Meet Dr. Nichollette Rider, DVM | Integrative Veterinary Care
Compassionate, individualized veterinary care for the whole pet
Dr. Nichollette Rider DVM
Your pet is more than a diagnosis.
They are a companion, a family member, and an individual with their own personality, history, needs, and quality-of-life goals.
At Hello Harmony Vet, I believe veterinary medicine works best when we look at the whole picture. That may include conventional veterinary medicine, appropriate diagnostics and medications, as well as integrative therapies such as acupuncture, manual therapies, nutrition, herbal medicine, and other supportive treatments.
The goal is to find the right combination of care for your individual pet.
I’m Dr. Nichollette Rider, and I provide integrative and holistic veterinary care for dogs and cats throughout the Quad Cities and surrounding communities of eastern Iowa and western Illinois.
Meet Dr. Nichollette Rider
A veterinarian who believes there is more than one way to help a pet feel better
She graduated from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011.
Early in her veterinary career, she became increasingly interested in patients whose problems didn’t always have a simple answer. Chronic pain, arthritis, gastrointestinal disease, mobility problems, anxiety, aging, and complicated medical conditions sometimes didn’t respond to conventional treatments. She knew there had to be a better way.
That curiosity led her to pursue advanced training in acupuncture. She saw amazing results in the patients! She then learned spinal manipulation, nutrition/ Food therapy, herbal medicine, therapeutic bodywork, and hospice and end-of-life care.
She still values conventional veterinary medicine and uses appropriate diagnostics, medications, laboratory testing, imaging, and other medical tools when they are the patient’s best interest.
Pet caregivers shouldn’t have to choose between conventional and holistic care.
Instead, the best approach is to use the knowledge, tools, and therapies that make sense for the individual patient.
Often, it means a combination of treatments that helps treat the condition and helps the pet feel their best.
Sometimes what pet caregivers need most is help understanding their pet’s ailments, diagnoses and how this affects the pet’s quality of life.
Advanced Training & Specialized Education
A depth of veterinary training that goes beyond the typical practice
One of the things that makes Hello Harmony Vet different is the depth and breadth of Dr. Rider’s continuing education and expertise.
Rather than focusing on a single modality, she has pursued advanced training across several areas of veterinary medicine, including acupuncture, pain and mobility, nutrition, herbal medicine, therapeutic bodywork, and hospice and end-of-life care.
She is one of the few veterinarians in the U.S.A. to be certified in all branches of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, spinal manipulation, hospice and palliative care and working on an advanced Master’s Degree in TCVM. This gives her a broader set of tools to consider when caring for pets with chronic, complex, painful, aging, or life-limiting conditions.
🎓 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine — 2011
🐾 Advanced Veterinary Acupuncture
Chi University
Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist (CVA) — 2021
149 hours of advanced acupuncture education
Dr. Rider has been practicing veterinary acupuncture since 2017 and continued advanced acupuncture education beyond initial certification.
🦴 Veterinary Spinal & Manual Therapy
Certified Veterinary Spinal Manipulation Therapist (CVSMT) — 2022
226 hours of advanced education in veterinary spinal manipulation
Fellow, College of Animal Chiropractors (CoAC) — 2022
🌿 Nutrition, Herbal Medicine & Therapeutic Bodywork
Through advanced education with Chi University, she completed training leading to certification in:
- Certified Veterinary Food Therapist (CVFT)
- Certified Veterinary Herbal Practitioner (CVHP)
- Certified Veterinary Tui-na Practitioner (CVTP)
- Certified Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medical Practitioner (CVTCVMP)
❤️ Hospice & End-of-Life Care
Certified TCVM Palliative and End-of-Life Practitioner (CTPEP)
Training in hospice and palliative care complements her work with senior pets, chronic illness, quality-of-life concerns, and in-home euthanasia.
Graduate Education
She is currently completing the Master of Science in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (MS-TCVM) program at Chi University.
Completed advanced graduate coursework in areas include herbal medicine, food therapy, Tui-na, and palliative and end-of-life care. Dr. Rider is currently completing the research phase of the program.
What Does All This Training Mean for Your Pet?
More knowledge. More perspective. More options.
Why I Practice Integrative Veterinary Medicine
Sometimes looking beyond a single diagnosis changes everything.
Like many veterinarians, I became a veterinarian because I wanted to help animals.
Over time, however, I became increasingly passionate about the patients who didn’t fit neatly into a single diagnosis or treatment plan.
I found that there was often more we could do for a pet when we looked beyond one disease or one body system and considered the whole animal—their pain, mobility, appetite, digestion, behavior, environment, medications, family, and quality of life.
I became especially passionate about integrative medicine after seeing how much more we could do for patients when we looked beyond a single diagnosis.
That realization changed the way I practice.
Rather than asking, “What treatment do we use for this disease?”, I often find myself asking:
“What does this particular pet need?”
That question guides everything I do.
My Personal Connection to Hospice Care
Sometimes our job is not to cure. It is to care.
One of the most important lessons I have learned as a veterinarian is that caring for an animal doesn’t always mean trying to cure them.
Sometimes our job is to help them live well with a chronic disease.
Sometimes it is to help them remain comfortable while we navigate an illness that cannot be cured.
Dr. Rider's senior yorkie snuggling with Sylvie.
And sometimes our job is to recognize when our focus needs to shift from “How do we make this disease go away?” to “How do we make the time we have left as comfortable and meaningful as possible?”
I learned this lesson personally with my own dog, Dharma.
Dharma lived with chronic bronchitis and significant arthritis. She was a complicated patient. Some treatments that helped one problem could make another problem more difficult. Her arthritis affected her mobility, while getting too excited could make breathing harder.
