Dr. Deborah Mitchell earned her degree in veterinary medicine from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.  She also holds joint Bachelors degrees in veterinary medicine and in biological sciences, as well as a Masters degree in field biology.  In addition to being extremely skilled in small animal medicine, Dr. Mitchell is certified in veterinary acupuncture, veterinary chiropractic, and Usui Reiki.  She is trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), TCM herbology, Homotoxicology, and Applied Kinesiology.  She is a recognized expert in veterinary acupuncture, veterinary chiropractic, traditional Chinese herbal medicine, and integrative small animal medicine.  Dr. Mitchell has presented over 420 scientific lectures to veterinary audiences  nationwide, on topics related to integrative and alternative medicine and veterinary practice management.

Dr. Mitchell's overall medical focus is integrative medicine - not holistic medicine.  This means that she combines the best of the alternative therapies in which she is trained with the best that her traditional Western medical training has to offer, giving your pet more tools for healing - and for wellness maintenance. 

While Dr. Mitchell is not accepting new primary care patients at this time, she remains available for integrative medical consultations, upon referral from your primary care (regular) veterinarian.  For referral patients, the integrative therapies she offers can greatly enhance the work that your primary care veterinarian is doing.  For more information on the differences between integrative medicine and holistic medicine, click here.

If you are seeking a new primary care veterinarian, we have someone wonderful for you - our own Dr. Jessica Tartof  is able to accept new patients.  She also serves as our Chief Surgeon, handling all surgical and dental procedures for our practice.  Of course, if you are an existing client of Dr. Mitchell's, you may see either Doctor at any time during their office hours!

Dr. Mitchell shares her home with her cat Emmett, her Cairn Terrier Hebert, and her Cairn mix, Jack.  Emmett is a rescued 11 year old Persian who was seized, along with dozens of other cats, as part of an area cruelty investigation in 2005.  Hebert is a 6 year old Cairn who was rescued from a puppy mill in Wisconsin.  Jack, a 2 year old Cairn mix, was rescued by Col. Potter Cairn Rescue Network after he was found by the side of a St. Louis road in the aftermath of a car accident in which he suffered a crushed pelvis and the subsequent loss of one leg.  Jack and Hebert come to work with Dr. Mitchell every day, and would love to meet you!

In addition to serving as our hospital's Medical Director and Practice Manager, Dr. Mitchell sees patients at our hospital on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.  Beginning in April, Dr. Mitchell will be available, by appointment, every day that the hospital is open.

Dr. Mitchel is a member of the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture (AAVA), the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA), the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), the Chicago Veterinary Manager's Group (CVMG), the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS), and the Veterinary Botanical Medical Association (VBMA).  She is a past member of the Board of Directors of AAVA and a current member of the Board of Directors of the AHVMA.

Here is Dr. Mitchell's lecture and seminar schedule for 2010 (subject to change).  For more information on any of the below seminars or organizations, click on the colored text:

 January 2010: Lectured at The North American Veterinary Conference, the largest conference for veterinarians in the world.  On behalf of the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture, Dr. Mitchell lectured on small animal acupuncture applications, traditional Chinese veterinary medical (TCVM) diagnostics, TCVM management of pain, TCVM management of seizure disorders, TCVM food therapy, and discussed case reports in emergency medicine, seizure management, and dermatology.  She also lectured on the Practice Management track, where she spoke about starting a successful alternative medicine practice, marketing for alternative medical care, and teaching a veterinary team about alternative medicine. 

February 2010: Lectured for The Ohio State Veterinary Medical Association/Midwestern States Veterinary Conference, on veterinary acupuncture applications, veterinary herbal applications, traditional Chinese herbal management of small animal urinary tract disease, integrative management of small animal emergencies, and traditional Chinese medical food therapy.

February 2010: Lectured at the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association Annual Convention in Minneapolis.  She lectured to veterinarians who were new to integrative medicine on these topics: understanding complementary and alternative medicine (CAVM),  integrating CAVM therapies into daily practice, understanding how CAVM diagnostics and therapeutics work, and how CAVM can be useful to a small animal veterinary practice.

April 2010: Attending the Kortekaas Canine Extremities course in Eugene, OR.  This will complete Dr. Mitchell's education in indirect osteopathic manipulative techniques, which she has been studying since February 2008.  Her attendance at this seminar and the preceding Kortekaas seminars was made possible through the generosity of a Knollwood client who contributed significant funding for her continuing education in 2008, 2009, and 2010. For the full series of Kortekaas courses, see http://www.fullspectrumcaninetherapy.com.

May 2010: Attending the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) Practice Management seminar.

September 2010: Attending the CVMA Oncology seminar by Dr. Greg Ogilvie of Colorado State University, the nation's leading researcher on humane and compassionate cancer therapy for dogs and cats.

October 2010: Lecturing at, and attending, the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association's Annual Conference in Covington, Kentucky.  Dr. Mitchell will be lecturing on small animal veterinary acupuncture and veterinary practice management and will also enjoy lectures given by a variety of veterinary experts in their field.

October 2010: Three days of lectures, for the Wild West Veterinary Conference, on traditional Chinese veterinary medical diagnostics and therapeutics, homotoxicology diagnostics and therapeutics, integrative management of painful musculoskeletal disease, integrative management of urinary tract disease, integrative practice management, and for veterinary technicians, several lectures on introduction to complementary and alternative veterinary practice and technical support for the integrative practice.

Dr. Mitchell lectured at the 1999 through 2009 American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association annual meetings,  the 2009 American Veterinary Medical Association Annual Convention, the 2009 35th Annual IVAS Congress on Veterinary Acupuncture ,  the 2004 and 2007 Wild West Veterinary Conference ,  The North American Veterinary Conference in 2007, 2008 and 2009 , the 2007 and 2008 Chicago Basic Traditional Chinese Herbal Course for Veterinarians, and innumerable state and regional veterinary meetings and conferences.