Vital Animal Podcast

#42 Dr. Janet Roark rightly calls herself the Essential Oil Vet.Newly graduated from vet school, she found herself in a deeply stressed state.Migraine headaches, classified by the allopaths as “ice pick migraines” (ouch!) forced her to take time off she didn’t want to take.Newly graduated, in a new practice, new work load, and chronic migraines accompanied with depression that drugs weren’t helping — what was she to do?One day, she found herself without drugs, suffering a crushing migraine, and all she had with her was a small tube of essential oils she’d been given by a helpful friend.In short order after topically applying the oils to her temples and back of her neck, the good doctor experienced a revolutionary resolution of her pain and suffering.In mere minutes, the migraine lifted. No drug had ever come close to bringing this kind of relief.“If it worked this fast and this amazingly on me (when the drugs did not), imagine what it could do in my animal patients,” thought Dr. Roark!And the rest, as they say, is history.Listen up as we explore her transformation, her shift in practice, and her happy results with a wide variety of animal patients.This is a very timely episode, as Dr. Roark is offering an in depth workshop to help you wield these amazing natural remedies, safely and effectively in your own animals. You’ll have two full days LIVE with her, with break out sessions, lots of bonuses, and lifetime access to this material, and it’s all happening May 20-21, 2023.To get full details and be able to perform your own EO miracles, use this link to get her Early Bird Pricing.For more links and info, be sure to visit the show notes at VitalAnimal.com/42

#41 Dr. Rob Silver has worn many hats in his holistic career, most obviously as a practicing veterinarian of four decades, but also as an author, a CBD/cannabis expert, a supplement formulator, and lately, as a medicinal mushroom expert.Join us as we discuss the vast kingdom of mushrooms and some of their amazing health properties.Rob saw early successes with cases of cancer, but discovered by further study that mushrooms are far from a “one trick pony.”From their calming influence, to curing nervous disorders, to boosting immunity, and adding energy, mushrooms are really a rich poly-pharmacy unto themselves.The mushroom family even shares about 30% of our DNA!We discuss Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps,  Reishi, psilocybin, and how even ordinary store bought button mushrooms are good for us in many ways.The exciting news is that Rob is bringing his formulating knowledge for animals to a company that’s been making very pure mushroom products for people for years.To find out more and contact Dr. Silver to see if mushrooms might be right for your animals, be sure to hit our shownotes at VitalAnimal.com/41There you'll also find the transcript of this show and see your chance to leave a comment

#40: Against a backdrop of an admittedly wild couple of years with COVID-19, lockdowns, masking, vaccines rushed to market, and statistics that have been shown to be wildly manipulated, perhaps one of the most confusing things are self-proclaimed experts who proclaim confidently that viruses simply don’t exist.Now that I’ve had no less than three listeners wonder if that claim has any basis in fact, I think it’s time we looked more deeply into it.As one of the most fascinating diseases I’m familiar with offers some great insight into this question, let’s put the spotlight on rabies to answer this.Rabies has been plaguing mankind for centuries, long before viruses were even hinted at.As it’s such a horrible, scary and usually fatal disease, and one that you’re being told to repeatedly vaccinate against, we’ll use rabies to see if a virus might be involved.Or is it simply “terrain” responsible for people dying in the 10’s of thousands from rabies every year?

Vital Pet Health CEO, Jason Donas joins me to give us some big news in product development.It seems my friends in Vital Animal’s “sister company” have been busy reformulating to make your animal’s immune support and detox options really amazing.Jason explains the process of micronization and why it takes an expensive machine to accomplish it. Far more than mere filtering, this process makes your pet’s supplements instantly available and fully absorbed.Practically speaking, that translates to way more “bang for your buck.”What’s more, the entire product line now is formulated with 100% natural ingredients, long the goal of Dr. Scott Treadway, chief formulator at VPH.And, since the upgrade, it means all the products are now readily available to your cats as well as your dogs.As a friendly introduction to the newly reformatted product lines, Jason has graciously offered a sweet discount to the Vital Animal Podcast listeners. You’ll find the details on this page:www.VitalPetHealth.com/specialClick that link to get your dog or cat on the best immune support and detox options available.