But Dharma was still Dharma! She loved to eat. She loved to play. She loved to snuggle and she was still sassy with strangers—and she had plenty of personality in her twilight years.
So our goal wasn’t simply to treat her diagnoses. Our goal was to help Dharma have a good life.
We used all the tools at our disposal to manage her comfort and mobility while paying attention to what mattered most: whether she was still enjoying the things that made her her.
Eventually, the time came to help her pass peacefully.
That experience reinforced something I now try to give every hospice family:
There is a difference between treating a disease and caring for a patient.
Sometimes we cannot change the diagnosis. But we can often change how a pet feels, how comfortable they are, and how much good time they have with the people they love.
That is why hospice and quality-of-life care are such an important part of Hello Harmony Vet.
Meet Heather!
Heather Maynard- Administrative Assistant
Heather Maynard has been working with animals for more than a decade, beginning her career as a dog trainer in 2013 and becoming a veterinary technician in 2018. With continued experience in both dog training and veterinary medicine, Heather brings a genuine passion for helping pets live happy, healthy lives.
Originally from Colorado, Heather met her husband there before the two eventually made their way to the Quad Cities, where he is originally from. At home, they are outnumbered by animals, including a beloved hamster and ten chickens. Heather met Dr. Rider while working at a general veterinary clinic, and the two of them quickly connected. What started as a joke—“You need an assistant for your holistic practice, and since Heather’s super organized, it should be her!”—eventually became reality. Today, Heather and Dr. Rider are the true dream team behind Hello Harmony Vet.
When she isn’t at the clinic, Heather can usually be found spending time with her husband and their ever-growing collection of animals, enjoying the outdoors, or finding another way to spoil a furry, feathered, or tiny friend.
Who Is a Good Fit for Hello Harmony Vet?
Hello Harmony Vet may be a good fit if your pet:
- Has a chronic or complicated condition and you are looking for additional treatment options
- Has ongoing pain, arthritis, or mobility problems
- May benefit from veterinary acupuncture
- Has chronic gastrointestinal, urinary, respiratory, neurologic, or other health concerns
- Is aging and you want to be proactive about comfort and quality of life
- Has not responded as well as hoped to conventional treatment alone
- May benefit from nutritional or herbal support
- Would benefit from a more individualized, whole-patient approach
- Has been diagnosed with a terminal or life-limiting condition
- Needs hospice or quality-of-life support
- Is approaching the end of life and you want compassionate in-home euthanasia
We also work with your primary or referring veterinarian when appropriate.
It can mean adding another layer of knowledge and support to your pet’s overall care team.
Hello Harmony Vet
Individualized medicine. Compassionate care. More options for the pets we love.
Our passion is to help all pets live their best life through holistic care. We believe happy pets make happy people. We strive to alleviate pet caregiver fears surrounding pet aging and death. In essence, we want to empower people to give a peaceful and gentle goodbye to their beloved friend.
See Integrative Care in Action
Every pet is different. Read about some of the dogs and cats we’ve helped with chronic disease, pain, mobility problems, gastrointestinal issues, aging, and hospice care.
Geriatric medicine
Geriatric medicine provides unique challenges to the practitioner. We need to balance the the wishes of our clients (you) and the needs of our patients. To do this successfully, communication is key.
One challenge is the struggle pet care givers go through. For example, sometimes owners don’t know their pets are in pain or don’t feel well and we need to educate owners what discomfort looks like. Pets are really good at hiding their discomfort. Many owners recognize early and advanced signs of pain and desperately want to do something for them, but don’t know where to turn. They can even feel like other family members and friends don’t understand their stress, anxiety and heartache they are feeling.
When is it time?
Most people have a very difficult time knowing when it is time to say good-bye to their furry friend. We support people by providing acupuncture, massage, cold laser therapy and pain medications to make them comfortable through this end-life stage. We address your personal fears and goals regarding your pet and help you transition to the peaceful goodbye you both deserve.
That is why Dr. Rider is committed to assisting owners and pets during the last trek of their incredible journey together. And she is convinced that visiting you and your pet in your home is the best way to serve you both!
Thoughts on in-home euthanasia and hospice care
Like every veterinarian, I have a passion for making animals well again. But sometimes our animal family members can’t be made better. I have found that delivering terminal news to pet owners that their best friend has cancer, arthritis, kidney failure or cognitive disorder (aka Alzheimers) is heart breaking.
However, I want pet care-givers to know that your furry friends and family members don’t have to suffer. Pet hospice is palliative care that can help alleviate pain, anxiety and make your pet comfortable and happy. One thing I like people to remember is that sometimes our friends have a great attitude, eat well, etc, even though they have a terminal illness. You don’t have to let go the second you get bad news. I believe in hospice care with the goal of relieving pain & anxiety and increasing quality of life. Therefore, my goal is to work closely with you to give your pet the best quality of life while s/he remains with you.
When you feel it is time to say goodbye, you can give the last gift of love by humanely and peacefully transitioning your friend through euthanasia. I will assist your friend in crossing over the Rainbow Bridge with compassion and care. Many people believe their pets would be most happy and comfortable to share their last moments at home. Which is why I come to you!
Our Philosophy:
Compassionate Care
Supporting the human-animal bond during the most difficult part of the journey. Our wish is to empower animal care givers to care for their geriatric & special needs pets. When it is time, we are honored to assist in giving them your last act of love: apeaceful and dignified parting in the comfort of home
" The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated "
-- Mahatma Gandhi
Would you like to make an appointment or want to know more?
309-550-9033