Bettye Hooley, D.V.M.

Morningstar Veterinary Clinic came into being because of a real need for conscientious small animal veterinarians who not only loved small animals, but entered into a true partnership with those animals’ owners. In a day when it was considered the norm for doctors to be autocratic “gods” I wanted to be far more accessible. I wanted people to understand what went wrong, what could be done to prevent the problem in the future, and what could be done to optimize their pets’ health. While Morningstar and I have evolved together since that summer in 1976, the basic goals remain the same.

People often ask about the name Morningstar. In a round about way, it started with the planet Venus, which is also called the Morning Star. It is one of the few heavenly bodies I can always identify. Seeing it low in our western sky gives me great pleasure. It is luminous, steadfast and comforting, and it speaks to me of the promise of a new tomorrow. The common medical symbol for “female,” is also known as “the mirror of Venus.” At a time when there were no other women veterinarians on the western slope of Colorado, I wanted people to know that they were engaging a woman veterinarian, one who could be associated with that warm, steadfast nurturing feminine energy.

While Morningstar in 2005 retains my original goals, our focus has shifted towards creating and maintaining health as naturally as possible. And, we are more passionate than ever about good foundations—good diet, good habits, and healthy relationships. Through an ongoing search for alternatives to unwanted side effects and disappointing outcomes of conventional avenues for treating our patients, I discovered homeopathy. While I do not find homeopathic remedies helpful in all patients and situations, for certain conditions their application has proven to be far more effective than conventional treatments, with none of the side effects. At Morningstar we continue to explore new ways of treating disease in our animal companions—treatments that are gentler, less toxic to our patients and the earth, treatments that are focused on healing the underlying weaknesses at the root of the given disease.

I truly believe that relationships are what life is all about. As I talk with our clients I am so often struck by what incredibly wonderful lessons our companion animals have to teach us. I see that the way to get love is to give love. Giving and receiving are opposite sides of the same coin, and the way to good health is through good nutrition, less stress and better relationships. It all comes full circle.