At a new veterinary clinic, healing might look a little different than expected.
It could be a dog leaning into a massage, a cat curled contently inside a humming electromagnetic loop, or a senior pup slowly finding its stride again after an acupuncture session.
Small steps, big healing
Quantum Qi is planning to open its doors April 1, and Paws in the Poppies will officially move its in-clinic services into the new space while continuing mobile sessions throughout the Central Coast.
To learn more about Paws in the Poppies, visit pawsinthepoppies.com.
At the center of it all are Kathryn Benton and Dr. Kylie Byrd, two women whose paths crossed over a shared passion for holistic animal care and who are now joining forces to bring an all-holistic vet clinic to Morro Bay—Quantum Qi.
“With holistic medicine, it’s focusing on whole body rebalancing rather than treating symptoms,” Byrd explained. “Supporting the body’s transition back to balance, therefore creating lasting effects. A lot of these modalities work really well in a synergistic way.”
Quantum Qi is led by Byrd, a veterinarian whose path to holistic medicine began long before vet school. As a child, Byrd struggled with chronic illness that conventional medicine couldn’t fully explain. It wasn’t until her family sought out holistic care that she began to heal.
“I carried that with me into veterinary school,” Byrd said. “Once I saw how modalities like acupuncture and Chinese medicine could support healing, I knew I wanted to offer that to my patients.”
Byrd graduated from veterinary school with an acupuncture certification already in hand, later adding Reiki and other integrative tools to her toolbox. In 2021, she and her husband purchased Morro Bay Veterinary Clinic, where she began incorporating holistic options alongside conventional care. But the vision kept growing.
Quantum Qi is Byrd’s next step, planned for an April opening: a practice devoted entirely to holistic veterinary medicine for dogs and cats. The name reflects the philosophy. In science, she explained, “quantum” refers to the smallest building blocks of matter. In traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine, “qi” describes life energy. Together, Byrd said, they represent how small, targeted changes can create powerful healing responses.
At Quantum Qi, those changes might include acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, food therapy, ozone therapy, red light therapy, lasers, pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy, Reiki, and even tuning fork therapy—each modality selected and combined based on the individual animal.
“I start with a conversation,” Byrd said. “And then I let the pet decide. If you listen, they’ll tell you what they need.”
That philosophy of listening is shared by Benton, the founder of Paws in the Poppies, who will be working alongside Byrd at Quantum Qi while continuing to see Paws in the Poppies clients. Benton began her career as a human massage therapist in the late 1990s, eventually finding her way into animal hospitals and integrative care. In 2020, she officially launched Paws in the Poppies, initially offering animal massage before expanding into a wide range of holistic care.
“I meet the pets where they’re at,” Benton said. “Some animals love hands-on massage right away. Others need time, space, or a different approach.”
Such approaches might include massage techniques like Swedish massage or Tellington TTouch, Reiki energy work, red light therapy, PEMF, or tuning fork therapy—a method that uses vibration to release tension in the fascia, the connective tissue that runs throughout the body.
“Fascia is like a net,” Benton explained. “If there’s a snag in one area, it can affect everything around it. These tools help release that gently.”
PEMF therapy, one of Benton’s specialties, uses pulsed electromagnetic fields to stimulate cellular healing, improve circulation, and reduce inflammation. While it has long been used in equine medicine, it’s increasingly common for companion animals, she explained—and even FDA-approved for certain uses in humans.
‘I start with a conversation. … And then I let the pet decide. If you listen, they’ll tell you what they need.’
—Dr. Kylie Byrd, veterinarian
Both Byrd and Benton emphasize that these therapies aren’t about replacing Western medicine but about expanding the options available.
“I love integrative medicine,” Benton said. “Western medicine is amazing, but it has limitations. When you combine it with holistic care, you can create balance and support the body’s ability to heal.”
The new clinic’s environment itself is part of that healing. Quantum Qi is designed to be calm and serene in contrast to the hustle of a busy general veterinary clinic.
“Having a space that’s just focused on holistic medicine allows pets to relax,” Byrd said. “That calm alone can create a stronger healing response.”
But the benefits don’t stop with the animals. Both practitioners see the human-animal bond as central to what they do.
“We’re also helping the people too,” she said. “And I just love that about it. And I love educating, and I love empowering people. … Knowledge is power, and I really feel people will do more with their pets if they trust us and they understand what we’re doing.”
That sense of connection is evident in the way Benton talks about her own animals—George Catstanza the cat, Stanley Poocci, Penelope Choos, and Winnie the Pooch—and in the stories clients share about pets regaining mobility, confidence, or comfort they thought was lost. ∆
Reach Staff Writer Chloë Hodge at chodge@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Health & Wellness 2026.
This can’t be real. SLO is filled with suckers.