NKOTB, for anyone not of a certain age, stands for “New Kids on the Block”….

Looking to start his own veterinary practice, Dr. Francisco DiPolo found an ideal location. The landlord of 77 Worth had already leased to The Wagging Tail (doggy daycare), Water4Dogs (aquatic rehabilitation), and Agility4Dogs (training). Even better, the second-floor, 2,300-square-foot space was raw, which meant that DiPolo—who had been working at the East Side Animal Hospital in Midtown—could lay it out the way he wanted. Worth Street Veterinary Center has a central reception desk flanked by a pair of hallways—one for dogs, one for cats. Cats get their own examination rooms, too, and there are two ICU areas so that an upset dog, say, won’t send an already stressed cat over the edge.

“It was important that the office be eco-friendly,” says DiPolo, taking me on a tour. The materials used are sustainable and recycled, including a lot of bamboo, and the compact fluorescent lighting turns on or off when someone enters or leaves a room. The place has style, though—it’s minimalist and modern, with antique architectural elements, such as cast-irons columns, lending character.

DiPolo, who lives on the Upper West Side, received his initial training at the Universidad Central de Venezuela, then did his post-grad rotations at Tufts University. It was in Boston that he was exposed to alternative medicine—specifically, acupuncture. Intrigued, he ended up getting certified in integrative medicine. “The idea is to take everything into account,” he explains. “For a patient with cancer, the typical treatment is surgery followed with chemo. But I can also use herbal remedies to help with immunity and acupuncture to relieve pain.” (At night, the staff even puts on music designed to relax animals.) None of this is to say that traditional Western medicine is frowned upon: DiPolo showed me the high-tech surgical suite—he does a lot of spaying and neutering for the ASPCA, as well as surgery for Mayor’s Alliance, Might Mutts, and other groups—and the X-ray room, where he can take digital images, making it easy to get a specialist’s opinion.

Worth Street Veterinary Center is at 77 Worth (between Broadway and Church); 212-257-6900, worthstreetvet.com. You can get 25% off the initial examination if you pick up the promotional card at RBC NYC, the café downstairs.