Dr. Michael Salewski, Founder of Hindsight Care
I always wanted to be a veterinarian. No one, including myself, imagined the direction this career would take me. Graduating from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in 1990, I first found work as an equine vet with the mentor who introduced me to horses during a summer internship. I come from a non-horse background, but the barns, the sports medicine, and of course the magnificence of the horses themselves immediately struck a nerve with me and guided my path from that point on. It wasn’t until later that a new path opened up.
My first exposure to the first of the “alternative” therapies occurred during this first job. A human chiropractor in the area expanded his practice to horses, and I frequently witnessed him
correct problems beyond my ability to answer. Seeing the benefits of this therapy led me to become trained and certified by the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association by the mid 90s.
Even so, there are plenty of cases that don’t respond to either chiropractic or conventional veterinary medicine, and before long I expanded my practice to include acupuncture through training by the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society. The elegance of Chinese medical theory really spoke to me, and I quickly realized it had more to offer than just needles. Classes in herbal medicine and food therapy followed, and before long I found that the combination of chiropractic, acupuncture and herbal medicine allowed me to effectively treat any case that came along.
About this time, clients began asking me to look at dogs as well as horses. Initially reluctant (I still considered myself as a “horse vet” after all!), I quickly found the world of canine performance provided the same challenges and excitement as my equine athletes.
Over time, my practice evolved to treating patients solely with chiropractic and Chinese medicine and expanded to include all species. Most of my patients continue to be performance animals: everything from driving to dressage horses on the equine side and agility to schutzhund on the canine. The remaining cases are diverse: geriatric animals with multiple, complex problems; musculoskeletal and internal medicine case not responding to, or baffling conventional therapies; rehabilitation from injury; pain management; and offering alternative approaches to cancer. I work closely with trainers and massage therapists in addition to a client’s primary veterinarian and working together we come up with some great solutions to difficult problems.
Published Texts
Clinical Handbook of Chinese Veterinary Herbal Medicine
Chinese Herbal Formulas for Veterinarians
Education
Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine
American Veterinary Chiropractic Association
International Veterinary Acupuncture Society