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As part of PetHobbyist.com's annual Chat Week, DogHobbyist.com welcomes Dr. Shawn Messonnier. Dr. Messonnier is a holistic veterinarian and nationally recognized expert on integrative medicine for animals. A graduate of Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine, his column "The Holistic Pet," runs weekly in over 300 papers in the US and Canada and is distrubted by Knight-Ridder News Service. Dr. Messonnier is the author of several books, including the Natural Health Bible for Dogs and Cats, The Allergy Solution for Dogs, and The Arthritis Solution for Dogs. He is also the former host of Fox TV's "4 Your Pets" series and host of the holistic pet board at iVillage.com.

Dr. Messonnier opened Paws & Claws Animal Hospital in 1991. His special interests include exotic pets, dermatology, and animal behavior. Dr. Messonnier is a well-known speaker and author. In addition to serving clients, he is a regular contributor to several veterinary journals, sits on the advisory board of the journal Veterinary Forum, serves as Editor-In-Chief of the journal Exotic Pet Practice, and regularly consults with veterinarians across the country. He shares his medical knowledge with pet owners each week in his Friday newspaper column in the Plano Star Courier.

Dr. Messonnier recently opened the Acupuncture and Holistic Animal Health Care Center as a part of Paws & Claws Animal Hospital. The Center's goal is to provide alternative therapies such as acupuncture, nutritional therapies, and homeopathy to those clients who desire an alternative to conventional medical care.

In addition, Dr. Messonier is the author of Exotic Pets:A Veterinary Guide for Owners and of Common Reptile Diseases and Treatment and a contributor to Reptile and Amphibian Magazine. He is a member of the Association of Avian Veterinarians, the American Holistic Veterinary Association, and the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians. Dr. Messonnier's website is at http://www.petcarenaturally.com/.

How to Attend

This event will be held in the Auditorium chat room. There are two ways to access the chat room. The first is simply to follow this link: The Auditorium. There is no registration required and there is nothing to download or install. The room does require you to have java enabled in your browser settings. We strongly suggest you access the room before the chat, so you have time to address any access difficulties you might have. You might want to drop by our regular weekly Holistic Dog Care chat on Sundays at 9 PM Eastern time as a test run.

If you don't have java enabled in your browser, or aren't sure but find you cannot access the room, you can access the Dog Den by downloading and installing any program that enables you to use Internet Relay Chat. The two most common programs are mIRC for PCs and IRCle for Macs. You can find more information on how to access our room using those programs here: ChatFAQ.

Can You Remind Me?

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