Author Archives: skeptvet

Don’t Give Raw Milk to Your Pets!

A reader recently sent me a link to this little advertisement.  This is an illustration of a popular bit of alternative nonsense, the idea that raw milk has magical health-giving properties. The idea owes a lot to the Appeal to Nature … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 9 Comments

SkeptVet Visits The Pet Doctor Podcast- Are we seeing more cancer in pets?

In October, I wrote a column for Veterinary Practice News (VPN) on the question of whether or not cancer is more common in dogs and cats now than it used to be. This is a core argument in the Truth … Continue reading

Posted in Presentations, Lectures, Publications & Interviews | 5 Comments

Crowdfunding Quackery

One of the most heartbreaking things we all see on social media are appeals for financial help to fund medical treatment. Especially here in the U.S., where healthcare is less readily available to low-income people than in most developed countries, … Continue reading

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Evidence Update: Grain-free and other “BEG” Diets Associated with Heart Disease in Dogs

I have been following with great interest the emerging evidence about grain-free and exotic protein diets as a possible risk factor for heart disease in dogs. I first raised the subject in response to several cases of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) I … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 47 Comments

New Report on Complication Rates for Neutering Surgery in Dogs and Cats

I have written extensively about the subject of neutering (spaying and castrating male and female dogs and cats). The bulk of the discussion and debate about this procedure centers on the health effects. It is generally recognized to be a … Continue reading

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 19 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

Evidence Update: Prolotherapy

Back in 2011 I wrote about a therapy popular with alternative practitioners called prolotherapy. I try to check in from time to time to see if there is any new evidence for the treatments I consider, and in doing so … Continue reading

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Evidence Update: Associations between Environmental Chemical Exposure and Hyperthyroidism in Cats

One of the great mysteries of veterinary medicine if hyperthyroidism in cats. Benign tumors of the thyroid glad in older cats can produce excessive amount of thyroid hormone, and this can lead to a host of clinical symptoms. Fortunately, the … Continue reading

Posted in General | 3 Comments

Evidence Update: Still no Convincing Scientific Evidence for any Benefits from Veterinary Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

It’s been a few years since I covered the subject of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), a treatment that involves placing patients in a sealed chamber and raising the air pressure and oxygen levels above those in the normal atmosphere at … Continue reading

Posted in General | 9 Comments

FDA Webinar Discussing Dietary Risk Factors for Dilated Cardiomyopathy

The FDA has recently held a webinar with a representative of the agency, a nutritionist, and a representative of the pet food industry to provide an update on the state of the ongoing investigation of certain diets and possible heart … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 24 Comments