Wholistic Paws Veterinary Services

03/07/2025

Best buds lift each other up with love 😍

Wishing you lots of fun adventures this weekend with your best bud! 💜

03/06/2025

💜 Patient Spotlight! 💜

Peek-a-Boo is the sweetest kitty who is so patient during her laser and massage sessions with Kasey. Yes, cats DO like massage therapy, especially when you have a special touch like Kasey's! 🐱

03/05/2025

🌟 It's Women's History Month! We're here to celebrate just a few of the many influential women in veterinary medicine! 🌟

The number of female veterinarians has increased by 12% in the past decade, constituting 63% of the workforce, according to a 2020 survey by the American Veterinary Medical Association. This trend is likely to continue as more young women are empowered to pursue their goals in the field of veterinary medicine. 💪

Meet a pioneer - Dr. Elinor McGrath 🤩

Dr. McGrath is widely acknowledged as the first female veterinarian in the U.S. Born around 1888, Dr. Elinor McGrath developed an affection for animals early on and was determined to overcome barriers to enter the male-dominated field. She was successful in this endeavor, and in 1907, she became the first woman admitted to Chicago Veterinary College. At the time, the nation relied heavily on farm animals, but Dr. McGrath chose to build her practice around pets—a decision that many thought odd. Dr. McGrath practiced veterinary medicine for 37 years, and she also established Chicago's first pet cemetery, recognizing the strength and importance of the human-animal bond. 💜

03/04/2025

Hello, Everyone! 📣

‼️ We want to share some safety information with you while bird flu lurks in the public health scene. ‼️

There have been multiple results of cats that have died after eating raw poultry based food that was infected with avian influenza. Infected cats can show signs of neurological and respiratory disease. It has been able to transmit across species and there are reports of veterinarians testing positive after treating cattle!

In general, human health risk is low, but we do want to protect our animal companions and the wildlife that shares our world. For now, we recommend you follow your local public health department and also exercise the following tactics:

❌ Please do not feed raw foods that are made from poultry. If you currently feed raw food, please switch to beef, rabbit or fish based diets or gently cook the food to an internal temperature of 165 degrees prior to feeding.

❌ Please avoid raw milk as avian influenza can be transmitted through the milk of infected cows.

❌ If you find a dead bird on your property, wear a mask and use gloves to pick it up. Do not touch it with your bare hands. Double bag the bird and dispose of your mask and gloves in the second bag. Wash your hands well. You might also consider changing your clothes and washing your shoes. I also recommend reporting dead birds to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources at: 855-571-9003. It is recommended to report if you find five or more dead vultures or waterfowl in the same area within 5 days, 10 or more dead wild birds of any species in the same area within 5 days or sick or dead eagles, hawks, owls, or turkeys, not including ones found on the road.

✅ Keep all bird feeders clean and disinfected weekly and remove them during outbreaks. Also monitor your visitors to ensure they seem healthy!! 💜

03/03/2025

It's really just obvious, isn't it? 💜

02/28/2025

Here's to a high performing weekend! 🍪🍪🍪

02/27/2025

✨ Last night, Wholistic Paws hosted a presentation titled "Animal Bodywork: A Game Changer for Your Pet's Health," and we're happy to report that it was a hit! Kasey shared important information about a variety of bodywork modalities, and our guests asked excellent questions. 🤩

Thanks to everyone who came! A big thanks, also, to Sweet Rose Bakery (now Harmony Bakery) in Purcellville for supplying us with some delicious goodies! 🥐🫖

02/26/2025

🌟 Today, we'd like to honor Dr. Alfreda Johnson Webb, DVM! 🌟

Dr. Webb was the first female graduate of the Tuskegee Veterinary College and, along with University of Pennsylvania graduate Dr. Jane Hinton, became one of the first female Black veterinarians in the US in 1949. She taught anatomy at Tuskegee, and then biology at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

She wasn’t just passionate about animals and education. Dr. Webb transitioned into politics, becoming the first African American woman in the North Carolina General Assembly. 💜

02/25/2025

✨ Gemma is one of our superstar patients. Her mom Trisha (also a superstar) shared her recent experience with tuning fork therapy during a visit with Kasey at Wholistic Paws...

