Phoenix Rising

Veterinary Care

Dr. Radhika Rajagopal

Dr. Radhika Rajagopal (Radica Raj) started practice as a Western veterinarian in general practice but soon became disenchanted with routine procedures and lack of challenges. She then embarked on a career in Veterinary Emergency medicine and Critical Care. Within a year of practice in this field, she was inspired to start her own emergency facility and subsequently opened a second general practice. Undaunted by the long hours and night shifts, she continued to manage both clinics as well as work in her own emergency facility. While this path provided the stimulus and the challenges she had yearned for, she soon realized that there was more that she was called upon to do. There had to be a better quality of life for terminally-ill patients that suffered from the side-effects of medications, for the geriatric patients disabled by osteo-arthritis and for the paralyzed patients that could not walk again. Determined to explore these avenues and find answers, she successfully completed her post-graduate diploma in Veterinary Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine with the Chi Institute in Florida. Dr. Radhika Rajagopal found in Dr. Marlene Smith a mentor with the same strong foundation in Western medicine and a balanced approach to integrating sound Western Medicine training with holistic veterinary medicine. Recognizing the need for more integrative practices in the community, Dr. Radhika decided to start the Phoenix Rising veterinary Care thereby opening the door for two like-minded professionals to work together to offer their best services to the profession and to their patients. .