Veterinary Medicine Rooted in Nature. Guided by Stewardship.
Nature & Nurture is an innovative integrative veterinary practice in Gallatin, Tennessee built on a simple but powerful belief: your pet's body was designed with an innate capacity to heal — sometimes it simply needs the right support, the right environment, and the right partner.
Schedule CareCare that comes to you — while our clinic is being built.
Our Gallatin clinic is on its way, with doors opening this December. In the meantime, Dr. Kelley Lay is caring for patients through house-call visits for families in and around Gallatin — the same unhurried, whole-pet approach, in the comfort of your own home.
If you live locally and your pet could benefit from a more thoughtful, functional style of care, we'd love to hear from you.
Prefer email? Write to us at hello@natureandnurturevet.com.
There's a Reason It Keeps Coming Back
Chronic itching. Recurring ear infections. Digestive issues that improve… then return again.
When symptoms repeat, the body is rarely failing — it's communicating.
Sometimes, the answer isn’t another treatment for the same symptom. It’s taking a step back, looking at the whole picture, and asking a different question: What is this pattern trying to tell us?
Functional medicine asks different questions.
Nature & Nurture exists for pets whose bodies are asking for a new approach — and for the people who love them enough to keep searching for real answers.
What is a Functional Approach to Veterinary Medicine?
This clinic framework and more novel approach to veterinary medicine begins with a foundational truth:
Every symptom has a story. Every imbalance has a source.
Rather than managing disease, this approach seeks to tend the garden by understanding entire ecosystems, both biological and environmental, that are shaping your pet's health.
Appointments are unhurried. Diagnostics are intentional. Treatment plans are individualized.
We use tools such as advanced nutrition, herbal medicine, microbiome restoration, ozone therapy, IV nutrient therapy, and targeted supplementation to support the body's natural healing processes.
Functional care can stand alone for health optimization or work alongside conventional veterinary medicine — not as a replacement, but as a deeper layer of support.
Our approach includesDeeper Diagnostics
Testing designed to find what's beneath the surface.
Unhurried Consultations
A full hour, because your pet's complete story matters.
Natural Therapies
Care that works alongside the body’s own pathways to support health, balance, and resilience.
Whole-Body Philosophy
When we support the whole being — not just the symptom — true healing becomes possible.
Meet Our Founder, Dr. Kelley Lay
"The health of our animals and the health of our families are deeply connected. When we care well for one, we elevate the other."
Nature & Nurture was founded on the principle of stewardship — the belief that caring for animals is part of caring for creation itself. The health and well-being of animals, the humans that love them, and our planet is not mutually exclusive. It's imperatively synergistic.
Dr. Kelley Lay's journey into a more functional or integrative style of medicine began through her own experience witnessing the transformative power of root-cause healing. It reshaped how she understood health, disease, and the role of a veterinarian.
She realized medicine could be practiced differently — not in opposition to nature, but in partnership with it.
At the heart of Nature & Nurture is the belief that creation was designed with wisdom and resilience. Healing is not something we force; it is something we support.
By honoring the connections between animals, people, and the environments they share, this work aims to create ripple effects — healthier pets, stronger families, and a more sustainable future for all.
Frequently Asked Questions
They are closely related, but not identical.
Holistic veterinary medicine is a broad philosophy and style that considers the whole animal — physical body, mind and emotion, environment, and lifestyle — rather than isolated symptoms.
Functional veterinary medicine is a more specific methodology within that philosophy. It focuses on identifying root causes through advanced diagnostics such as microbiome analysis and inflammatory testing, then building personalized treatment plans using nutrition, herbal medicine, and targeted therapies.
Think of holistic medicine as the philosophy and functional medicine as the framework. Nature & Nurture integrates both.
Functional medicine is especially valuable for health optimization and addressing chronic or recurring conditions that have not fully resolved with conventional care.
Common concerns include:
- Chronic skin disease and allergies
- Recurring ear infections
- Digestive disorders and food sensitivities
- Autoimmune conditions
- Chronic inflammation and osteoarthritis
- Cancer support and resilience care
- Pets who appear "normal" on lab work but are not thriving
If your pet continues cycling through symptoms without lasting improvement, a functional approach may uncover deeper reasons for that and lend for better solutions.
Yes. The functional medicine approach works great as a complement to conventional veterinary care.
Primary care veterinarians provide essential services such as vaccinations, surgery, emergency care, acute illness management, and sometimes life-saving interventions. Functional veterinary medicine focuses on healthspan optimization, chronic patterns, systemic imbalances, and whole-life health - we identify many of the circumstances that pave the way to illness and negatively impact quality and quantity of life.
Many of our families in Sumner County and the greater Nashville area maintain relationships with both — creating a collaborative and comprehensive care team.
Treatments are individualized to each patient and may include:
- Clinical nutrition and food therapy
- Herbal medicine and botanical support
- Targeted supplementation
- Microbiome restoration therapy
- IV nutrient therapy
- Ozone therapy
- Detoxification and environmental support
- PEMF and photobiomodulation (PBM)/laser therapy
There is no standard protocol — because no two animals are the same.
No referral is required.
Nature & Nurture welcomes both direct-access pet parents and referrals from veterinarians seeking collaborative care. We proudly serve Gallatin, Hendersonville, Sumner County, and the greater Nashville area.