Dr. Laura Taylor, dvm
As a holistic veterinarian who practices osteopathy and other alternative treatments, my job is to help horses, cats, and dogs regain mobility and return to their natural state of wholeness. Whether a house cat or a canine or equine athlete, I help animals live to their full potential of health, vitality, and longevity.
As a youngster, I felt deeply connected to all animals and was a typical “horse crazy” girl. I was fortunate to have had horses growing up. At the age of 11, I already knew I wanted to be a veterinarian. Of course, becoming a vet wasn’t as easy as making the decision. University professors warned students to have a Plan B due to the difficulty of getting into vet school.
“I didn’t have a Plan B—not even after my first application was rejected! I simply wanted vet school even more, which made the second attempt and my acceptance into the Ontario Veterinary College that much sweeter! To this day, I recall the whoops and screams of joy.”
Vet school and its science enthralled me! But after 6 years of practice, I became disillusioned with the conventional medical model of vets finding problems too late; at advanced stages of disease, the only options are drugs and surgeries. My own lack of training to deal with chronic disease and outright prevention inspired me to break trail and take a journey that ultimately led to 20 years of professional re-invention.
During those 20 years, I studied veterinary chiropractic, and after a decade of practicing it, I began seeing its shortcomings and shifted my studies to a newer and more effective modality — osteopathy. Combine these with my studies in acupuncture, homeopathy, herbal medicine, craniosacral therapy, lymphatic drainage, and visceral and organ manipulation, and you essentially have “veterinary naturopathy.” Many of my studies were for humans; therefore, I adapted my knowledge to work with the anatomies of horses, cats, and dogs. Even today many of these courses for animal treatment rarely exist.
As a result, I’ve created a fully holistic veterinary practice, with the scope of my work limited to musculoskeletal & neurological cases. Every day, my work shows me that life is motion and that improvements in mobility lead to better quality of life.
If anyone would have said to me that one day I’d be practicing exclusively holistic medicine and that 50% of my patients would be horses, I would have said in disbelief, “No way!” Such is the beauty and diversity of a veterinary degree. The “art” of veterinary medicine can only really come from doing the work—practicing, learning, and growing. I love that I work with my hands and that I have access to a more complete and comprehensive toolbox than I would have with traditional veterinary medicine.
View my EDUCATION & TRAINING
I approach my work with a persistent sense of curiosity and a passion for the possible! I enjoy the detective work of osteopathy. I’m in awe of its potential for prevention and true healing because it works with the innate intelligence of the body that wants to heal itself. For that reason, osteopathy offers a deep fix rather than a quick fix! At times, it seems nothing short of magical, and I continue to be humbled by its potency.
Cutting Edge Holistic Treatments
FOR YOUR ANIMALS
In horses the influence of the gut on the quality of joint motion is profound. An osteopathic exam goes a long way to uncovering ‘sub-clinical’ organ issues...
In dogs subtle scars from all neutering and spaying cause what Dr. Taylor calls ‘Crooked Butt Syndrome’ (CBS). Long term, this pelvic misalignment...
Cats due to their small size and often more sedentary lifestyle (they don't play and run around like dogs do) can hide musculoskeletal issues for years...