The Non-Traditional Veterinarian®

This year's American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA) conference felt different for me.Last year, I attended without knowing anyone. I stepped outside my comfort zone, showed up, and immersed myself in a community that felt aligned with how I believe veterinary medicine should be practiced, without me knowing anyone there.This year, I walked in knowing familiar faces, having established relationships, and feeling an even deeper sense of belonging.One of the things I appreciate most about this community is that I don't have to constantly explain or justify why I practice veterinary medicine differently. There's an understanding that health is complex, that every pet is an individual, and that there isn't just one way to support healing and wellness.Instead of guilt or rigid thinking, there's curiosity, collaboration, and a willingness to learn from one another.Throughout the conference, I attended lectures covering a variety of topics, including supporting pets after spay/neuter procedures, headaches, anxiety, and other approaches to improving our patients' quality of life.In this episode, I'm sharing some of my personal reflections from the conference, what stood out to me, and why surrounding yourself with people who share your values (while still challenging you to keep learning) matters so much.My biggest takeaway?We don't have to agree on every approach or practice medicine exactly the same way to learn from one another. The goal should always be to continue asking questions, expanding our knowledge, and doing what's best for the individual pet in front of us.Book your 1:1 nutrition consultation todayBook your 1:1 holistic in home visit todayWatch this episode on YouTube

If your pet has chronic itching, recurring ear infections, red paws, yeast, hot spots, or skin infections that keep coming back, the problem may involve more than just the skin.In this episode, we explore the idea that chronic skin disease can sometimes be a visible sign of a much bigger internal picture.Inspired by the recent Veterinary Practice News article “A Regenerative Approach to Chronic Skin Disease in Pets” by veterinary colleagues Dr. Scarlett Magdalen and Dr. Jyl Rubin, this episode looks at chronic skin disease through a more integrative lens.Click here to read the articleWe discuss why simply controlling the itch may not always be enough, and why recurrent skin disease can be a reason to look more closely at the gut, immune system, nutrition, nutrient status, environmental exposures, and overall health of the individual pet.When a pet has recurring skin disease, it can be helpful to ask two different questions:How do we make this pet comfortable right now?andWhy does this pet keep developing the same problem?A special thanks to Dr. Magdalen and Dr. Rubin for helping bring more attention to this broader conversation around chronic skin disease, the gut-skin axis, nutrition, environmental factors, and regenerative veterinary medicine.This episode is educational and is not intended to diagnose or treat an individual pet. Chronic skin disease can have many causes, including allergies, parasites, infections, endocrine disease, nutritional deficiencies, immune-mediated conditions, and other medical problems. Work with your veterinarian to determine what evaluation and treatment are appropriate for your individual pet.Links:Book your 1:1 nutrition consultation todayBook your 1:1 holistic in home visit todayWatch this episode on YouTube

Royal Canin has recently entered the gently cooked space with its new Fresh Health Nutrition line for puppies, adults, and senior dogs.In this episode, I break down what I think this shift means for veterinary nutrition, what I like about the move toward less processed food, and where I still have questions.We discuss:Why I see a major veterinary brand embracing gently cooked food as a positive shiftWhy having separate Puppy, Adult, and Senior formulas mattersWhy brown rice being the first ingredient in the Adult and Senior formulas caught my attentionWhy “fresh” does not automatically mean low carbohydrateWhy I want more transparencyWhy the source of “fish oil” mattersMy biggest takeaway?Royal Canin moving into gently cooked food is progress—and I think we should welcome that progress while continuing to ask thoughtful questions.Fresh is a processing description. It isn't automatically a nutritional assessment.Always work with your veterinarian or veterinary nutrition professional to determine the most appropriate diet for your individual pet.Links:Book your 1:1 nutrition consultation todayBook your 1:1 holistic in home visit todayWatch this episode on YouTube

I recently returned from a trip to Italy, and one of the things I couldn’t stop noticing had nothing to do with the architecture, the shopping, or even the food.It was the dogs.The pets I saw seemed happy, relaxed, connected to their people, and almost every dog I noticed was at an ideal body condition.It got me thinking about something I talk about often in veterinary medicine: our pets don’t experience health in a vacuum. They live inside our lifestyle, our routines, our homes, and our environment.In this episode, I’m sharing some of the things I observed in Italy and how they made me think differently about the way our own culture can influence the health of our pets.This isn’t about saying one country or culture has everything figured out.It’s about asking a bigger question:What if some of the chronic issues we see in our pets are influenced not only by their genetics or their diet , but by the environment and lifestyle we’ve created around them?Because when we talk about longevity, weight, inflammation, digestion, behavior, and overall wellness, we have to look at the whole picture.Our pets are living our lifestyle right alongside us.And sometimes, changing their health starts with changing the environment around them.Book your 1:1 nutrition consultation todayBook your 1:1 holistic in home visit todayWatch this episode on YouTube

I practice differently than I was originally trained.But that does not mean I believe conventional veterinarians are doing it wrong.And it definitely does not mean I believe we need to tear down one side of veterinary medicine in order to make room for another.Most of us entered this profession for the same reason: we love animals, and we care deeply about the people who come with them.Veterinarians take on an enormous amount of responsibility to do this work.There are missed holidays, missed family events, long days, difficult cases, emotional decisions, years of sacrifice and then you have the financial investment into education. Aspects we all agreed to.My goal is to be the veterinarian who asks: What else can we consider?Because different does not automatically mean better.Conventional does not automatically mean wrong.And integrative does not have to mean anti-medicine.We can respect the foundation veterinary medicine gave us while still being curious enough to expand what is possible.Links:Book your 1:1 nutrition consultation todayBook your 1:1 holistic in home visit todayWatch this episode on YouTube