Veterinary Heroes: Integrative Medicine winner Curtis Wells Dewey, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Neurology), DACVS, CTCVMP, CCRP

Photo courtesy of Curtis Wells Dewey.

dvm360^®, the No. 1 multimedia platform in the veterinary industry, announced the 8 winners of its inaugural Veterinary Heroes™ recognition program on November 16, 2021, including Curtis Wells Dewey, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Neurology), DACVS, CTCVMP, CCRP. Inductees were honored during a celebratory gala at Fetch, a dvm360^® conference, on December 1, 2021, at the San Diego Convention Center in California.

The Veterinary Heroes™ program honors individuals who have achieved landmark successes within veterinary medicine. Veterinary leaders are nominated by their peers for their remarkable achievements in improving patient outcomes. A panel of distinguished judges from the dvm360^® Advisory Board chose 1 honoree in each category who has made a measurable difference.

The Veterinary Heroes^TM program is sponsored by Nationwide, Merck, Zoetis, Clevor®, Blue Buffalo, NorthStar VETS, and MedVet.

The winners of the 2021 Veterinary Heroes™ program are being featured in an 8-part series. Part 5 focuses on Integrative Medicine winner Curtis Wells Dewey, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Neurology), DACVS, CTCVMP, CCRP.

Dewey is president of Elemental Pet Vets and a champion for integrative medicine. His team at Elemental Pet Vets focuses on rehabilitation, herbal treatments, acupuncture, and other modalities of traditional Chinese veterinary therapy, including acupuncture, herbal therapy, food therapy, and Tui-Na massage therapy.

Dewey comes from a medical family and was always interested in the field. Drawn to animals from early childhood, he said that he felt becoming a veterinarian was the best path to combine those passions.

“What gets me out of bed every morning and keeps me going [is helping] my patients and their families; despite the rigors of veterinary medicine, helping patients feel better is worth the effort,” Dewey said.

In addition to his clinical work, Dewey is coauthor of Clinician’s Guide to Canine Acupuncture, a comprehensive integrative textbook with numerous colored illustrations and photographs, with Huisheng (Shen) Xie, DVM, PhD, founder and president of Chi University.

Dewey helped develop the formula for CogniCaps because he wanted to create a multi-ingredient supplement that combined conventional Western nutraceuticals with Chinese herbals.

“There was nothing like this on the market, so I was prescribing multiple individual supplements for canine cognitive dysfunction for years,” Dewey said, “Fortunately, my good friend and colleague Dr Theresa Fossum made the dream of this integrative supplement a reality through her company, Dr. Fossum’s Pet Care.”

Dewey credits his wife, Janette, for being the “mastermind” behind Elemental Pet Vets and his “dream team” of staff and coworkers, who make everything possible.

Dewey said his reaction to being named a Veterinary Hero was a mixture of surprise and joy.

“This award is particularly meaningful to me. I became involved in integrative medicine fairly late in my veterinary career trajectory, but I put my heart and soul into making a positive impact in this field. To be recognized by my peers as a leader in integrative veterinary medicine is a great honor,” he said.