Category Archives: Science-Based Veterinary Medicine

Stem Cell Researchers Caution Against Using Unproven Stem Cell Therapies

One of the therapies that has arisen within conventional veterinary medicine, but which shares many of the worrisome features of an alternative approach, is stem cell therapy. Though it is a plausible intervention with promising preclinical evidence to support investigating … Continue reading

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 5 Comments

Chemotherapy Doesn’t Work? Not so Fast….

I’ve written a bit about “integrative” veterinary cancer care previously and how it is often marketed with claims that are unsupported by evidence. A recent example of this is a post  on the Huffington Post blog in which a prominent … Continue reading

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 7 Comments

Evidence-Based Guidelines For Pet Care

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) recently released a set of Canine and Feline Preventative Healthcare Guidelines. The primary reason for doing so seems to be evidence from several surveys that suggest the … Continue reading

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What Does “Scientifically Proven” Really Mean?

Science as a Brand I think of science as primarily an approach to knowledge; both a philosophy and collection of methods for developing an understanding of reality. Of course science is imperfect, both in itself and in how it is … Continue reading

Posted in General, Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 4 Comments

From Bloodletting to Evidence-Based Medicine by Dr. Brad Hanna

This is a clear and compelling description of how “Traditional Western Medicine” developed and functioned exactly as much alternative medicine does today, on the basis of tradition and anecdote, and how it was abandoned in favor of scientific medicine. Dr. … Continue reading

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Is Surgery Really Necessary for Dogs with Ruptured Cruciate Ligaments

In a recent article concerning an herbal product used for treatment of a dog with a ruptured cranial cruciate ligament (the equivalent of the “ACL” in humans), I stated, “Surgery is the treatment of choice for a ruptured cruciate ligament. … Continue reading

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Causes of Death for Dogs by Breed and Age: An Important New Study

It has long been recognized that there are patterns in the causes of death for our dogs. Younger dogs die from different things than older dogs, and different breeds have greater or lesser risk of dying from different causes. Understanding … Continue reading

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 30 Comments

Veterinary Stem Cell Therapies Discussed at Fully Vetted Blog

A prominent veterinary blogger, Dr. Patty Khuly of Fully Vetted, has written about the issue of veterinary stem cell therapies. The inspiration for her post appears to have been the recent article in JAVMA News, the news service of the … Continue reading

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Spiraling Empiricism: Antibiotic Use as a Model for Pitfalls in Medical Decision Making

About two years ago, Mark Crislip over at Science-Based Medicine wrote about an article that had a profound impact on his practices as an M.D. specializing in infectious disease, Observations on Spiraling Empiricism. He recently mentioned this article again on … Continue reading

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Selling Veterinary Stem Cell Therapies: Medivet’s Dodgy Advertising

The primary focus of this blog is to examine carefully the claims and evidence concerning alternative veterinary medical therapies. I focus less on the failures of conventional therapies and providers to always adhere to the highest standards of science-based medicine … Continue reading

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 48 Comments