Shayne Zimmerman, DVM

Telemedicine

I offer extended virtual consultations for established clients that provide convenient access to veterinary guidance from the comfort of your home. These telehealth appointments are ideal for follow-up care, medication adjustments, behavioral discussions, and addressing minor concerns that don't require hands-on-examination.

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Acupuncture

My passion is in alternative medicine and energy healing practices, and a mobile practice allows me to focus on this without the distractions of busy everyday Western medicine. I love to learn and will continue to add new modalities as I find them. If you’ve heard about something new, please ask me about it! If I don’t know about it yet, we can learn about it together. I want to help support the most balanced and evidence-based approach to your pets’ care.

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Special Things About My Practice

Hello! I’m Shayne Zimmerman. I’ve been a veterinarian in North Carolina for over 25 years. I’ve been practicing acupuncture and TCVM (Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine) since 2011. I’m happy to announce that I am partnering with Heal Housecall to offer mobile veterinary services in Raleigh, Cary, Holly Springs, Apex, Fuquay Varina, and surrounding areas. My practice is specialized and centers on holistic modalities exclusively. The services that I offer for dogs and cats of all ages include: • Routine wellness evaluation according to TCVM principles; with food, supplement and preventative care recommendations for puppies, kittens and adult pets. • Chronic care evaluation and consulting as needed to complement or replace traditional medical management. • TCVM food as medicine • Chinese and Western herbal medicine • Acupuncture • Soft tissue work and trigger point release • Energy medicine (Reiki, Qi Gong, facilitated heart to heart coherence meditation) • Ozone therapy • Mistletoe therapy *I continue to learn and gather information and will add modalities and help coordinate other alternative treatment protocols in cooperation with you and other holistic practitioners as appropriate. Chronic conditions that can benefit from these approaches include but are not limited to: environmental allergies or food sensitivities, other chronic skin or GI conditions, recurrent ear infections, osteoarthritis or other causes of musculoskeletal pain, anxiety or other behavioral challenges, geriatric cognitive changes, hormonal or metabolic imbalances, chronic organ systems insufficiencies, seizures, cancer or autoimmune diseases. The above therapies are offered based on subjective physical and energetic assessment modalities and for the most part do not depend on conventional Western disease diagnoses. I want to help support the most balanced and evidence-based approach to your pets’ care. I am happy to consult and coordinate with any general and specialty practice veterinarians with whom you are cooperating to provide the most excellent and comprehensive care for your loved ones! At any time, I am happy to review current medical records and offer guidance for moving forward.

My initial visit for new clients is $325 to establish care for adult pets.* This is a comprehensive 1 hour visit in which I will meet you and your pet and we can discuss all of your questions and concerns. During this time, I will complete an assessment of your pet according to TCVM principles. Usually this includes a hands on examination, but depending on your pet’s preferences it is possible that I may not handle them at all. It’s important to me that we start off on the right foot with a relationship of trust and your pet can tell me a surprising amount without me having to impose myself on their personal space! If we decide that some kind of treatment is appropriate during the first visit, then any initial acupuncture, soft tissue or energy work is included in this cost.

If you are unsure if your needs or concerns warrant the 1 hour visit, then you have the option to complete the e-visit questionnaire (Thank you for your patience, this is currently in development) and share any pertinent medical records prior to the first visit. The cost for the pre-visit records review is $45. This includes email correspondence in regard to whether I would recommend a visit or not based on your concerns. It is possible that I may recommend another practice or other specialists in the area, if I am not the right person to meet your needs. In the case that we do arrange a visit, then the $45 charge will be credited towards the cost of the initial visit.

*An initial visit to establish care for well puppies or kittens is $250. This includes a holistic wellness assessment and a comprehensive discussion about general preventative care recommendations, nutrition, spay and neuter, behavior and training and other lifestyle concerns. Please see the Puppy Visit post for more information.

