Search Results for: environmental allergies

Raw Diets and Allergies-SkeptVet and DogRisk Exchange Letters in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine

In March of this year, I wrote a post discussing the limitations and misleading conclusions of a research study in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine (JVIM) which claimed that feeding puppies a raw diet could reduce the risk of allergies later … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 10 Comments

New DogRisk Study Compares Risk of Allergies in Dogs Associated with Raw and Processed Foods

The subject of raw diets is a constant and controversial one in veterinary medicine. The controversy stems mostly from the fact that some people are passionately committed to the idea that raw diets have health benefits, but there is no … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 6 Comments

Hair and Saliva Test for Allergies are Worthless Pseudoscience

There is a lot of mythology out there about food allergies. The recent concern about the potential risks of grain-free diets is only an issue at all because such diets became wildly popular with no evidence that grains were a … Continue reading

Posted in General | 25 Comments

NAET-A cure for allergies (NOT!)

I have mentioned Dr. Deva Khalsa before, hawking magic water, making unsubstantiated claims about the health value of garlic, and so on. However, I recently ran across an article written by her in the pseudo-journal Integrative Veterinary Care (IVC) which … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Miscellaneous CAVM | 45 Comments

Evidence Update: Potential Associations Between Neutering and Immune System Disorders

The risks and benefits associated with neutering are a complex and active area of research and debate in veterinary medicine. I have written several extensive summaries of the literature and numerous articles here evaluating the burgeoning research evidence. One subject … Continue reading

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 13 Comments

Canine Nutrigenomics by Dr. Jean Dodds: Science as Windowdressing

Introduction A number of readers have asked me to review a recent book on canine nutrition: Canine Nutrigenomics: The New Science of Feeding Your Dog for Optimum Health The book has two authors. One is Diana Laverdure, a self-described “canine … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | 60 Comments

Evidence Update: Cold Laser Therapy for Dogs & Cats

I first summarized the scant evidence concerning low-level or “cold” laser therapy in companion animals in 2010, and I reviewed a couple of small studies in 2011. A recent checked showed only a couple of studies looking at cold laser … Continue reading

Posted in General, Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 33 Comments

Integrating Myths and Nonsense with Standard Advice for Allergic Pets

I hear a lot of claims from clients about the cause and treatment of their pets’ allergies that sound like myths or misunderstandings to me, and I expect that. Obviously, a huge part of my job is educating my clients. … Continue reading

Posted in Miscellaneous CAVM | 16 Comments

Evidence-Based Canine Allergy Treatment

Allergies are an incredibly common, and frustrating, problem in pet dogs. Unlike humans, respiratory manifestations of environmental allergies are not usually very noticeable. Dogs with allergies get itchy skin, and they scratch like crazy as a result. The underlying inflammation … Continue reading

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 42 Comments

Does eating a Raw Diet as a Puppy Reduce later Allergy Risk?

I have written many times about the controversial subject of raw diets for dogs. The bottom line, based on existing evidence, is there are no proven health benefits to these diets and several well-documented risks, including infectious disease and nutritional … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 4 Comments