Search Results for: kidney disease

WVC 2016: Clinical Audit

Here is my presentation on clinical audit. WHAT IS CLINICAL AUDIT? “Clinical audit is a process used by health professionals to assess, evaluate and improve patient care…Clinical audits can be used to compare current practice with the best available evidence. … Continue reading

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 2 Comments

Longevity & Causes of Death in Pet Cats

Basic epidemiological research, identifying the most common diseases and causes of death and risk factors for these, is the foundation of preventative medicine. Unfortunately, such research is often scarce in veterinary medicine. Collecting data on a large population of animals … Continue reading

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 40 Comments

The SkeptVet & the Media

As I’ve often pointed out, the majority of the information on complementary and alternative therapies for pets available on the internet comes from companies or advocates selling these products and services. One of the reasons I write this blog is … Continue reading

Posted in Presentations, Lectures, Publications & Interviews | 1 Comment

JustFoodForDogs Brings Us Some Classic Marketing Masquerading as Science

I have written about the issue of homemade pet diets here several times (1, 2, 3, 4). They are appealing to some owners because they appear more “natural” than commercial dry or canned diets, which is supposed to imply they … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 82 Comments

Evidence Concerning Vitamin and Mineral Supplements- Safety and Efficacy

Introduction I have discussed a number of studies and reviews of the value and risks of vitamin and mineral supplements in humans. While these studies can only be considered supportive, not definitive, in terms of the risks and benefits of … Continue reading

Posted in Topic-Based Summaries | 13 Comments

European Food Safety Authority Rejects Prostora, a Probiotic Product for Dogs

I have written frequently about probiotics,(1,2) and the health effects of microorganisms seems a promising area of research. The current evidence for meaningful beneficial effects, however, is quite limited. There is reasonable evidence for some benefit in treating antibiotic-associated diarrhea … Continue reading

Posted in Herbs and Supplements | 20 Comments

Evidence Update–Homemade Diet Recipes for Your Pet are Unreliable

I have previously discussed studies of recipes for homemade diets, from books and the internet, which show that these diets are rarely nutritionally adequate or reliable in terms of consistently providing predictable levels of critical nutrients. Recipes for kidney disease, … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 30 Comments

Plechner Syndrome and the Art of Making Stuff Up

Most proponents of so-called complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are ordinary, reasonable people, even when promoting beliefs that may be dubious or even thoroughly incredible. However, occasionally I run across one of those individuals with not only a bizarre understanding … Continue reading

Posted in General | 224 Comments

Screening Tests and Pre-Anaesthetic Bloodwork in Veterinary Patients: Issues & Evidence

A perennially hot topic in human medicine is the risks and benefits of screening tests. Blood tests, imaging (like CT scans) and other diagnostic tests are usually seen by the general public as only beneficial. How could it be a … Continue reading

Posted in General, Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 19 Comments

The Harm Complementary and Alternative Medicine Can Do

What’s the Harm I have written often about ways in which complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) can be harmful. This is not because I believe CAM is necessarily always unsafe, or that I think conventional medicine doesn’t have significant risks … Continue reading

Posted in Topic-Based Summaries | 13 Comments