Author Archives: skeptvet

WSAVA Adds Chinese Medicine Pseudoscience to Continuing Education Conference Held in China

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) regularly sponsors a continuing education conference, as many such veterinary membership organizations do. This year is the first time the conference is being held in China. This is also the first time the conference has … Continue reading

Posted in General | 3 Comments

Evidence Update: Yunnan Baiyao- Where are we Now?

One of the longest running subjects for posts here has been the Chinese herbal product Yunnan Baiyao (YB). Purported to help stop or prevent bleeding, this stuff seems to be pretty commonly used in veterinary medicine, mostly for dogs with … Continue reading

Posted in Herbs and Supplements | 1 Comment

Strategies for Helping Aging Dogs Today &Tomorrow

Here is a talk I gave at AVMA last week. Lot of folks attended, and lots of good followup questions!

Posted in Aging Science | Leave a comment

Risk Factors for Arthritis in Dogs

Last year, I participated in a research project evaluating risk factors for the diagnosis of osteoarthritis in dogs, using the large dataset in the Banfield medical records system. The research was published in November, 2023- Graves JL, McKenzie BA, Koch … Continue reading

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

Age of Endarkenment: Medical Misinformation & What Vets Can Do About It

Obviously, the whole purpose of the SkeptVet is to combat misinformation and to promote evidence-based pet health. I first used the term Age of Endarkenment in a post for the much more influential Science-Based Medicine blog. Then, I was focused … Continue reading

Posted in Presentations, Lectures, Publications & Interviews | 2 Comments

Evidence Update: Leap years Supplement

I recently reported on the results of a clinical trial conducted at North Carolin State University on the purported “anti-aging” Leap Years. The study provided no convincing evidence of a beneficial effect, and despite a single statistically significant finding at … Continue reading

Posted in Herbs and Supplements | 1 Comment

Choosing Wisely: Things to Stop Doing in Your Practice (Maybe?) 2024

One of my most popular, and controversial, topics to talk about at continuing education meetings is the evidence for abandoning practices that are deeply entrenched in routine veterinary practice. Vets are pretty good at adopting new things when evidence shows … Continue reading

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 2 Comments

Spectrum of Care- What is it and why should I care?

I am preparing a number of conference presentations for this year, and one of the new ones is on the topic of Spectrum of Care. This is a concept I have been involved this for a while, since participating in … Continue reading

Posted in Presentations, Lectures, Publications & Interviews, Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 5 Comments

The Health Effects of “Processed Foods” and Why Nutrition is More Important than the Amount of “Processing”

In the endless debates about the health effects of various approach to feeding our canine and feline companions, the subject of “processed foods” or “ultra-processed foods” comes up often. Generally, the argument is made that traditional commercial pet foods, including … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 4 Comments

Evidence Update: A Systematic Review of Studies Evaluating Vegan Diets for Dogs and Cats

Over the years, I have reviewed the general evidence and some specific studies concerning vegetarian and vegan diets for dogs and cats. Despite the aggressive claims of some advocates for such diets (including some egregiously unscrupulous individuals), the actual evidence has not … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | Leave a comment