For existing clients, visits are billed by time, with the first 30 minutes at a rate of $140, and subsequent 15 minute increments at $62.50 each. Again, acupuncture, soft tissue or energy treatments are included in this professional time. Additional charges apply for other special procedures such as aquapuncture, electroacupuncture, ozone or mistletoe therapy. Discounted rates will apply if I am treating multiple pets during a single visit.

Telemedicine visits can be scheduled at a rate of $100 per visit, up to 1 hour. Please note, an in person visit is required yearly to maintain the Veterinary Client Patient Relationship for medication prescribing in NC.

I am generally available to communicate via email regarding everyday questions or concerns that may arise. We can schedule a phone consultation if a more in depth conversation is necessary. Phone consults are typically billed at a rate of $60 for the first 15 minutes, with an additional $20 charge for every subsequent 15 minutes. 

Existing clients have the opportunity to elect the Heal + preventative membership. Because my services look a bit different than traditional preventative care, the plan looks a bit different than the regular Heal plan. This membership is billed $55 monthly, and includes 2 one hour in home visits for comprehensive TCVM/energy wellness assessment and general treatment per year; and 2 one hour telemedicine visits per year (a $730 value); plus free phone consults (up to 6 per year). This allows us to stay on top of chronic conditions with an intensive focus on an every 3 month basis. 

Initial Exam

$325.00

I will take a different approach to wellness than what you’re used to from your traditional veterinary preventative care visits. I think we can all agree that our pets (like ourselves) are beset daily with environmental and nutritional challenges to their immune system and basic metabolic processes. My approach to wellness care is to try to detect and minimize these threats as soon as possible so that we can do our best to prevent the development of alarmingly common chronic diseases such as osteoarthritis, allergic skin disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and cancer, just to name a few.

I recommend a comprehensive in-person holistic visit at least once a year so that we can maintain a valid prescribing relationship in the state of North Carolina. Depending on the age and condition of your pet, regular check-ins every 3-6 months could be appropriate. These visits can be in-person or through telemedicine.

During each in-person visit we will update photos in their chart, and I will interact with your pet in order assess and review all systems. My assessments are based on a framework grounded in TCVM (Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine), and accomplished with easy, low stress handling techniques. My physical evaluation usually does not include the use of any intrusive instruments aside from a stethoscope, and sometimes an aural (ear) thermometer. I can gather a lot of information from your pet without ever putting hands on them; by observing their eyes, their mouth and tongue, the way they move and breathe, the way they smell, and even the way they sound. If your pet is not a touchy feely type, we will keep that to a minimum. The elemental constitution (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) of an individual is usually pretty apparent from across the room.

Then we will have a comprehensive discussion about general preventative care recommendations appropriate for your pet’s constitution, life stage, risk factors and any apparent imbalances. This includes, but is not limited to nutrition and supplements, vaccinations, parasite prevention, dental health, behavior, and other lifestyle concerns. We will talk out of the box (or bag) about how to feed your pet a less processed diet to support a healthy body condition and metabolic status, and prevent common chronic diseases. There are so many options regarding how to feed your pet, and I will help you navigate those choices. I want to educate and equip you with inexpensive and common-sense home remedies so that you can easily handle minor issues like an upset stomach or an itchy ear before a vet visit becomes necessary. I generally do not keep a stock of herbal medicines or supplements. Depending on the products you need, I will recommend them for you through an online pharmacy where you can order directly, or I will place a special order for you with a small administration fee from distributors who only deal through veterinarians. I can prescribe conventional monthly preventatives as well as recommend herbal or homeopathic alternatives when appropriate.

