A Little Canada man faces nearly five dozen charges for allegedly running a holistic veterinary practice and doling out human medical advice with no license or formal training.

Eric H. Weisman, 59, was charged Wednesday by the Little Canada city attorney with 29 counts of practice of veterinary medicine without a license or permit, nine counts of practicing medicine on a person without a license or permit, 17 counts of contempt of court, two counts of animal cruelty and one count of violating a city ordinance.

Weisman owned and operated Evolution Diet Pet Food and National Health Consulting Service and hosted a cable public-access show where he espoused his treatments and sold supplements and vegan dog food he formulated, according to charges.

Weisman held a chiropractor license until 1998 when the Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners revoked his license. He has no professional license of any kind, and the Board of Veterinary Medicine obtained an injunction in 2003 barring him from practicing veterinary medicine or making claims about the pet food and supplements he sold, the charges said.

According to the complaint, Weisman consulted with people suffering serious diseases, including cancer, and provided them with treatment protocols. He charged for his services.

He also brought his cat to the University of Minnesota veterinary lab for a necropsy, concerned that it had suffered from kidney failure and cancerous lesions, according to charges. But a university veterinarian found the cat had died of pneumonia and hadn't had proper nutrition.

Weisman provided nutrition programs and consulted with callers on his TV program, "Health Now." Although he did state that he was not a physician or veterinarian, the complaint said, he continued to say he could help pets or people with diseases, and that he specialized in cancer treatment.

In other documents he wrote to clients, he said, "I am a former human physician."

CHAO XIONG