Search Results for: natural

From SkeptVet TV- “Natural” Remedies & Placebos in Pets

I’ve added a couple of short videos on the subjects of “natural” remedies and placebo effects in pets to my YouTube channel, SkeptVet TV.

Posted in SkeptVet TV | Leave a comment

Pet Remedy- A “Natural” Herbal Product to Reduce Stress and Anxiety

There are an enormous number of unregulated over-the-counter remedies marketed to pet owners, often for serious health problems, and most of them have never been scientifically tested to see if they are safe or effective. It is difficult to evaluate … Continue reading

Posted in Herbs and Supplements | 9 Comments

The “Natural” Nonsense that is Applied Zoopharmacognosy

Introduction A few years ago, I wrote about an interesting phenomenon called zoopharmacognosy. The idea is that animals might select specific plants or other substances to eat that would have therapeutic effects. An example might be an herbivore with a … Continue reading

Posted in General | 28 Comments

There is no “Natural” or “Holistic” Heartworm Prevention or Treatment Proven to be Safe and Effective

Much of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is offered either as an addition to conventional, science-based treatment or in situations in which conventional therapies are unavailable or ineffective. This doesn’t excuse offering treatments that haven’t been properly tested, and it … Continue reading

Posted in Herbs and Supplements | 86 Comments

All Natural Advertising for Alternative Veterinary Medicine

I couldn’t resist passing along this little gem. A veterinarian named Dr. Margo Roman, who practices and advocates for the usual hodgepodge of alternative veterinary therapies, has a project called Dr. DoMore which is focused on producing DVD “documentaries” (a.k.a. … Continue reading

Posted in General, Humor, Miscellaneous CAVM | 24 Comments

Raw Pet Diet and “Natural” Pet Product Recalls

One of the comments often made in defense of raw diets and challenging the safety  of conventional commercial pet foods is, “If those foods are so safe, why are they always being recalled?” The implication, of course, is that a … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 5 Comments

More Natural Nonsense and Unethical CAM Marketing

A colleague recently saw an older dog who had vomited up roundworms and was doing some coughing. He diagnosed and treated the patient appropriately, but the client later contacted him with questions about some alternative remedies that had been recommended … Continue reading

Posted in General, Miscellaneous CAVM | 8 Comments

Evidence Update: What’s New with Cannabis for Pets?

It’s been ten years since my first post on the use of cannabis in dogs and cats. For a while, I regularly covered new research studies, but the number of those has become great enough that keeping up with individual papers is … Continue reading

Posted in Herbs and Supplements | 2 Comments

Hate Mail- 2023 Edition

Back in February, I announced that I had received the VIN Veritas Award in recognition of my efforts to promote science-based pet health and combat misinformation about veterinary medicine. Subsequent to that announcement, I have also received a lot of kind and … Continue reading

Posted in General | 16 Comments

Evidence-based Geriatric Small Animal Medicine-Dogs (from WVC 2023)

]WHAT IS AGING?How we define aging depends on our goals and our frame of reference. From the biomedical perspective of the veterinary clinician, the important elements are: As dogs age, they lose robustness (the ability to maintain a state of … Continue reading

Posted in Presentations, Lectures, Publications & Interviews | Leave a comment