About Dr. Reinker

Dr. Noelani Reinker was raised on O’ahu in Hawai’i.  As a child, she had a menagerie of animals (mice, rabbits, dogs, cats, horses, fish and lizards) and it was no surprise to her family when she followed her passion to become a veterinarian.  After graduation from Washington State University Veterinary College, she went on to pursue an internship and residency in Small Animal Internal Medicine at the University of Minnesota and received board certification in 2010.    After spending several years working full-time in emergency and specialty hospitals, she felt like something was missing from her practice.  Western veterinary medicine has advanced, but the deep connection between the healer, the patient, and the patient’s family seemed to be lost in the process. She decided to pursue additional training in Chinese medicine, which tends to focus more on the entire patient rather than the disease. She decided to incorporate alternative medicine in her practice.  She was certified in Acupuncture through IVAS (International Veterinary Acupuncture Society) in 2021 and in Veterinary Chinese Herbal Medicine in 2024.    Outside of her veterinary practice, Dr. Reinker maintains a strong bond with nature. She can often be found backpacking in the Sierras or hiking closer to home. She has her wilderness first responder certification as well as an amateur radio license (KO6AJQ). To motivate herself to stay fit for her backpacking, she competes in triathlons as well.  She lives in San Carlos with her husband, an ~90-year-old desert tortoise named Goophus, and usually a litter of foster kittens.