I do recommend some yearly diagnostics to help us screen for problems before they become evident through symptoms or examination findings. The screening tests that I recommend will be different than the routine bloodwork and fecal testing available from your traditional veterinarian. We will discuss which screening tests are appropriate for your pet’s specific needs. The VDI Complete Wellness blood panel is a comprehensive test for detecting hidden diseases and evaluating vital nutrient levels in pets. It helps identify vitamin deficiencies, systemic inflammation, and early signs of joint disease and cancer. The VDI Gut Microbiome fecal panel is another test I recommend at least yearly.  The microbiome plays an essential role in maintaining balance in the system. It impacts not only the health of the GI tract, but basic metabolic processes, immune system and inflammatory responses, neurological function and emotional wellbeing. We also have the option of intermittently testing for toxin exposures with the VDI Mineral & Toxic Metal Fur Analysis.

Depending on your preferences, there may be services that we decide will be a good fit, such as vaccinations, dental or surgical procedures that I will not be providing. In this case, I am happy to recommend another Heal Housecall provider or brick and mortar practice where these can be provided for you according to your needs, in a judgement free space. I want to help support the most balanced and evidence-based approach to your pet’s care

If you’d prefer frequent, regularly scheduled check-ins, with a low monthly payment option, the Heal+ plan is available. This membership is billed $55 monthly, and includes 2 one hour visits for comprehensive TCVM/energy wellness assessment and general treatment per household per year; free 15 minute phone consults (up to 6/year); and unlimited free herbal or diet plan reformulations. Laboratory screening tests are not included in this plan.

In any case, I will generally be available to you within 24-72 hours via email to address any concerns you may have. My online scheduler is always available at https://healhousecall.com/szimmerman, and I accept routine visit requests every afternoon Monday through Saturday. Whenever care is scheduled, you will always see me so that we can maintain continuity in our care plan. I know how difficult it can be to see a different veterinarian every time, even though you are visiting the same practice. If you do need to seek care elsewhere, I will be happy to consult and coordinate with any other general or specialty practice veterinarians with whom you are cooperating.

Congratulations on your new puppy!! I’d love to get something scheduled to meet your new pup! Traditionally, the first vet visit is all about scheduling a vaccination series, but there is so much more that we can do to get your pup off on the right paw!

I just wanted to let you know a bit more about my practice so that we can make sure that I can meet your needs. My practice is specialized and centers on holistic modalities exclusively. I like to start puppies off with a comprehensive holistic wellness assessment. This includes determining their TCVM element type which can help when making important lifestyle choices that will promote their ongoing energetic balance and stability.
During the visit we will have a comprehensive discussion about general preventative care recommendations, nutrition, spay and neuter, behavior and training and other lifestyle concerns. We can talk out of the box (or bag) about how to feed your pup a less processed diet to support healthy growth and prevent common chronic diseases. I will recommend routine preventative medications and supplements depending on your puppy’s needs and your preferences. I want to educate and equip you with inexpensive and common-sense home remedies so that you can easily handle minor issues like an upset stomach or an itchy ear before a vet visit becomes necessary. I generally do not keep a stock of herbal supplements. Depending on the products you need, I will recommend them for you through an online pharmacy where you can order directly, or I will place a special order for you with a small administration fee from distributors who only deal through veterinarians. I can prescribe conventional monthly preventatives as well as recommend herbal or homeopathic alternatives when appropriate.

Depending on your preferences, there may be services that we decide will be a good fit, such as vaccinations or surgical procedures that I will not be providing. In this case, I am happy to recommend another Heal Housecall provider or brick and mortar practice where these can be provided for you according to your preferences, in a judgement free space. I want to help support the most balanced and evidence-based approach to your puppy’s care. I am happy to consult and coordinate with any other general or specialty practice veterinarians with whom you are cooperating.

The cost for my initial well puppy visit is $250. This visit can be up to 1 hour depending on your particular concerns. The ideal time for the initial puppy visit is between 12-20 weeks, but we can start anytime. Serial puppy visits are typically not necessary unless we are monitoring a particular situation. I usually recommend the next wellness visit when they turn 1 year old. I’ll always be available for consultation in the meantime if any concerns arise!