies, metabolic/endocrine imbalances and cancer. In these cases, a diagnostic workup may be recommended because appropriate test results can sometimes help quantify the disease process.

Ascertaining the degree of structural pathology (if any) will help me determine a prognosis and treatment plan. Length of treatment will depend upon the chronicity and depth of the condition and number of and response to prior suppressions. Most acute situations can be properly resolved over a few days or weeks, whereas lifelong problems can take 1-3 years.

During treatment, we will gradually discontinue (when possible) conventional drugs such as antibiotics and steroids. This will help your pet's body heal naturally.

Using any "anti"-drug (e.g. anti-biotic or anti-inflammatory) during homeopathic treatment is like trying to drive your car with the brakes on.  If other symptoms appear during treatment (or if older, previous conditions return) you will be expected to contact me for an appropriate response, rather than use drugs that you may have used before.

How much will it cost?

If you are like most of us, one of the first things you want to know is what this is going to cost.  So, even though helping your pet is the most important thing, I want to address this question right away and as completely as I can.

My hourly rate is $205. Routine wellness visits are typically about 30 minutes in length and cost $102.50, whether in the office, via phone, or through video conferencing. 

Initial consultations, including a detailed history and evaluation of any previous records, typically take 1-2 hours. To enable more pet owners to afford this lengthy (and more costly) consultation, the hourly rate for the initial evaluation has been reduced by 25% to $165.00/hour.

All other time spent on your pet's case is based on the regular hourly rate. This includes emergency care and time spent updating on the phone (if longer than a few minutes), corresponding by e-mail, reviewing diagnostic tests done by other veterinarians, etc.

We require that a current credit card be kept on file, and payment is expected at the time services are rendered (we do not bill). We work with all of the pet insurance companies, including Pet Plan and Embrace, which are among those that cover veterinary homeopathic treatment.

There is a $25 missed appointment charge if your appointment is not canceled 24 hours in advance. Due to the length of new patient initial evaluations, there is a $50.00 non-refundable deposit that will be applied to your first visit.

Healthy-pet routine care costs the same as going to the conventional veterinary clinic. A complete healthy pet annual consultation usually lasts 20-30 minutes. I cannot emphasize enough how important these wellness visits are for your pet's quality of life and longevity. By maintaining optimal health, we are preventing serious disease later in life (and dramatically reducing future veterinary costs).

What should I bring to my first appointment?

Please sign and return the treatment authorization and questionnaire prior to your first appointment.

Fax, mail or bring with you any medical records from your previous veterinarian(s).  These should include any specialists with whom you have consulted, as well as emergency visit records.

A "diagnosis" or description of the problem as well and lab results and other diagnostics will be very helpful. Use the following suggestions to help you organize your thoughts prior to your first appointment.

To help with the diagnosis and treatment, please provide an account, in your own words, of your pet's condition and history. Include current illnesses, as well as previous conditions. For example, if you are coming in for evaluation of a metabolic condition, it would be very helpful to know about prior ear infections, allergies, skin growths, etc. Prior conditions treated with drugs or surgery are especially important.

In addition, I need to know specifics about your pet's appetite, what/when/how s/he eats, and if there is or has been diarrhea, vomiting, coughing, discharges etc. Factors such as temperature preferences, sleep patterns, favorite activities, behavior problems and any likes or dislikes are all relevant. 

In sum, I would like to know everything about your pet. Please see the current client "Observing Symptoms" article for more help. There are also personality profile examples posted in the homeopathy folder in my forum.

If you would like to do some reading before our appointment, Drs. Don Hamilton ("Homeopathic Care for Cats and Dogs") and Richard Pitcairn both have written excellent books. The documents at my website will also provide a wealth of information.

I look forward to meeting you and helping to improve your pet's life. Feel free to contact my office or post an "Ask Dr. Jeff" query if you have any questions.

--Dr. Jeff Feinman (bio is here)

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