Featured NESH Alumnus: Kevin Fenton DVM
Kevin Fenton DVM
Mountain Center, California
NESH Alumni Practitioner Directory Listing
I am a boy from the Bronx who ended up at The University of Bologna Veterinary College in Italy in 1976. I started All Creatures Veterinary Care in La Quinta, California in 1991 after a winding road among other things through a University of Tennessee Equine Internship, the Animal ER of the Desert, and my own equine practice.
It was in about 1988 that I became frustrated with the limitations of conventional veterinary medicine. My clinical skills had been honed and I could put my patients back together yet wanted to enhance their recovery and quality of life beyond the capabilities of this conventional medicine.
Acupuncture came first and it led to chiropractic and through those doors came homeopathy with Dr. Richard Pitcairn’s Professional Veterinary Course in 2008 … and so I became ‘the muddling mongrel’, a 19th century moniker for a physician who melds homeopathy with conventional medicine.
I feel homeopathy offers incredible possibilities for the health of our kindred creatures and the troubled world we share. As Mahatma Gandhi said: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it’s animals are treated.”
The loves of my life, 2 legged and 4
Having lived in Bologna, known as ‘Cita del Grasso’ (Fat City) and the best food in Italy, I love to cook Italian meals with chaotic creation. My wife cringes but I have become better at cleaning as I go! I drink Italian beer and sing Italian songs poorly while cooking my masterpieces.
I have the soul of a Gypsy, fascinated by the cultural diversity of this world … at home in second class train compartments and cobble stoned porticos, walking ancient streets with the eyes of a child.
From NESH: We were fortunate to meet Kevin when he enrolled in the 2016-2017 NESH 8 Weekend Course in San Diego, CA. He drove up with a truck filled with veterinary supplies and stories to share! We appreciate the levity and love that Kevin brings with him, so encouraging to others! We also reveled in his animal stories of adventure and healing. Having vets in our class is always a boon, because the perspective and experience shared enhances the learning of everyone there.
Professional Highlights:
• DVM 1982 at The University of Bologna, Italy
• Continued Learning at: Clinique Veterinaire Rive Droit in Geneva, Switzerland; The London Zoo; Lee and Lynch Veterinary Clinic in Lismore, Ireland; Centre Medic Veterinari in Barcelona, Spain
• Post-Graduate Training: Equine Internship at the University of Tennessee Veterinary College
• Worked at: Desert Veterinary Hospital and the Emergency Clinic of the Desert, and The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
• Established Kevin M. Fenton Equine Practice in 1986
• 1991: Founder of All Creatures Veterinary Care and Animal Hospital
• Articles: Emergency Interventions in Canine Thoracic Trauma, The Impact of Euthanasia in Veterinary Medicine, Small Animal First Aid, and Introduction to Veterinary Homeopathy
Kevin’s Spotlight would not be complete without a list of some of the animals he has treated over the years: emperor scorpion, seal, sea lion, White’s tree frog, iguana, bearded dragon, chameleons, pythons (ball, Burmese, and Colombian red tailed), snakes (milk and king), gila monster lizard, tortoises (desert, sulcata, and leopard), turtles (painted, box and long necked), alligator, all variety of birds (cockatiels, ducks, chickens, crows, parrots, macaws, hummingbirds, falcons, eagles, pelicans, etc), camels, big horn and domestic sheep, zebras, gazelles, goats, deer, buffalo, hyenas, warthogs, giraffes, mountain lions, leopards, cows, sugar gliders, hedgehogs, donkeys, horses, guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, chinchillas, dogs, cats, ferrets, pigs (pot bellied and hogs).
Kevin is our October 2019 Featured Alumnus. Return to NESH Alumni Spotlight page to learn about other distinguished NESH alumni.