Author Archives: skeptvet

LEGS Glucosamine Study Shows Little Evidence of Real Benefit

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

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

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

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

Dog Food Logic–A Great New Guide to Dog Foods for Dog Owners

I was recently asked to review a new book for dog owners called Dog Food Logic: Making Smart Decisions for Your Dog in an Age of Too Many Choices by Linda Case. I was very impressed, and I encourage anyone interested … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews, Nutrition | 26 Comments

Nutrition Resources for Pet Owners

There is, as we all know, a tremendous amount of misinformation on the internet concenring virtually any subject. Yet the internet is an unqeustionably powerful information resources, likely indispensible for anyone seeking to be an informed consumer. For pet owners, … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 12 Comments

WVC 2014: Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine

I presented four hours of lecture at the Western States Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas February, 2014. Here is the bibliography for those talks, which contains a lot of good resources on critical thinking, evidence-based veterinary medicine, and alternative veterinary … Continue reading

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

VancouverFeline and Evidence-Based Medicine

Stumbled across this blog post from VancouverFeline recently. Warms my skeptical heart!! In medicine, we have many habits and quirks handed down through the generations. Often, we think nothing of these, and even believe that these well-accepted practices are grounded … Continue reading

Posted in General | 2 Comments

Benefits & Risks of Neutering, an Evidence Update–Cancer and Behavioral Problems in Vizslas

As part of my ongoing coverage of the risks and benefits associated with neutering, I wanted to review a recent article on the subject, this one looking specifically at cancer risk and behavioral problems in Vizslas. Zink, MC. Farhoodly, P. … Continue reading

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 15 Comments

Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy Doesn’t Like Criticism–Except Their Own

During the discussion about the AVMA resolution identifying homeopathy as ineffective, defenders of homeopathy were adament that it would be unfair of the AVMA to single out their methods for criticism. I wonder if the House of Delegates was aware … Continue reading

Posted in Homeopathy | 2 Comments