Monthly Archives: March 2014

Because Evidence Matters: EBVMA Symposium 2014

Posted on March 27, 2014 by skeptvet

The EBVMA 2014 Symposium “Because Evidence Matters” will be held online Friday November 14,2014 Here is all the information you need to submit a proposal for a presentation (accepted until May 30, 2014), to attend, or to sponsor this symposium: … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 1 Comment

Tumexal: Wonder Drug or Snake Oil?

Posted on March 26, 2014 by skeptvet

Introduction Cancer is a common disease in our pets just as it is in humans, though not necessarily for the reasons often claimed by proponents of alternative medicine. While there are certainly environmental triggers for many cancers, smoking being a … Continue reading →

Posted in Miscellaneous CAVM | 44 Comments

New Study Shows Belief in Medical Conspiracy Theories Associated with Use of Alternative Medicine

Posted on March 19, 2014 by skeptvet

I was going to write a detailed post about a recent paper published in the journal JAM Internal Medicine, but since Dr. Novella at Science-Based Medicine has already covered it quite well, I just wanted to share a few tidbits. … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 4 Comments

Clever New Study Illustrates the Importance of Placebo Controls In Veterinary Clinical Studies

Posted on March 18, 2014 by skeptvet

I recently ran across a fantastic web site, Testing Treatments, which explains clearly and simply how we use science to test our medical treatments. For anyone not already very familiar with this process, this site will explain why a lot … Continue reading →

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 1 Comment

RenAvast™ for Kidney Disease: Sloppy Science and Snake Oil Marketing

Posted on March 17, 2014 by skeptvet

A reader recently asked me to investigate yet another supplement product, this one marketed for treatment of kidney disease in dogs and cats. While there are thousands of such products, and a thorough investigation of each isn’t possible, there were … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbs and Supplements | 59 Comments

LEGS Glucosamine Study Shows Little Evidence of Real Benefit

Posted on March 16, 2014 by skeptvet

I have written extensively about glucosamine because it is a ubiquitous arthritis therapy that nearly everyone seems to believe in and use, yet the evidence for it is poor. Only two published clinical studies are available for dogs, one showing … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbs and Supplements | 15 Comments

Falconer Strikes Back: A Veterinary Homeopath Refutes the Skeptics and Reveals the Emperor’s Nakedness

Posted on March 12, 2014 by skeptvet

It can be very instructive when proponents of alternative medicine respond to comments or criticism from skeptics. Sometimes, they respond with reasoned, even evidence-based defense of a specific practice. This is a good sign and can lead to productive discussion. … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 8 Comments

Holistic Veterinary Medicine: A Variety of Faith Healing

Posted on March 9, 2014 by skeptvet

Early on in my effort to understand and evaluate alternative veterinary therapies, I had the naïve notion that learning about their mechanisms of action and the research evidence behind them would enable me to tell which were safe and effective … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 14 Comments

Evidence-Based Medicine: Separating the Wheat from the Chaff

Posted on March 5, 2014 by skeptvet

As I have discussed before, evidence-based medicine is the formal, explicit application of the philosophy and methods of science to generating understanding and making decisions in veterinary medicine. Science shows us how the world works, and in medicine it shows … Continue reading →

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 1 Comment