Author Archives: skeptvet

On CAVM Research and Plausibility

I have been participating in a discussion on the Veterinary Information Network (VIN) about the AVMA’s failure to take a scientific and principled position on homeopathy, and it prompted me to outline a few thoughts on the subject of whether … Continue reading

Posted in General | 2 Comments

Pet Owners Beware: Why Owners Should ask Veterinarians about the Evidence behind their Treatments

I was recently interviewed for an article on the nature of evidence in veterinary medicine, and why pet owners should be concerned about the evidence their veterinarian uses to support his or her recommendations. If clients demand the therapies given … Continue reading

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 1 Comment

Leader of Holistic Veterinary Foundation Expresses Troubling Ideas About Science

The American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA), and the associated foundation (AHVMF) appear frequently in articles on this blog. These organizations represent a large portion of alternative veterinary practitioners, and the AHVMF is involved in significant efforts to spread the … Continue reading

Posted in General | 12 Comments

Veterinary Clinical Decision-Making and Cognitive Bias

As part of the rationale for the application of EBVM, it seems necessary to illustrate the deficiencies in other approaches to evaluating therapies and making clinical decisions. As infectious disease specialist Mark Crislip puts it. Often getting the right diagnosis … Continue reading

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 1 Comment

An Oral History of Evidence-Based Medicine

The Journal of the American Medical Association and British Medical Journal have produced a video of a discussion with some of the founding figures of the Evidence-Based Medicine movement. This offers some great insights into the improtant and fundamental shift in … Continue reading

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Teaching Evidence-Based Medicine and Teaching Alternative Medicine: What Future are we Preparing Veterinary Students to Create?

A key focus of this blog is to promote a science-based perspective for veterinary medicine. I believe that relying more on science and less on habit, tradition, intuition, and personal experience will lead to better care for our patients. While … Continue reading

Posted in General | 9 Comments

AVMA Homeopathy Resolution Defeated-Politics Trumps Science Yet Again

In a shock to no one, the resolution before the American Veterinary Medical Association House of Delegates acknowledging homeopathy is ineffective was defeated by a wide margin. Sources say the vote was 90% against the resolution despite the report of … Continue reading

Posted in Homeopathy, Law, Regulation, and Politics | 20 Comments

Do Dogs Line Themselves Up With the Earth’s Magnetic Field to Poop?

Here’s a paper that’s been getting a lot of press lately and which illustrates some common problems with scientific studies which turn up often in the domain of alternative medicine, although that is not the subject of this study. Hart … Continue reading

Posted in General | 10 Comments

The Ethical Case Against Homeopathy

Veterinary homeopaths like to present their efforts as beneficient and morally sound. They claim they are providing a needed service and that denying homeopathy to patients would be denying every chance at health and denying their owners freedom to choose … Continue reading

Posted in Homeopathy | 12 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