Our Veterinary Team Integrative Veterinary Center of Richmond

Dr. Lord completed her undergraduate studies at James Madison University and graduated from the Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 1996. She first became interested in alternative medicine in veterinary school and began her integrative education during her fourth-year rotations.

After beginning her career as a primary care veterinarian, Dr. Lord was certified in veterinary acupuncture through the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society in 2000. She completed her initial Chinese herbal training through the same organization in 2001. In 2004, Dr. Lord furthered her training to become certified in animal chiropractic through the Healing Oasis Center. She is working towards obtaining a graduate diploma in Veterinary Chinese herbal medicine.

Dr. Lord has been working exclusively as a holistic veterinarian since 2001. She uses acupuncture, Chinese herbal remedies, spinal manipulation, nutrition, and other natural supplements in daily practice to improve the health and well-being of her patients. Treatment protocols are patient-specific, with an emphasis on quality-of-life. She opened Four Paws Veterinary Holistic Service in 2014.

Dr. Lord treats a wide variety of conditions, ranging from the healthy pet whose owners want a more natural approach to their pets’ veterinary care to chronically ill patients. She routinely works with performance and working dogs and patients with arthritis, skin conditions, chronic liver or kidney disease, cancer, asthma, neurologic problems, inflammatory bowel disease, and various other states.

Dr. Megan Dayton Milford was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and moved around with her family in the military at a young age. Her family ended up in Yorktown, VA, where she grew up most of her life. Dr. Dayton attended Virginia Tech (Go HOKIES!) for her undergraduate degree, graduating with a Bachelor’s in Animal Sciences. She then made her way back to Oklahoma for her veterinary training graduating in 2015. After school, she moved back to Virginia to be closer to family and ended up in Richmond, VA, with her husband. Her areas of interest include surgery, dermatology, pain management, and preventative medicine. She has had the opportunity to work with and learn from multiple integrative practitioners, including Dr. Lord. This has exposed her to the benefits of holistic/complementary medicine and influenced her practice style. She is excited to continue expanding this knowledge base and integrative approaches in her new home at IVC. She prides herself on providing high-quality care to both her patients and clients. In her free time, she loves going to the beach (really anything to do with the water), gardening, and spending time with family and friends. She lives in Richmond with her husband, son, two crazy Labradors, Chloe and Neptune, and their hobby farm of honeybees, goats, and chickens. She is so excited to be a part of the IVC team!

Katarina is one of our LVT’s. She grew up in Chesterfield, Virginia, and started in Veterinary medicine at a very young age, as her mother is also an LVT. She has had a passion for Vet medicine since she was little. She completed the Vet Tech program at Blue Ridge Community College in 2017. Her interests include patient care and client communication, developing connections with clients and their pets. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two dogs, Jetta, a toy poodle, and Turbo, a Chihuahua/dachshund mix snuggling up on the couch and watching movies in their theater room.

Gail is originally from Long Island, New York, where she obtained her LVT from SUNY Delhi. While employed at the University of Tennessee Vet School, she got her first experience with minor animal physical rehabilitation through their developing program. Years later, after working in many areas of veterinary medicine, she decided to pursue her interest in rehabilitative and physical therapy and became a CCRP from the University of Tennessee in 2007. Gail is Fear Free certified and uses this training while helping dogs and cats. Gail has been interested in comfort therapy which led her to become certified in massage therapy, CTMT, in 2017 and MTP (myofascial trigger point therapy) in 2021. Gail lives in Richmond with her two dogs, Angus and Keanu, and a cat, Sultan. She enjoys skiing, sailing, gardening, and volunteering at Porchlight Animal Sanctuary.

Jennifer began her career in veterinary medicine in 2007 as an assistant in primary care with a passion for holistic medicine. Over the years, she has assisted Dr. Lord with many of her patients in other hospitals, leading her to Four Paws Holistic in 2015. She is particularly interested in myotherapy, holistic oncology, allergic diseases, and preventive nutrition.

Jennifer is also a professional fine artist and muralist serving the Richmond area and beyond. She travels the country frequently for clients, and no project is too big for her. Locally she provides a variety of services, including pet portraits.

In her spare time, Jennifer loves traveling off the beaten path, organic gardening, and converting her school bus into a tiny house with her four cats, numerous chickens, and her pibble Archer.

Rose began her veterinary medicine career in 2017 but had worked with animals of all kinds for most of her life. Animal sheltering and Fear Free practice is a passion of hers. Rose is pursuing her Masters’s Degree in Veterinary Medical Sciences with a concentration in Shelter Medicine at the University of Florida.

When she isn’t at work, Rose enjoys LARPing with her friends, writing, volunteering in her community, and relaxing with her four cats (Pero, Daijoubu, Mollie, and Griffin) and her Great Pyr, Penny.

Paige is originally from Queens, New York, and has spent about half of her life in the greater Richmond area. She attended Old Dominion University and graduated with her Bachelor’s in Exercise Science in 2019. Paige started working in veterinary medicine in August 2020 and fell in love with the field. Her favorite parts of VetMed are assisting in pre-surgical operations and puppy well-care visits. When not at work, Paige loves to spend her time at farmer’s markets, music festivals, and at home with her two cats, Gaia and Obsidian.

Lara joined our team in October 2016, coming to us with over six years of experience in the veterinary field and a lifetime of experience working with animals. Lara’s love for pets started at a young age working in her family’s boarding kennel and volunteering at local animal shelters.

Since working with Dr. Lord, Lara has enjoyed seeing how a holistic approach and preventative care improve the lives of our patients and clients alike!

Lara enjoys drinking good coffee, trying new recipes, crafting, and watching movies in her spare time. Lara and her fiancé share their home with two cats, Oreo and Charley, and two dogs, Batty and Dixie.

Gretchen’s affinity for animals started very young as she was captured and held hostage by various wildlife. She found her niche working in veterinary medicine in the 1990s. Her joy in life is two grown children and raising and showing AKC Pomeranians.
Gretchen looks forward to getting to know IVC’s great clients and patients.

She spent several years as a pet sitter. Her clients range from horses to sugar gliders, she specializes in animals with medical needs and exotics/breeds that other sitters don’t feel comfortable sitting for.

On returning to the Veterinary Field in 2017 she started working as a Veterinary Receptionist, bringing her assistant skills to triage in an Emergency clinic in Williamsburg.

Emily has a personal interest in holistic treatments and is very excited to be part of the IVC team!