Speaker Spotlight - Dr. Arielle Herndobler

Watch Dr. Arielle Herndobler's lecture in our "What's In Your Emergency Kit?" Virtual Learning Course
​Click here to learn more.

Were you always interested in being a veterinarian?

-For as long as I can remember I have loved animals and knew I wanted to be a veterinarian. I even attended high school at Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences which is the only farm in the city of Chicago. I took the animal science pathway and had the opportunity to work with farm animals in the city!

When did you begin learning about integrative medicine?

-Integrative medicine has always been a part of my life. When I was growing up, my mom always worked at addressing the underlying cause of our illnesses. For example, when I got strep throat repeatedly she reached for supplements and started juicing to help boost my immune system. I started taking additional coursework for acupuncture and herbs the first year after I graduated veterinary school. Early on in my career I recognized the limitations of western medicine and aspired to add holistic modalities to help my patients. 


How did you end up working at The Royal Treatment Veterinary Center?

-I first met Dr. Royal at the Brookfield zoo when I was a veterinary student extern; she would come to do acupuncture on the camels and thought it was fascinating. Once I became a licensed veterinarian, I spent time completing my acupuncture internship hours at The Royal Treatment Veterinary Center. I thought that the clinics philosophy was very similar to how I wanted to practice medicine full time. When a job opening became available I jumped at the opportunity and I have now been working here for a little over a year and a half! 

What can people expect for the Inflammation Course?

-The Inflammation Course will have lots of practical information which attendees can take and put into practice right away - we plan on it being a super fun and informative day!

What is your favorite part of your job?

-The favorite part of my job is helping to alleviate pets pain. Many pet suffer from debilitating orthopedic conditions such as arthritis live with constant pain. Western medicine is often limited to a few supplements and pain medications, but I can offer these pets so much more, which many times drastically improves the quality of their lives.

Do you have any pets? Tell us about them!

-I have 2 dogs and they are seriously the best! Louie is an 11 year old maltese mix and Fendi is an 11 year old bichon mix. I adopted both of them when I was in veterinary school. They both have such distinct personalities and keep me laughing all of the time.