If there's ever a fan club for veterinarian Doug Knueven, it's likely that Jenn Merritt will start it. Merritt attended two lectures Knueven gave at an Association of Pet Dog Trainers conference on topics such as natural diets and minimal vaccinations. "I was just so impressed with his perspective," said Merritt, who owns Blue Dog Creature Coaching. "I just thought I have to get him to North Carolina so I can share that knowledge and common-sense perspective with other people." Knueven integrates traditional veterinary medicine with alternative modalities, including acupuncture, in his Beaver County, Penn., clinic. On March 21, he'll give an all-day Canine Health Seminar at Paws4Ever (the former Orange County Animal Protection Society) in Mebane. Knueven received his doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Ohio State's College of Veterinary Medicine. Seven years later, frustrated with the limitations of conventional veterinary medicine, he took the 150-hour International Veterinary Acupuncture Society Course. "It was an eye opening experience," he said. "Chinese medicine is a totally different way of looking at the body, health, and disease. Once you become aware of this new paradigm of medicine you start to apply it." The first case where Knueven used his new knowledge and ability involved a cat with mouth cancer. The cat had stopped eating and was hiding. Knueven told the owners he would try acupuncture at no charge because it was experimental for him. The cat started eating and stopped hiding, despite the cancer. Another early case involved a little Yorkshire terrier with kidney failure. He too had stopped eating. The owners brought him in to euthanize him. "I was on my way to get the solution and I came back in and said, 'Let's try acupuncture,'" said Knueven, who did a quick treatment and sent him home. He didn't hear from the owners for three days and decided the dog had probably died. When he finally called, the owners told him the dog had started eating and was bouncing around like a puppy again. "We treated him weekly with acupuncture and the dog stuck around for another six to eight months," Knueven said. Knueven is the author of "Stand by Me: A Holistic Handbook for Animals, Their People, and the Lives They Share Together," (ARE Press, 2003) and "The Holistic Health Guide: Natural Care for the Whole Dog" (TFH Publishing, June 2008). In December, Merritt took her dog Big Sandy to Knueven. In Louisville, Knueven had talked about spondylosis, a degenerative spinal condition in dogs and people too. Big Sandy was diagnosed last year. "I have been working with him to treat her using a natural diet and Chinese herbs. She is [no longer] having a lot of the other issues she was having like bladder infections, incontinence and kidney problems," Merritt said. And though she loves her local vet, acupuncturist and chiropractor, "Dr. Doug brings it all together because he is all of those things."