Place this in your mind and store it in your memory because it is a clinical truth. All anal gland problems are secondary to something else!  Always. When I was in vet school, around the time of Moses, we were told that anal gland problems only happen in small breed dogs because the ducts were too small to empty the anal sacs. Oh, my. We actually believed them. It wasn’t too long in my practice that I found out that many dogs (and cats) have anal gland problems no matter what size or breed. Shot down that theory. So, if

When I graduated from veterinary college in the early 80’s, specialists were as scarce as hen’s teeth.  Almost all of them were at the vet school hospital or they were scattered in a few major cities.  This basically meant, if I couldn’t do it or I needed technology that I didn’t have, I would send the pet off as a referral to the specialist.  This might be a complicated surgery like spinal surgery or doing a brain scan.  Otherwise, I dealt with it myself.  This was both good and bad because it forced me to deal with a lot of

Have you ever noticed how people who promote health care use fear as a motivating factor?  Whether it is the recording on the phone at the pharmacy, warning you that it is flu season and that you need to get your flu shot or your veterinarian telling you that your cat needs it leukemia shot to be protected from the awful life-threatening virus spread from cat to cat; even if your cat never goes outside.   I called a local vet clinic for some records for a patient and I was put on hold and listened to their recording.  It

I was at the bookstore the other day and as I was perusing through the magazine section, I noticed a magazine that had the lead story titled, “What Is In Your Dog’s Mind.” I found that interesting so I picked it up and read a bit, chuckled and put it down. I then noticed that there were five magazines on the shelf that had a lead story that referred to what was in a dog’s mind or what a dog thinks. These magazines ranged from pet magazines to Time magazine. I was amazed. Each one of them had scientific studies

In a word, absolutely.  As a matter of fact, almost every dog and cat in America has it.  Unfortunately, it is an illness that doesn’t manifest as a conceptual disease.  Instead, it creates problems that in time manifest as specific diseases. The gut and its associated organs, stomach, liver and pancreas, all work together to convert nutrition into components required by the physical body.  Its magic converts simple food into body component parts, energy for the cells and building blocks for all tissues, cells and vital fluids such as blood and lymph.  Nothing in the physical body could not exist

For the last couple of generations, we have begun to accept the fact that most mutts (mixed breed dogs) are generally healthier than purebred dogs.  This is verifiably the truth.  Unfortunately, for many years, there was a belief in the breeding community that breeding within the breed (pure bred dogs) would maintain desirable breed characteristics and overall maintain a good quality of health.  Not so much. Purebred breeding throughout history was not just limited to dogs, cats, horses and other critters.  History tells us that people did the same.  The monarch society throughout Europe, where the monarch elitists insisted on

  This is the second part of a two-part series on probiotics for dogs, written by my friend Danielle Marshall.  Her probiotic/digestive enzyme supplement can be found on her website at:  www.maxxnaturals.com. What are the best Probiotics for Dogs?  There are so many probiotics for dogs on the market these days that say they’re for pets… How can a pet parent know which product is best? On the surface, the human digestive process is much the same as that of our dogs.  But dig a little deeper, and we see there are some significant differences. First, it’s important to understand

When we look at health care from a holistic perspective, we consider everything that has an effect on our health.  Color is no exception.  Have you ever imagined why you don’t like a particular color while being fond of another color?  Remember the old movie, Steel Magnolias, when Julia Roberts said, “Pink is my signature color.”   Colors have specific vibrations and these vibrations react with the energetic vibrations of the body and over extended periods of time, can affect the health of the individual.  This happens in pets and people because we are all energetic in nature.   A

There is an unwritten rule for most breeders. When you sell a puppy, the buyer is expecting the puppy to be healthy, have its first set of vaccinations and been dewormed. This has been the gold standard for many, many years. This old standard needs to change, and it is up to the buyer to do this. Let’s take a quick look at the flaws in this old, bad, protocol. Remember, the breeder is using an old formula that was passed on to her from other breeders. So, let’s update it so that you have the best opportunity for a

As a holistic vet, both as a practitioner and a consultant, many of the pets that I work with have been diagnosed with a terminal illness.  Most of the caretakers have been moved towards a more expanded approach to dealing with the health situation for their pet.  I tell every single pet caretaker that this requires a change in mindset.   I remind them that every individual that has a body will die and although we don’t like to think about it, at some level, we accept that.  Our physical body is form, organic in nature and will eventually stop

The other day I was in an automobile accident.  I was banged up a bit and had some headaches and neck pain that were persisting.  My wife insisted that I go to see a doctor so I scheduled an appointment at a primary care facility in my home city. I admit that I don’t go to the doctor very often.  Actually, it had been many years since I had seen a physician.  He was a super doc that dabbled in functional medicine and the few times I went to see him, we mostly compared notes about the way he treated

Truth About Probiotics for Dogs This is an outstanding article written by a good friend if mine who has done some great research regarding probiotics for dogs.  Hope you learn and enjoy.  Her website is maxxnaturals.com.  by dmmarshall | Jan 19, 2018 | Supplements | Avoid Deceptive Marketing And Read This Before You Buy Probiotics. The Truth About Probiotics for Dogs! Discover how to support your dog’s health now! All pet parents know that people aren’t the only ones who experience gastrointestinal upsets. Just like humans, our dogs suffer from both acute (short term) and chronic (long term) digestive troubles. After

There was an old man sitting on a park bench.  A songbird landed in a nearby tree and began to sing.  The old man listened joyfully.  A short time passed and the old man noticed a hawk circling high in the sky.  He thought to himself, “Oh, no.  What if that hawk spots that little songbird.”  As the hawk soared closer and closer, the old man got more and more nervous.  He hung on to each moment in hopes that the hawk would fly off in a different direction.  The little bird continued to sing.  Soon, the hawk was very

Most of us have heard the old Neil Diamond song, He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.  He goes on to sing, “No burden is he, to bare, we’ll get there.”  There are many stories in the Bible that reference this sentiment.  But, what does this sentiment mean to us and how does it affect the relationship between ourselves and our pets? Imagine that your life has gotten so stressful that you have become over-burdened with your daily activities.  You get up, get ready for work, feed your pets, feed your family, go to work, come home and do more work. 

As a holistic vet, most of the people that I consult with are stuck in the middle of making a decision.  Imagine this situation, one that I see and hear a lot.  You have a sick pet and you take it to the vet.  The vet does her thing and comes up with a tentative diagnosis and refers you to a specialist.  You take your pet to the specialist, she does her further-diagnostic thing, and then meets you in the consulting room. “Your pet has lymphoma (or any other type of cancer).  The only treatment option that we have is

When I initially decided to expand my clinical approach to pet health care to include alternative modalities, I chose to learn Chinese medicine and acupuncture.  After I finished my education and took it into practice, I had a well established clientele who trusted me.  When I suggested that we should take a Chinese medicine approach and use acupuncture for many health problems, in order to expand our abilities, the clients were open and receptive to my suggestions.  The result we say were way beyond my wildest imagination. Many years later, I sold my integrative practice, moved out of the state

In my previous blog, I discussed the primary myth that you have been told about dental disease in dogs and cats.  I also discussed what actually causes dental disease in dogs and cats and why dry kibble actually potentiates dental disease instead of preventing the problem.  I went into detail the importance of feeding the correct diet and the implications for dental disease and what I recommend as a proactive approach to prevent dental disease. In this blog, I will focus primarily on older pets with a history of dental disease and the problem with our routine protocols in vet