Meet the Team

Dr. Heather was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. At the age of 7, after rescuing a bird from the middle of the road, she told her mother "I want to be a veterinarian when I grow up". She completed her undergraduate work in Biology at UC San Diego, went to veterinary school at St George's University on the island of Grenada, and completed her education at Royal "Dick" School of Veterinary Medicine in Edinburgh Scotland.

She immediately began working in general practice, but after several years frustration began setting in. Too often patients would come in with cancer, chronic disease, or "just not right" and the tools in the western toolbox were inadequate to help to her satisfaction. Dr. Carter looked back to a time when her health was "just not right" when she found relief in acupuncture - so began her journey into alternative veterinary medicine. She completed her acupuncture courses through IVAS in 2012 and since then has pursued additional training in Food therapy, veterinary orthopedic Manipulation, and is currently completing her graduate studies in veterinary Chinese Herbal Medicine. She also frequently uses homo-toxicology, homeopathy, ozone therapy, and essential oils to maximize her patients' quality of life. Heather particularly enjoys working with cats, healing through food, endocrine disorders, and cancer care, and she is quite excited to have the opportunity to work with the Animal Healing Center to help you and your pets live life to its fullest.

Dr. Elaine Feely grew up in New York City and knew she wanted to be a veterinarian by the time she was 9 years old. She graduated from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1990. Tired of the long, cold winters in upstate New York, Dr. Feely moved to California to treat small animals and horses at a practice in Marin County. Although she loves horses and working outdoors, after two years Dr. Feely realized that working with small animals who share a home and special bond with their people was her real passion in veterinary medicine. Since then Dr. Feely has focused on providing high quality, compassionate care to dogs, cats, rabbits and pocket pets.

During her senior year in vet school, Dr. Feely was fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with a veterinarian who incorporated acupuncture into his treatment of dressage and eventing horses. She was impressed with the healing power of acupuncture but her interest in personally providing complementary medicine wasn’t sparked until years later when a holistic veterinarian helped to improve the quality of life of Dr. Feely’s own aging dog.

Dr. Feely completed her veterinary acupuncture training at the Chi Institute in 2011 and continues her studies in Chinese Herbal Medicine through the College of Integrative Veterinary Therapies. The holistic Traditional Chinese Medical approach to health through a balanced lifestyle and diet reflects the way Dr. Feely cares for her own family and she is happy to be able to use acupuncture, herbs and food therapy help her patients maintain wellness and heal their bodies naturally.

Dr. Haberstroh was always an animal lover and her interest in Veterinary Medicine became apparent when she was very young. She attended the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University and was focused on companion animals, with a special interest in Exotics and Nutrition. She received a National Institutes of Health research grant while in school which allowed her to evaluate the nutrition of all of the animals at the Detroit Zoo. When she graduated, she headed west to join a practice just outside of Denver where she worked with a Veterinary Acupuncturist. She was amazed at the response to this ancient therapy. She decided to study all modes of Complementary Medicine soon after. When visiting San Diego, she realized that the climate was more suitable for her beloved Whippet, so she settled here. She started a holistic house call practice in 2002 in the North County Coastal area and lives with her family, including a menagerie of pets, in Carmel Valley.

Dr. Haberstroh’s interest in Complementary and Alternative therapies grew out of her desire to enhance and in some cases replace conventional medical therapies. She began taking courses, including Dr. Pitcairne’s comprehensive Homeopathy course, and her understanding of health and healing evolved into a more holistic approach. She takes into consideration the physical, emotional, and environmental aspects of a patient’s life when choosing therapies. She enjoyed the International Veterinary Acupuncture Certification course so much that after she became certified in 2000, she returned to IVAS as a teaching assistant in 2005. After completing several additional herbal, holistic healing, and food therapy courses, she is able to incorporate these therapies to the benefit of her patients. By looking at “lifestyle” and whole health in addition to all of the modalities offered, she feels that she is able to provide well balanced preventive and supportive care for her patients and their families.