Will Falconer, DVM Moderator
Hey Janey, I think it'll take time for the veterinary market to shake this out. When enough people are firing vets who try to shove dangerous vaccines and drugs at them (or down their dog's throat -- see Antoinette's comment above!), the market (really you and your pocketbook) will reward those who are honest and truly holistic and have your animal's best interests at the top of their list.
I can't imagine how Dr. WhiteCoat competes, when so many are offering the same dangerous services. New graduates come out with a huge debt load now, and join that merry go round with others long established in the "old school" medicine they've just learned. How to stand out?
The smart ones will be open and interested enough to learn "alternative" medicine (in quotes, bc that medicine has lasted far longer, virtually unchanged, than the more dangerous modern medicine has). They'll get rewarded. Maybe they'll tell struggling colleagues who might also be open to holistic medicine, etc.
The main thing now is, you and your individual animals can no longer afford the status quo in vet medicine. It'll damage your animals sooner or later, and when chronic disease shows up, they have nothing on the shelf to cure it. Nada. Not that they won't try, and spend gobs of your money trying, but in the end, the animal is no better and you're now broke.
And, I guess that's another "entry point" where support for homeopathic or holistic medicine shows its face. "None of this is working, let's find a good homeopath and see if he can help." When we can, you tell three friends and your aunt, and the brush fire gets fanned a bit more.
One last thing: several vet schools have "holistic clubs," and they ask for speakers from our ranks. The feedback is usually quite positive and a seed is definitely planted.