Dr. Lisa Pantzer,
Holistic Vet

by Susan W. Showalter
photo by Susan W. Showalter

When Lisa Pantzer was driving through Brown County on her way home from visiting family in Valparaiso a few years ago she had no idea a lovely place in Van Buren Township would soon become the place she calls home. But now this interesting and friendly alternative animal doctor, along with her family of cats, dogs, horses and sheep, is glad to do just that.

“A wild hair led to an inquiry at Dr. Brester’s office which led to a job offer,” said Lisa. “The area’s attractions are primarily the environment but the high population of alternative minded folks, the community interest in art and music and being a good demographic for a quality alternative vet practice also were of great interest to me. Specifically I like the people here, the laid back way of life and seeing the beautiful environs as I drive to my calls.”

An Indianapolis native, Dr. Pantzer graduated from Tudor Hall School. She obtained an AB degree from Mount Holyoke College, a Master of Science Degree in Dairy Nutrition and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree from Purdue University.

“I always knew I would be a vet and my early influence was Bob Boger who has retired to Brown County,” said Lisa. “As I was developing a certified organic farm in Kentucky, homeopathy was the most logical way to treat the animals. I experimented and discovered the power of homeopathy. To learn from the best, I studied under Richard Pitcairn. I also took the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society acupuncture course in 2003-2004.”

According to Lisa, the number of holistic vets in this country is growing but not all belong to the organizations therefore it may be difficult to obtain an exact count.

“Vet homeopaths have existed since at least the 1860s and my friend owns a veterinary text from that period,” said Lisa. “Acupuncture has been around for the last 1000–1500 years! Homeopathy has been used by Amish in the US for 150 years and acupuncture reappeared here in the late 1970s.”

Before coming to Brown County Lisa practiced in Frederick County, Maryland. She moved to Kentucky in 1985.

“I first worked in a brood mare practice,” said Lisa. “I have flown with shipments of horses to England and United Arab Emirates, Breeders Cup events and derby races for a major Kentucky horse farm. I also had a small animal practice in Kentucky until 2003.”

Lisa has successfully combined creativity with science in her vet practice and that should not be a surprise to anyone who knows her. Besides being a very accomplished vet, Lisa is also an accomplished artist.

“I am a fiber artist. I make wool tapestries with hand spun, skein painted weft from my 30 Lincoln Longwool sheep,” explained Lisa. “The sheep have gorgeous fleeces and are used for making carpet. Each can grow up to fourteen inches of wool per year and this is used for carpet fibers because it is long, durable and heavy. I make some silk paintings for the glory of the color.”

Studying at the University of Kentucky fiber department from 1999 to 2003, she received a scholarship from the Kentucky Museum of Art and Design in 2002 and an Early Times Scholarship in 2003.

While at UK in 2002, Lisa assisted artist/UK Professor Arturo Sandoval with the installation of his award winning commission for the new U.S. Sixth District Court building in London, KY. (Note: He was chosen for Kentucky’s Artist Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 and honored along with Naomi and Ashley Judd.) The massive work (40 inches high, 604 inches wide and one inch deep) entitled “Appalachian Knobs” is made of interlaced highly polished brass, copper and aluminum strips. Lisa gained some recognition in Brown County recently when she received a second place award for “other media” at the T.C. Steele Fall Plein Aire event in 2004 and an honorable mention award in 2005. Making her landscape-like wall hangings and hand painted silk scarves has been put on the back burner for now but she hopes to find more time in the future for her artistic pursuits.

“I bought this place with the artist’s studio and now it is filled with all the vet clinic things. The first order of business is to find space to open an office. One of my goals is to have a successful Holistic practice where animals receive preventative treatment,” Lisa explained. “I would like to open a Holistic Healing Center in Brown County for animals and their human companions. I do routine vet stuff as a house call practice because I enjoy seeing how animals and their human guardians live and I will not be abandoning the house calls after I open the new center.”

To make an appointment or for more information about Dr. Pantzer, please call her at 988-9787 or email her at <DrPantzer@aol.com>.