Hi. If you are a regular client at Limehouse Veterinary Clinic, you will often see me. I’m Ken Ninomiya, DVM, and I am a veterinarian working at the clinic as an independent contractor. I choose to work here because I prefer using acupuncture and complementary techniques to pharmaceutical drugs or surgery. I don’t mean to suggest that I don’t recommend allopathic methods when appropriate, however. My philosophy to veterinary medicine is to use both allopathic and complementary medicine to achieve the best result possible.
My first exposure to acupuncture was during my veterinary education at the University of California, Davis between 1973 and 1977. I could see from the presentations at the time, that acupuncture could be used in lieu of the high doses of gluco-cortico-steroids often needed to treat problems in veterinary medicine. Unfortunately, the heavy work schedule that exists in being an associate practitioner in veterinary medicine prevented me from pursuing formal acupuncture training until the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) held courses regionally in San Diego between 1990 and 1991. Following the completion of the formal training, passing the IVAS written and practical certification exams, as well as writing required case reports, I was granted certification in veterinary acupuncture in 1991.
Born in Ontario, Oregon in 1948, I relocated with my family to the Los Angeles area in the early 50′s. Attending grammar school at 1st Street School, junior high school at Hollenbeck Junior High School, high school at Roosevelt High School (all in Boyle Heights), and East Los Angeles Junior College in Monterey Park, I feel like a Los Angeles native. I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science, Pre-Veterinary Medicine, at California Polytechnic University, Pomona in 1973. As mentioned before, I attended and received my postgraduate degree in veterinary medicine from the University of California, Davis in 1977 and passed the required examinations to be granted licensure in California the same year. Since licensure through 1989, I had practiced as an associate in various small animal clinics in La Mirada, Hacienda Heights, Montclair, Upland, Ventura, and Camarillo. Since 1989 I have practiced as an independent contractor veterinarian throughout Southern California.
Since being certified in veterinary acupuncture, I have been a certified member of the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS). I have also been an active member in the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture (AAVA) since its founding. Other non-acupuncture related affiliations are the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association (SCVMA), and the Santa Barbara-Ventura Veterinary Medical Association.