Veterinarian
Dr. Kathy Backus DVM has been a veterinarian since 1996. She graduated from The Ohio State University School of Veterinary Medicine and received her undergraduate degree in Biology from The University of Cincinnati. She's been a full-time veterinarian and practice owner for 27 years in rural southern Utah and northern Arizona, gaining experience in all aspects and species encountered in veterinary medicine.
Dr. Backus has always had an interest in holistic medicine, earning an acupuncture scholarship through the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) during veterinary school. She has been involved with holistic veterinarians through the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA) since veterinary school, founding a chapter at Ohio State.
Dr. Backus holds certifications in the following: chiropractic through the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA); postural rehabilitation: Maximum Horse Power all modules of small and large animal; acupuncture through IVAS; ozone therapy: Dr. Shallenberger's course at The American Academy of Ozonetherapy; American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) veterinary control judge for the sport of endurance; the Gurney Institute of Animal Communication; and the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy in conjunction with the Institute for Functional Medicine.
The Gurney Institute animal certification course is a 2-year certification course. She has completed 40 cases or over 200 hours of cases in conjunction with top mentors. In addition, she has completed 14 full days of course work with Carol Gurney. The Functional Medicine Coaching Academy course is a year-long course that combines positive psychology coaching with functional medicine. Functional medicine is finding and correcting root cause problems and is Dr. Kathy's passion. These additional certifications require a devoted rigor to learning. The value of knowledge, a network of connections and keeping current with the rapidly evolving and drastically changing health care field cannot be emphasized enough or more clearly and strongly.
Dr. Backus DVM is a continuing education junkie. In addition to achieving certifications, she is constantly attending multiple webinars, seminars, and conferences as well as reading and networking. This creates a deep breadth of knowledge and continually evolving network of resources. Dr. Backus enjoys the sport of endurance horse riding as a great way to spend many hours with horses in nature. She can be found with the large horse family and active dog(s) almost any day of the week. She also has a great love for spending time in rugged remote nature. In 2016, Dr. Backus added long-distance horse events to her equestrian pursuits.