Linda Gray's patients don't mind if she needles them a bit. That's part of her job.
Dr. Gray, who lives in Woodbine, is a holistic veterinarian who practices a combination of Eastern and Western medicines. She said she finds that a little natural medicine can go a long way toward healing pets and their owners.
Dr. Gray's interest in natural medicine began after nearly a decade spent in immunologic research. After earning graduate diplomas in immunology at the Johns Hopkins University and in chemistry and microbiology at the University of Maryland, Dr. Gray went back to school -- at what she calls "an advanced age" -- to study for her veterinary degree at Tufts University.
She had worked in New England and New Jersey, but returned to her home state of Maryland to practice conventional equine veterinary medicine until an interest in nutrition piqued her curiosity about alternative medicine.
"Holistic medicine is everything," says Dr. Gray, adding that most people tend to equate holistic medicine only with acupuncture. A member of the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society, Dr. Gray holds a master's degree in acupuncture from the Traditional Acupuncture Institute in Columbia, Howard County.
She is also a "reiki" master -- reiki is the practice of hands-on healing -- and a practitioner of herbal and homeopathic medicine.
Dr. Gray says she believes in finding a balance of treatments right for each patient.
"Conventional medicine has its place," says Dr. Gray, who is as comfortable dispensing chamomile tablets as she is recommending rabies vaccines for dogs and cats. "You can't set a broken leg with acupuncture or homeopathy."
Wearing feathered earrings, a crystal necklace, bifocals and sensible shoes, the soft-spoken veterinarian comes across as part Earth mother, part old-fashioned country vet.
She travels as far as the Eastern Shore in her red Jeep treating cats, dogs, horses and even the occasional rabbit.
Though she tries to limit her house calls to six per day, Dr. Gray routinely puts in 12-hour days in treating patients, teaching seminars on natural medicine and attending workshops on alternative healing.
On a bright autumn morning, Dr. Gray pays a visit to Mary Webb's Westminster home, where she will treat Kiss Me Kate, a 7-year-old Sheltie with back and shoulder problems.
As Ms. Webb's 18-year-old cat looks on, Dr. Gray begins her examination by checking Kate's 12 "water pulses" for any disruptions of "chi" -- what acupuncturists believe to be the life force energy in all creatures.
Next, Dr. Gray checks Kate's ribs, gently probing the animal for the right spots to insert the acupuncture needles. According to Dr. Gray, the needles, which are about the width of a human hair, are not painful to animals.
"Most [animals] are good" during the treatments, says Dr. Gray as she carefully inserts another sterile needle into Kate.
"Only about one in 20 is very nervous." She adds that most animals will naturally curl up and relax after treatment.
After completing the acupuncture session, Dr. Gray leaves Ms. Webb with instructions for in-home massage treatments she can perform on Kate. Though she will come back for a follow-up visit in a month, Dr. Gray said her ultimate goal is to help pets heal on their own, without becoming too dependent on her.
Dr. Gray's balanced approach to animal care has earned her the respect of many conventional veterinarians.
Robert Goodman, the owner of Baltimore's Everhart Veterinary Medical Group, met Dr. Gray when they both appeared on a radio show. He is one of many veterinarians around the state who refer patients to Dr. Gray.
Dr. Gray finds that keeping an animal's mind and body in balance is frequently a matter of treating and educating its human counterpart. Often, she says, she finds that pet owners' maladies and idiosyncrasies are mirrored in their animals.
According to Dr. Gray, even conditions as complex as endocrinological disorders can show up in both animals and their owners. She counsels pet owners with chronic conditions to have their pets checked for the same conditions.
Getting both pets and owners to pay more attention to their health begins with an understanding of basic nutrition, an area of growing interest for Dr. Gray, who recently began studying with a Native American herbalist.
"Something got me really interested in nutrition," she says. "I got really horrified when I would read dog and cat food bags and find all the preservatives and food dyes.
"Some manufacturers make good foods, then load them up with preservatives."
Dr. Gray advises owners to make their own pet food.
For those daunted by the prospect of cooking for Fido, Dr. Gray suggest books, notably Jane Yolen's "Raining Cats and Dogs" (1993 Harcourt Brace).
Aside from keeping an eye on what goes into the pet's food, Dr. Gray also warns pet owners to pay attention to their pets' food and water bowls.
