Dr. Jennifer Levitsky, DVM, CVA grew up in Maryland and knew she wanted to be a veterinarian by the age of 13. She graduated from Bowdoin College with a major in Biochemistry and a minor in English. She went on to obtain her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. After 8 years of New England winters, she moved south and did a rigorous one year rotating internship in medicine, surgery and emergency care at Friendship Hospital for Animals in Washington D.C. After serving as Friendship Hospital’s emergency physician for a year, Dr. Levitsky moved to the Emergency Veterinary Clinic in Catonsville, MD.

She joined the Arnold Pet Station in 2000. Dr. Levitsky worked at Arnold Pet Station for 11 years. During that time, she became interested in holistic therapies after one of her technician’s dogs suffered back problems that were not responding to traditional veterinary medicine. She saw how acupuncture helped this dog to walk again when traditional steroid and muscle relaxant therapy wasn’t working. She was fascinated with the results and wanted to offer her own patients this option. She underwent her initial acupuncture training with the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS). Dr. Levitsky took advanced courses at the Chi Institute in Florida with Dr. Xie.

Completely amazed by the power of alternative therapies, she has gone on to study Traditional Chinese Medicine and herbal therapy with both IVAS and at the Chi institute. She also pursued homeopathic training with Dr. Richard Pitcairn, founder of the Animal Natural Health Center in Eugene, Oregon. She really enjoys being able to combine top notch western veterinary medicine with the holistic modalities to find the best solution for animal’s health issues. In her spare time, you can find her on a beach, in a yoga studio, or hanging out with Josie (her shepherd mix) and her 3 pussycats (Alfie, Nicholas, and Finn).

Dr. Jung graduated Mississippi State College of Veterinary Medicine in 1994. Right after vet school, she worked for a Small Animal/Equine practice in Massachusetts but soon moved to Michigan where she co-owned a fast paced small animal practice. Here she learned about practice management and client communication; about late night C-sections and early morning euthenasias; about open-heart surgery and limb amputations; about chronic skin problems and emergency medicine. If it was unusual and complicated from guinea pig spays to Elk C-sections, she probably saw it. But something was missing….she didn’t feel complete and in balance with nature.

She wanted to heal patients and cure diseases, not suppress symptoms with pharmaceutical drugs. After observing huge changes in her own animals with chiropractic treatments and homeopathic remedies, she went back to school and became certified in animal chiropractic by the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association.

She also studied Homeopathy under Dr. Glen Dupree and the British Institute of Homeopathy. That was in 1999. In 2015 she retired from conventional veterinary medicine and now exclusively practices animal chiropractic for dogs, cats and horses. When not adjusting animals, Dr. Jung is a successful Life Coach and the co-founder of a start up business called Horse World Connect. She spends her spare time trail riding her two Spotted Saddle horses, hiking the Appalachian trails, gardening and scouring Pet Finder for her next four legged hiking buddy.

Dr. Alison Key knew she wanted to work with animals since an early age, although she did not start her path into veterinary medicine until college. Dr Alison is a native of Maryland, growing up in Takoma Park. She attended the University of Maryland where she obtained her undergraduate degree in Zoology. While there, she became interested in Kung Fu and Tai Chi. This started her on her journey in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Dr. Key was introduced to other alternative modalities while going to veterinary school at The Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. She completed her acupuncture certification via the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society. She continued her studies at the Chi University where she completed Advanced Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine Herbal Therapy, Food Therapy, Chinese medical massage (aka Tui Na) and other courses. Dr Key loves integrating Chinese medicine, nutraceuticals, food therapy and other alternative modalities with conventional medicine to give pets the best quality of life for as long as possible. After helping family members through their end of life care, Dr. Alison is passionate about providing animals with palliative and hospice care during the final stages of their time with us.

Dr. Alison lives locally with her husband and two daughters. She is the emotional support person for her dog Glinda, and one of the house servants to her cat, Lizzy. Dr. Alison spends most of her free time running her girls to dance classes and dance competitions. She occasionally gets some time to read, relax on the beach, or go camping.

Dr. Sarah Preston, DVM, grew up near the cold and snowy Syracuse, NY. She obtained her Bachelors of Science from Bay Path College in Longmeadow, MA in 2005, then went on to obtain her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University in 2009.

After vet school, she practiced general medicine in Watertown, NY for 8 years, but became frustrated with some of the limitations of conventional medicine, especially in the area of chronic disease. Becoming interested in holistic medicine in vet school, she sought out a holistic practitioner when one of her cats developed a brain tumor, and saw firsthand how much holistic medicine can help a patient when conventional medicine stops working. She started taking continuing education classes in holistic medicine, and was excited to join the staff at Healing Paws in order to continue learning and using this powerful medicinal tool.

Dr. Preston currently lives in Pasadena, MD with her husband, cats Pewter and Bernie, and sheltie Merlin.

Dr. Klickman has been surrounded by animals all her life. Growing up in Oregon her family included dogs, cats, rabbits, goats, fish, birds, and assorted rodents. After serving in the Army, she moved to Maryland and was hired as a receptionist for an emergency veterinary clinic where she originally met Dr. Levitsky. Here she discovered a keen interest in medicine and a way to combine 2 passions. She graduated with her veterinary degree from Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 2007 and has worked at several practices in Maryland since then.

Through her friendship with Dr. Levitsky and working at Healing Paws in the mid 2010s, Dr. Klickman discovered integrative medicine and how combining modern treatments with ancient wisdom gives us the best of both worlds. She became certified in animal acupuncture in 2015 and completed an apprenticeship in Western Herbal Medicine in 2017. She also found that caring for pets at the end of their lives was a calling close to her heart, leaving Healing Paws for several years to work in a practice specializing in end-of-life care. During this time, she completed a certification in Animal Hospice and Palliative Care. After 6 years Dr. Klickman excitedly returned to Healing Paws to use her new skills in helping pets and their families. While she loves caring for pets at all stages, there is a special place for those in need of hospice and palliative care. As an integrative veterinarian she can use modern medicine combined with holistic options to help maintain good quality of life for as long as possible.

Dr. Klickman’s current crew (“her boys”) includes the silly but incredibly stubborn Dachshund Fillian; the sweetest creature that ever lived, her Bernese Mountain Dog Rory; and the undisputed head of the household lording over all, Loki the cat. Dr. Klickman loves creating things, including cooking from scratch as much as possible, making wine, mead, and cider, sewing, working in her yard, working on art projects for her home, and any DIY project that catches her eye.