Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Winter.
Hi Stephanie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have always known animals would play a major role in my life. Growing up on a lively small Midwestern farm filled with dogs, cats, horses, hogs, and cattle, I’ve always loved animals and immersed myself into their worlds. My first spoken word wasn’t “mama” or “dada”—it was “Sugar,” the name of my family dog.
Today, I am a Doctor of Chiropractic, certified in animal chiropractic and rehabilitation therapy, treating dogs, horses, and cats My path to becoming a doctor wasn’t a straight line. But combining my passion for health care and for animals was a miracle.
After earning both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, I spent 10 years in the corporate world. Although successful, I felt called to do something more meaningful—something that would allow me to help people and animals directly. After suffering immensely with migraines and neck/back pain after multiple vehicular accidents, I needed to give back the quality of life several Chiropractors had helped give to me. That desire led me back to school to earn my Doctor of Chiropractic degree, At the end of my first year of Chiropractic school, my own beloved Jack Russell, Kylie, aka Love of My Life, suffered horrifically from back pain on quite a regular basis. During one of her worse flare ups, I prayed to God and aksed for help. I begged Him that there had to be something better than traditional medical help which consisted of drugs because that was failing her. Her quality of life was actually terrifying. God put the thought of taking Kylie to a Chiropractor. Immediately after her adjustment, she ran around the room barking and wagging her tail. I could not believe it. Normally she would have been cowered shaking in the closet for 3 weeks on meds. Now, within minutes, she acted like she felt amazing. And thats when the lights shown down on me and the choir sang and I realized this is what i want to do when I grow up!!!!! I immediately changed my pursuit to obtaining my Doctorate of Chiropractic so I could follow it with the specialized training in animal chiropractic.!!!
I’ve always believed that true healing starts with finding the root cause. A lot of treatments only put a Band-Aid on the problem, but My goal is to actually fix what’s causing the dysfunction in the first place.
I focus on improving the function of spinal nerves which in turn helps the whole body to function better. That looks like improved mobility, reducing discomfort, and enhancing overall quality of life through gentle, species-appropriate chiropractic adjustments. Whether I’m helping a senior dog climb stairs more comfortably, or perfecting the gait on a dog competing at Westminster, or improving the time on a sport horse,, or a cat recover from an injury, I approach each patient with the same compassion and excellence.
As interest in holistic and non-invasive care continues to grow among pet owners, I hope more people will learn how chiropractic can support their animals’ health.
Animals give us so much. My mission is to give something back—to help them live comfortable, happy, and active lives.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Obtaining my doctorate was physically and emotionally exhausting, not to mention financially challenging. I went back to school at 36 yoa to obtain my DC. 16 years between science classes was no easy task, not to mention the change in technology during that time frame. Also, certain state veterinary practice acts make it challenging for Doctors of Chiropractic, Certified in Animal Chiropractic to practice on animals.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I think my compassion and my strive for perfection sets me apart from others, as all as my immense love for animals.
Also being a small business owner comes with its own challenges. Not only am I the Dr. but running my own small business includes wearing many hats.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Compassion is the quality I feel is most important to my success. I care deeply about the well being of animals and genuinely wish them their best life. I am dedicated to supporting their health, comfort, mobility, and overall well being. I love animals and wish them the most happiness. They give us everything they have. I strive to give them the quality of life they deserve.
In fact, I have dedicated my time to rescueing and rehoming Golden Retrievers for the past 11 years. I have a special affinity toward this breed and have been blessed to share the past 11 years with 7 of these special souls. 2 of whom are still with me. I’ve also rehomed multiple others. My one guideline is – if they make into my home, they probably wont leave……. as long as I have room in the inn, they are welcome.
Pricing:
- $100 New Patient Exam/Adjustment Small Animal
- $60 Adjustment/Small Animal
- $125+trip New Patient Exam/Adjustment Large Animal
- $`115+trip Adjustment/Large Animal
Contact Info:
- Website: https://arkanimalchiropractic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkanimalchiro/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arkanimalchiro