#039 When your vet pushes you into procedures you don’t want that are more risk than benefit, it’s time to FIRE him!Join me as I share a real life story (one of far too many I have) about a woman being held hostage by her vet. She was being told she had to revaccinate her already vaccinated dog in order to get insulin for this same dog. Scout’s had diabetes for 4 years…Learn why I recommend firing this vet, why more vaccines for this dog would be malpractice, and what you can do to get your needs met.Are you paying a vet who’s more interested in his bottom line than doing the conscientious thing for your animal? If so, it’s time to make a powerful statement: You’re FIRED!Find out more at the show notes for this episode at VitalAnimal.com/39

#037 As a homeopathic vet, I’m always puzzled when people ask if it’s safe to use homeopathic remedies after their animal has been given drugs or, in this case, vaccines.I’m really not sure what’s going through their heads in this, as the reality is there’s no safer medicine I’m aware of than these ultra diluted remedies.It’s the drugs or vaccinations I’m concerned about safety on!This episode grew out of such questions and I share with you some of the details of how remedies are made and how they are extremely safe, even if they are made from deadly viruses (often the case with nosodes) or even poisonous venoms or metals like mercury or plants like belladonna.You’ll also hear homeopathy’s amazing roots, when Dr. Hahnemann stumbled on to a finding (in his own body, no less) that would change the course of medicine for ever, from the late 1700’s on to today.Tune in to discover how homeopathy is not only safe but how it can be used to take the place of vaccines and powerfully protect your youngsters against serious and often fatal diseases.

#036 Are regular blood tests on your animal giving you a false sense of security?Might there be better ways to suss out your animal’s health status?Tune in to hear how a homeopathic vet thinks about these tests and even better, suggests something that’s even more powerful. And costs nothing out of pocket!These freebies were here long before we got all fancy with measuring blood, taking radiographs and doing MRIs or ultrasounds.These “measures” are really at the heart of our survival as a species!Listen up and you’ll get the drop on your animal’s clues about her health well in advance of things changing in her blood.That adds up to getting some valuable treatment started earlier: always a great idea to prevent suffering.Be sure to stop in to the show notes for this episode at VitalAnimal.com/36

#035 I think it’s appropriate to say there is no more important place to be clear about what you want than in health care. If you allow yourself or your animal to just blindly take what ever a doctor recommends, trouble will ensue. I guarantee it.This episode was inspired by a listener who knew she didn’t want vaccines for her pup. She’d already seen vaccine damage in her two children, but when she sought out holistic vets, she asked them if they vaccinated.They did.And Alesha felt stuck at that point. How could she get her needs better met?By asking better questions!This episode is here to help you get your veterinary needs met. While a vet can be a great ally on your natural path, it’s never safe to assume that he’ll have your every desire in mind if you don’t spell out your desires for your animal very clearly.You must ask wise questions, either of your current vet or if you're interviewing a potential new one.As “prevention” is often where the trouble begins and healthy animals become damaged, often for life, you’ll need a vet who understands your goals and will help you achieve them.I share with you my thoughts on “sympathetic vets” and how to ask the right questions so your vet becomes a trusted part of your path to a wildly healthy, naturally disease-resistant companion.For more links and additional goodies, be sure to visit the show notes for this episode at VitalAnimal.com/35

#034 Titer clinic: Lisa Rosamino is ready to start one now that COVID-19 pressures are letting up for her pet food buying club.She learned about titers from Dr. John Robb and me but wanted to make it easier for her many pet food customers to get that testing done easily and affordably.If your local vet has either refused to do titer testing or made them prohibitively expensive, you’ve got options. Recent reports from listeners that some vets are even refusing to draw blood for you to get a titer done spurred me to explore titer clinics as a viable workaround.Tune in to see what it takes and maybe you can organize a titer clinic in your neighborhood or pet store. I'll bet you could do this!I also review why yearly titers are both unnecessary and potentially dangerous if you don’t fully understand this test's results.For more help on titer testing and further understanding, be sure to visit the show notes for this episode at https://VitalAnimal.com/34

#033 The skin. Who knew your Sadie’s outer protective layer was intimately associated with her immune system?And when you shampoo her lovely skin, you are actually impairing Sadie’s immune system?Oh oh.We live in a world of “germophobia” (fear of germs), but the bottom line is, we all benefit from having healthy skin microbiomes! All those alcohol wipes and repeated washings with soap or shampoo do is mess up Mom Nature’s well-tested plans to keep us all healthy!Join me and homeopath Julie Anne Lee as we discuss the intimate connection between healthy skin, its native flora, and general health. And how you can encourage more resiliency and diversity in this, the largest organ any of us has.Dirt in the litter box? A mud mask for your dog? Getting down and dirty with your creatures may just be the best thing for all of us!For a special offer from Julie’s The Adored Beast and further links on this episode, be sure to visit the show notes at VitalAnimal.com/33

