We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Lindsey Wendt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dr. Lindsey, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?
Thank you so much for having me! Well, I went through traditional veterinary training and had been working for about 7 years as a conventional (Western medicine- what is taught in all of the veterinary schools) general practice and emergency veterinarian before starting my own mobile practice. My own dog, Nala, became very ill during that time and wasn’t responding to traditional care so I wanted to search out what other options were available.
Thankfully, that’s when I came across holistic veterinary modalities. By developing an integrative medicine (combination of western and holistic therapies) approach for Nala’s care, I finally started to see improvement in her condition. I was so happy and relieved that it inspired me to want to gather as much knowledge as I could so that I could support her body while she continued down her personal healing journey. These tools were so helpful to me and my family that I knew I wanted to offer them to other people that were searching for a more personalized and natural form of health care. Those who want a different option from the offerings that currently exist in veterinary medicine. That’s when I knew I needed to start my own practice.
The first step to following my new passion was to immerse myself in mastering the holistic modalities that I felt would be the most helpful for my clientele. I was passionate about learning as much as I possibly could so I began taking courses and gaining certifications. While doing that, I slowly taught myself how to start a business. I had to research and troubleshoot everything from becoming a professional corporation, to setting up accounts with vendors and determining how to outsource bookkeeping, accounting, etc and network within my new found community. One of the most crucial things I found helpful that I would want others to know is the importance of networking within your field! It’s important to stay connected to your peers and to explore open the most cutting edge and effective technologies as they become available. I am so grateful to be member of such a passionate professional community.
For the first 2 years of my mobile practice, I was doing everything by myself. In retrospect, I should have hired someone to do the administrative tasks earlier on so I could focus on my passion for the medicine and healing. It’s difficult to take the leap of hiring someone when you’re just starting out and need to balance finances with business development. It left me feeling like I had to do it all myself and make sure everything was perfect. Delegation and learning how to communicate effectively with others is a priceless skill to have, and I am actively working on that skill set 😉
With that being said, always trust your intuition and don’t be afraid to make changes if things aren’t working. To give you an example, I sought out advice from fellow professionals within my field to get their recommendations for starting my own practice. I noticed that not all of their advice and recommendations were in alignment with my vision and goals. I even went as far as to hire a CPA that was recommended to me by another mobile veterinarian in my area who has a very similar business model as mine because I trusted that the CPA should be more than equipped to assist me. Over the course of the first 6 months of us working together, I noticed that there were occasional mistakes and empty promises made, and I was starting to become more and more uneasy working with them. By the time I had the courage to find a competent CPA, the original CPA had made multiple major errors which ended up costing me a large amount of money and many hours in making the corrections. It’s a good lesson in that what works for others doesn’t mean it will work for you. There is nothing wrong with ending a professional relationship when you realize that it is not a good fit.
Always be your own advocate and do your research. The best way to make the right moves is by learning as much as you can about your field and your work, stay true to your passion, and don’t conform to what the “industry standard” is if it doesn’t resonate with you.
Dr. Lindsey, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I was very lucky that I came into this world knowing I wanted to be a veterinarian. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Knowing what I wanted to do at a very young age gave me a head start on mapping out the most direct path to reach my goal. Right after I turned 16, I started working as a veterinary technician in an animal hospital. I learned pretty quickly that vet school wasn’t very easy to get into. In fact, it’s harder to get accepted into veterinary school than it is human medical school. I knew I would need to seek out higher education at an institution that would make me a stronger candidate in my applications. Thankfully, I got accepted into UC Davis and I continued working as a vet tech as well as performing research that was published during my undergraduate career.
Even after all of my traditional veterinary training, there were situations or patients where I found myself unable to provide further options or assistance to them. This is why I was so excited to discover the plethora of options outside of conventional medicine that have minimal to no side effects, and the potential to provide life altering health improvements. I sought out and became certified in acupuncture, rehabilitation therapy, and Chinese food therapy. I have extensive experience with Eastern and Western herbs, functional medicinal mushrooms, adaptogens, nutraceuticals, sound healing and Reiki. I am constantly evolving my practice to offer the best integrative medicine services and treatment options by combining the best of both Eastern and Western practices. One of the pillars of my practice is to focus on correcting the underlying abnormalities that lead to the disease and the symptoms of the disease. This is in stark contrast to conventional medicine where the focus is placed on providing pharmaceuticals and invasive therapies to treat the symptoms without addressing why the symptoms are present- I can say this because I did it for years based off of my education at top tier institutions. One of the currently expanding fields in vet med is the use of cannabis. The vast majority of vets are uncomfortable discussing this topic because they do not have the knowledge to safely advise their clients on its use. I have gone through extensive training to understand the endocannabinoid system, and how it is the homeostatic regulatory of all of our bodies. I also have obtained knowledge of the variety of components produced by the cannabis plant and how they can provide different therapeutic benefits to our pets.
I have a special spot in my heart for palliative and end of life care. So much care and compassion is necessary when our pets are coming towards the later part of their life’s journey. That’s truly when they need us the most. I have been providing end of life services in the comfort of pets’ homes for the past 10 years, and it is truly one of the greatest honors of my profession. I wouldn’t be who I am today without the animals that have graced my life, and they deserve only love and gratitude throughout every stage of their lives with us.
I focus my practice on treating each animal as an individual. I am supporting their body to heal rather than subduing disease by treating symptoms with medications. Using an integrative perspective, I have helped manage everything from behavioral issues and skin allergies to orthopedic disease and cancer. Many clients have come to me when they were told that no more options were available to them. Others have “graduated” meaning we corrected the issue that they initially requested to be evaluated for, and now they only require maintenance care. Every pet is going through something different and every pet should have someone to be there for them. I choose to be that person.
It’s important to treat your clients and patients as the individuals that they are. I focus my practice on individualized care for patients and take on fewer clients so I can focus more on each individualized case. This isn’t a business model that works for everyone but it’s what I had envisioned when starting my practice. I feel grateful to have found a community of pet parents that seek out a way of supporting healthspan in a congruent fashion.
It’s important to remember and know why you are doing what you’re setting out to do. I’m proud that I set out to optimize the longevity and quality of life of my patients and educate my clients on how they can support their pet’s health as a whole.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
Keeping an open mind, inquisitive spirit, and above all being compassionate.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Word of mouth of my clients that see the results in their own beloved pets and wanted to share that excitement with others in similar situations. Authenticity is also a big factor. I am what I am and I don’t try to pretend to be anything other than me. At the end of the day, I just want to help pets live their best lives and help fellow animal lovers relish in the special bond that we are lucky enough to experience with them.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.crystallotusvet.com
- Instagram: @crystallotusvet
- Youtube: youtube.com/@crystallotusvet
- Other: Tik Tok: @crystallotusvet