"Gemma is an 8.5 year old Bernese Mountain Dog who had an adverse reaction to a vaccine. She ended up having a large lump of inflammation form in that area. Medication and rest were not working, but then we had a visit at Wholistic Paws, and the tuning fork was brought out.

During the appointment, we could literally feel the tuning fork cause the inflammation to change shape and reduce! Within 48 hours after the treatment, her lump was nearly gone and Gemma was no longer sensitive to touch in that area. It was incredible!"

Yay, tuning forks! Yay, Kasey! Yay, Gemma and Trisha! 🤩

02/25/2025

Just a reminder to consider Serenity Farm Virginia in your charitable donations if you are able! This can be in person volunteerism, spreading the word about their amazing work, or through a one time or continuing monthly donation! How wonderful it is to have such a beautiful sanctuary in our back doors- just over the mountain in Berryville!!!

A Sanctuary Where People Heal Animals and Animals Heal People

02/24/2025

💜

02/21/2025

My kind of party! 🐱📦

02/20/2025

🌟 Patient Spotlight! 🌟

The mustachioed Mercury is the most handsome boy and a very patient patient when it comes to getting his acupuncture, laser, and rehabilitation treatments. He knows they keep him feeling comfy and spry!

We love you, Mercury, and your whole family! 💜

02/19/2025

🌟 Today, we'd like to honor Dr. Frederick Douglass Patterson, DVM - Founder of the School of Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee University 🌟

Dr. Frederick Douglass Patterson was named after Black journalist and anti-slavery leader Frederick Douglass.

Patterson was born on October 10, 1901. Orphaned at age two, he was raised by his eldest sister, Wilhemina, a school teacher in Texas. He studied at Iowa State College, where he received a doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1923 and a master of science degree in 1927. Five years later, he was awarded a second doctorate degree from Cornell University.

Patterson taught veterinary science for four years at Virginia State College, where he was also Director of Agriculture. His tenure at Tuskegee University started in 1928 and spanned almost 25 years: first as Head of the veterinary division, director of the School of Agriculture and finally as Tuskegee's third president.

It was Patterson who founded the School of Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee in 1944, the year he also founded the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). The UNCF continues today as a critical source of annual income for a consortium of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tuskegee University among them.

Patterson also founded the College Endowment Funding Plan for which he was cited by U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1985. President Reagan also honored Patterson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1987. 💜

02/18/2025

📣 Please join us at Wholistic Paws to hear our own Kasey Braun share the many benefits of animal bodywork techniques like therapeutic massage, stretching, and myofascial release. These are game changers for dogs and cats alike, and every animal at every age can benefit. 🐶🐱

❤️Animal Bodywork: A Game Changer for Your Pet's Health
🧡Wednesday, February 26 -- 6:30pm - 8:30pm
💛20600 Gordon Park Square, #170 in Ashburn, VA
💚Enjoy SNACKS! 🍪 Learn stuff! 🎓

Please RSVP here with an "I'm coming" or through the event post on our main FB page.

We look forward to seeing you there! 💜

02/17/2025

True story. 💜

02/14/2025

Wishing you a wet-nosed, snuggly Valentine's Day! ❤️

02/13/2025

🌟 During this Black History Month, we'd like to honor one of the first Black veterinarians in the United States: Augustus Nathaniel Lushington 🌟

After graduating with a degree in agriculture from Cornell, Dr. Lushington earned his DVM from the University of Pennsylvania in 1897, making him, along with Harvard graduate Henry L. Stockton, Sr., one of the first Black veterinarians in the United States.

His background in education and his passion for large animal veterinary medicine led him to a position at Bell Mead Industrial and Agricultural College in Rock Castle, Virginia.

He returned to private practice in the Lynchburg, VA, area. 💜