#032 I first heard of Wondercide when CEO Stephanie Boone sat with me in my Austin clinic over a decade ago and explained her amazing cedar oil based products to me. Using cedar, a ubiquitous “pest species” tree all over Texas that was being cleared and burned regularly to repel and kill fleas and ticks?It sounded like a win win.Tune in to hear how the poisoning of her own dog Luna started Stephanie’s drive to bring a better form of pest control to the world of dogs and cats and their people.This once small boot strapped company just crossed its one millionth customer metric and people are thrilled with not only the safety and effectiveness of the Wondercide products, but the exceptional customer service that Wondercide’s team brings to the table.Be sure not to miss the show notes for this episode, as Stephanie has graciously provided a 15% discount on her best products to you, our listener.You’ll find this and more resources at VitalAnimal.com/32

#031 The more we learn about the microbiome, that vast collection of bacteria, yeast, viruses (and even small parasites) that make up our gut and that of our animals, the more important we see it is.It affects our brains and behavior. It affects our hormones. It affects immunity, digestion and nutrition, and probably a whole lot more.I invited Dr. Odette Suter, a holistic vet colleague who’s been doing FMT (poop “transplants” or fecal microbiota transplants) in many of her patients to good effect.We go deep (pun intended) on this topic, which is far from new, and which recognizes that the flora of an animal or human can be beneficially modified by introducing fecal material from a healthy donor to the sick one.Join us as we explore the possibilities for enhancing health, the long history of FMT, and the various ways a transplant can take place.For additional links on this episode, be sure to visit the show notes at https://VitalAnimal.com/31

#030 We were taught in vet school that “one size fits all” when it comes to vaccination: a Great Dane and a Chihuahua both get a 1 cc dose of the vaccine. There was some vague explanation that the “antigenic load” was all the mattered, and big animals and small ones needed the same amount of challenging substance injected.This is what a past client was told recently when he asked for a smaller dose of rabies vaccine to be given to his 9 lb dog. His reaction (like mine should have been as a vet student) was “What the H? How does that make any sense at all?”I immediately knew who to interview on this: Dr. John Robb of Protect the Pets, who observed early on in his practice that the smaller the pet, the more likely they were to have a negative reaction to a vaccine. In his work at a Banfield clinic, he also had access to a very large study that showed, in well over a million dogs, that he was far from the only one to observe this.Join me and Dr. Robb as we discuss this reality that most of our profession refuses to come to grips with. We discuss how titers clearly demonstrate that immunity happens in the small pets with a lessened dose. Dr. Robb had to endure the long, lonely torment of his veterinary board for refusing to adhere to a standard dose that he knew would cause harm to his smaller patients.For more information and links, be sure to visit the show notes for this episode at https://VitalAnimal.com/30

#029 Are you unknowingly causing illness in your animals in the name of prevention?This week’s episode was inspired by Sarah, who commented that her young Golden Doodle had just gotten sick for the second month in a row and she’s now wondering if she unwittingly caused the bloody diarrhea and vomiting by giving her pup heartworm prevention.Join me for an enlightening discussion on not only heartworm but prevention in general.Could your good intentions be paving the road to a hellish state of health for your animals?For valuable links and more help, please visit the show notes for this episode at https://VitalAnimal.com/29

#028 Some things are time sensitive, but biology rarely follows the calendar, especially when we speak of immunity in you or your animals.Does immunity slowly “empty out,” like a gas tank, and need “refilling” at a year or three?Listen in as I give you the info you need to see through the marketing that is often masked as “Your pet is DUE for xyz vaccines! Make your appointment today!”Inspired, as is much of my world, by questions I get from you, my listeners. Maggie is a 14 year old dog, adopted at age 10, and Carolyn has been told she’s up against a hard calendar deadline.Oh oh.When you get clear on what I’m sharing with you in this episode, you’ll grow in confidence and know better how to respond responsibly to such notices.And, I’ll answer Carolyn’s question about how to prime Maggie’s immune system to better withstand the immune confusion that comes from most vaccination events.For special links on this episode,  head over to the show notes: https://VitalAnimal.com/28

#027 My guest is Zac Pilossoph, DVM, who’s wearing several hats these days but I asked him on to share his knowledge about cannabis and its application in pet health. His curiosity about this plant has lead him to take advantage of repeated educational opportunities so that he can help champion its use for your animals.What are cannabinoids, the compounds we are hearing so much about that are present in this plant?And why does every animal  with a spine, us included, have a widely distributed “endocannabinoid” system that helps us maintain homeostasis, that balanced state where we both feel great and function as Nature intended?Dr. Zac calls this the "Master Regulatory System," and sees it as the perfect complement to the immune system we know to be so immune in surveillance. Listen in to find out what frontiers of CBD use in animals are exciting Zac and learn how you can do your due diligence in this "Wild West" of cannabis supplements we find ourselves in.For more links and a chance to comment on what you've heard,  be sure to stop in to the show notes for this episode at https://VitalAnimal.com/27

