Our Story
Dr. Lily Chen, owner and lead veterinarian, explains how and why Integrative Pet Wellness Center came into being. It was borne out of the necessity for healing options not readily available in traditional veterinary practices. We hope you join us in revolutionizing pet healthcare!
Hello friends,
Dictionary.com defines a “unicorn,” as it’s being used today, as one that conjures up ideas of “the powerful and the possible,” or one that is rare, or even “anyone who showers sunshine…into our lives.” That’s me! Or, it’s what my team at my new integrative veterinary practice and I aim to be.
Whether you know me from my time in the clinic, my mobile practice, or have stumbled upon this site in a search for a new veterinary experience, welcome! Here’s a little background on how I got to where I am today.
The Beginning
When I graduated from veterinary school in 2007, I was wide-eyed, enthusiastic, and so excited to grasp the dream I’d had of being a veterinarian. I had this dream from when I was a little girl in Taiwan, caring for puppies, kittens, and many other little creatures.
I spent seven years working in a clinic in West Hollywood. Then, for six more years, I worked at a clinic on the beautiful Palos Verdes Peninsula. Working in traditional Western veterinary practices gave me so many opportunities to heal people’s pets, and build wonderful relationships with pets and their parents, in addition to fellow in-house veterinarians, vet technicians, and other staff.
But I was looking for something different. I wanted the veterinary profession as a whole to be more hands-on, warm, and individualized. I wanted to serve frustrated pet parents who felt their pets were just given medication after medication without addressing the root of the issues while also feeling like their concerns weren’t listened to. I wanted to end the cycle of burnout and stagnation I saw in so many practitioners.
Integrative Veterinary Medicine Started to Take Shape
I am a proponent of both eastern and western veterinary medicine. And for many conditions, western medicine is absolutely the way to go. However, some conditions just don’t respond well to conventional medicine. I discovered the power of acupuncture in my own life and began practicing it over the last decade. Acupuncture and Eastern modalities like it have untapped potential for the world of pet care. I do love using both Eastern and Western modalities and aim to choose individualized options most appropriate for the patient in front of me.
I have received many comments over the years about being a natural “healer.” I believe a pet’s emotional and mental health is just as important as their physical health. My team and I are big advocates of treating the animal as a “whole” rather than just the diagnosis or diseases they are dealing with. I place a heavy emphasis on diet and lifestyle as well as emotional well-being, as these are the foundation and building blocks of health and happiness.
So in 2018, I began seeing patients independently via house calls, offering holistic services such as:
- Acupuncture
- Integrative Consults
- Nutrition Consults
- Herbal Medicine (based on Eastern philosophy)
All the while, I continued working in-hospital. But in the fall of 2020, I reached a fork in the road. More and more people were reaching out to me for my mobile, holistic services. Seeing there was a great need for an integrative approach in pet care, I decided to make the leap, leave my clinic, and go all-in with a brand-new venture.
Opening Integrative Pet Wellness Center
The new iteration came in the form of Integrative Pet Wellness Center. A storefront clinic where my team and I will be living out our ‘unicorn-ness’ as we seek to grow and change the vet med profession a little bit, thinking outside the box and doing something exciting and different.
It’s a veterinary practice — rather, a veterinary experience — unlike anything you’ve seen. What does that mean exactly?
- An integrative practice
- Making pet care less stressful and more joyful
- Combining conventional medicine with holistic medicine to tailor treatment to each individual patient
- Preventive care, to promote holistic living rather than simply treating symptoms
- Serving those who are seeking veterinary services that are more personalized, with a holistic emphasis
- Having a true connection and building trust with my clients
- Listening, honoring, and supporting pet parents in their journey, offering options and guidance but never dictating tests or treatments
Opening Integrative Pet Wellness Center
The new iteration came in the form of Integrative Pet Wellness Center. A storefront clinic where my team and I will be living out our ‘unicorn-ness’ as we seek to grow and change the vet med profession a little bit, thinking outside the box and doing something exciting and different.
It’s a veterinary practice — rather, a veterinary experience — unlike anything you’ve seen. What does that mean exactly?
- An integrative practice
- Making pet care less stressful and more joyful
- Combining conventional medicine with holistic medicine to tailor treatment to each individual patient
- Preventive care, to promote holistic living rather than simply treating symptoms
- Serving those who are seeking veterinary services that are more personalized, with a holistic emphasis
- Having a true connection and building trust with my clients
- Listening, honoring, and supporting pet parents in their journey, offering options and guidance but never dictating tests or treatments
Functional and Preventative Veterinary Medicine
It’s not just about curing diseases. It’s about finding ways to prevent sickness and suffering while strengthening the bond between people and their pets. My house call background gave me a great perspective on providing care with the pet parent present and involved in the whole process.
We have a beautiful heart-centered clinic with a setup that is symbolic of my philosophy. It’s an open-space floor plan, welcoming, intimate, and fear-free, where pet parents stay with their pets as much as possible. We stay out in the open and have the pet parent involved, educated, and empowered. There is no “back area” where we take the pets. It will be a space of comfort for them and you. I perform most of my care on a mat, on the pets’ level. It does not feel like a hospital but like a home.
On the back end, that means practicing radical self-care amongst myself and my team. Our field often calls for us to give and give and give, leading to burnout. One of my “north stars” is to challenge that status quo, to “heal the healers,” to enable us to better care for pets, and to bring more compassion and positivity into the veterinary medicine space.
Growth and Progress
It has been a busy few years! I have a wonderful team of unicorns who share my core values. Integrative Pet Wellness Center is accepting new clients who share our values. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me anytime if you’re a pet parent interested in being fully involved in your pet’s care in a calming, open space.
I’m so grateful for the position I’m in and so excited for the limitless possibilities ahead. Furthermore, I’m thankful for every one of you!
Thinking of you, sending love to all of you, and so excited to have you on this journey with me.
With gratitude,
Dr. Lily Chen