Category Archives: General

Dr. Christina Chambreau: Another Homeopath Giving Bad Advice about Heartworm Disease

Dr. Christina Chambreau is a veterinary homeopath about whom I’ve written before (1,2) because she is both an advocate for magical, pseudoscientific nonsense and against science-based medicine. I have also written about the dangerous advice alternative practitioners, especially homeopaths, often … Continue reading

Posted in General, Homeopathy | 25 Comments

Happy National Veterinary Technician Week!

It can’t be said enough that we vets would be worthless without veterinary nurses/technicians, and most people will never understand how hard and important their job is. But this brilliant song from one of the technicians I’m lucky enough to … Continue reading

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More Faith Healing Masquerading as “Holistic Veterinary Medicine”

I’ve often written about the problem of confusing religion with medicine. In religion, one is allowed to make any claims one likes, and the only evidence required is faith. In medicine, one is required to provide evidence to support claims … Continue reading

Posted in General | 4 Comments

Veterinary Medicine is a Business, and that Includes Alternative Medicine

Medicine is a business. That is an often uncomfortable but always unavoidable fact. There is plenty of room for debate about whether or not it should be, but as things currently work, veterinary medicine is a business. It is not … Continue reading

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When Does Alternative Medicine Become a Religion?

I have written previously about the philosophical foundations of alternative medicine and how they differ from those of science-based medicine, and I feel this is a critical issue for those of us advocating for the latter. It is important to … Continue reading

Posted in General | 3 Comments

No Vet for My Pet? Veterinary Nurses Can Sell Woo Too!

Despite the real harm unproven or bogus alternative therapies can cause, I get a lot of flak here for being critical of alternative practitioners. Some of that stems from the natural resentment of having one’s beliefs questioned. Alternative medicine is … Continue reading

Posted in General | 15 Comments

California Passes Science-based School Vaccination Law (SB277)

A while ago, I wrote about a bill in the California legislature intended to remove non-medical exemptions to vaccination requirements for children in the state. Despite often vicious and irrational opposition, science and reason and public health have won the day! … Continue reading

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Why We’re Often Wrong: Can We Trust Clinical Experience?

This is an article I originally posted on a preliminary SkeptVet website which I no longer update since it has been replaced by this blog. I have copied it here since the links to the prior site no longer function. … Continue reading

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Dr. Nancy Scanlan Shows us How to Talk Sciency Without Actually Accepting Science

I have written frequently about the tendency of leaders in the alternative veterinary medicine community to talk about science as if they valued it while really either not understanding how science actually works or simply rejecting its basic principles (e.g. … Continue reading

Posted in General | 2 Comments

Canine Influenza and Quack Vets

The recent canine influenza outbreak in the Chicago has generated a lot of anxiety among dog owners around the country. Unfortunately, the understandable and appropriate stream of questions from dog owners about this disease has generated a great deal of … Continue reading

Posted in General | 14 Comments