#026 My guest this week is Julie Anne Lee, homeopath and owner of the Adored Beast Apothecary.Her origin story itself is seriously inspiring. Julie felt the connection to animals from a very young age, and wanted to help them. After some years of searching, she realized her vet tech work wasn’t her best foot forward. When homeopathy cured her of a difficult illness quickly (and in a foreign country, to boot), she knew immediately that was what she wanted to offer the animal world.But, she chose to skip vet school and study with the best of the best in veterinary and human homeopathy instead. When it came time to bring her services to the public and their animals, she had to get creative, as the Canadian vet board was having none of it. Don’t miss Julie’s shrewd choices that ended up with her owning a clinic and employing 5 vets!I invited Julie on to open the box on leaky gut. Unless you’ve lived under a rock for the past decade, you’ve heard of this disease and how widespread it is. And you’ve likely heard even more about the ever increasing influence the microbiome has on everything in your body and that of your animals!How are these related? How do you know when leaky gut is holding your animal back, and how can you ultimately help them get back to normal?Julie is, to a fault, a deep researcher. She sticks to a subject like a bulldog and won’t settle until she learns all she can and takes that knowledge into the trenches, testing her findings in the real world.Can you just throw some probiotics at this condition and expect a fix?Julie’s work says no, it’s clearly not that easy. But she knows what does work, and shares that with us in this episode.Getting the chance to listen to how this brilliant woman thinks and solves problems for animals is not to be missed!Her links and more are in the show notes at https://VitalAnimal.com/26

#025 My guest this week is your best friend if you buy commercial pet food of any kind. Susan Thixton came to her calling as crusader for quality pet food many years ago when her vet told her her healthy dog died of bone cancer from a commonly used pet food preservative.She’s learned so much since then and shares it regularly with interested consumers with pets to feed via her website and newsletter. And believe me when I tell you, the world of Big Pet Food is “buyer beware!”Her work has included:— tracking aflatoxin in corn to poisoned pets (110 have died recently from this liver toxic mold)— using FOIA documents to get at hidden loopholes in the regulation of pet food quality— attending the AAFCO meetings as a voice for you, the pet food consumer— publishing rankings of pet food from best to worstThis woman is on a mission! Your pets need her to stay safe in the jungle that is commercial pet food.You won’t want to miss Susan’s inspiring and cautionary message in this episode.You can find more in the show notes for this episode at https://VitalAnimal.com/25

#024 Most vets and “single species doctors” grossly misunderstand what symptoms are, how they are extremely valuable, and how cure is defined.That means that, unless you are smarter than your vet and choose carefully who gets to be your trusted health care provider, your animals are likely to become less and less healthy the longer they partake in “modern medicine.”Listen along with Dr. Falconer as he explains why symptoms are critically important to understand and hugely useful in getting and keeping your animals truly VITAL.Discover what symptoms are, who or what makes them, and how “controlling them” is asking for long term trouble in your loved ones or yourself.What’s the difference between “common” and normal?How do symptoms “talk to us,” whether we are vets or perceptive caregivers? What are they really saying, anyway?And the case of the horribly itchy dog named Maggie whose skin disease was finally cured when an odd symptom was revealed about her heat cycles.You’ll never view symptoms the way you used to after you hear this episode. And that will only help your animals stay in their best state of wild health and natural disease resistance.For show notes and links to this episode, be sure to to visit https://VitalAnimal.com/24

#023 I interviewed Dr. Andrea Tasi to learn more about how cats have been “talking” to all of us over the years.We explored how this amazing semi-wild species is perhaps the most sensitive one we see regularly, whether you are a veterinarian or not. Dr. Tasi has made a similar metaphor as I:Cats are humanity’s “canary in the coal mine.”I’ve written about them in this context over many years. The more they take part in conventional medicine, often in the name of prevention, the sicker they become. And that’s true both with individuals and the feline species itself.What Andrea added to my earlier concerns was evidence that this trend of cats losing their health to “over prevention” had continued way further than I previously knew. Her revelations were like jet fuel tossed on my slow smoldering leaf fire of concern.She being a 100% feline vet and a 100% homeopathic one at that, has insights for us all, regardless of species.My original red flag came as hyperthyroidism became a thing sometime after my first decade of practice.Where did that come from?? I’d never heard of it in four years of vet school nor in my next many years in private practice! Since then, it’s become quite common in cats. Surely it didn’t fall from the sky. No chronic disease does that, by the way. They are 100% man made.Join us as we discuss choices you can make to maximize your cat’s health and get insights that will apply to all other species, including humans.For related links, visit the show notes for this episode here: https://VitalAnimal.com/23