The Natural Animal

Welcome to the first Field Notes episode — a new, more informal format inspired by what’s coming up in my work with animals, with my own animals and in everyday life.And lately, vomiting has been following me around.My almost 18-year-old cat Max has developed a new pattern of vomiting, while at the same time I’ve been supporting a client whose cat has been experiencing recurrent vomiting of her own.In this episode, I reflect on what these experiences have had me thinking about: when an occasional symptom becomes a pattern, the importance of noticing when something changes, and some of the more complicated considerations that come with caring for an elderly animal like Max.**Field Notes are audio-only and won’t be available on YouTube. Follow The Natural Animal Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or my Website so you don’t miss them.**Additional Resources:Read the Gut Guardian blog post at Three Rays Animal ApothecaryWork With Me - 
If you’d like individualised holistic support for your animal, you can learn more about working with me here. 
Foundational Guides
 - Explore my practical guides to help you build strong foundations for your animal’s health and wellbeing.Read More on Substack
 - Subscribe for articles, reflections and resources exploring holistic animal health and wellbeing.Connect With Me
 - Follow me on Instagram at @ruth.animalnaturopath.

We all want our animals to live for as long as possible. But when we talk about longevity, are we focusing too much on how long they live, rather than how well they live?In this episode of The Natural Animal Podcast, I’m exploring the concept of healthspan and what it means for the way we care for our animals throughout their lives — not just when they reach their senior years.I look at some of the emerging research into healthy ageing in dogs and cats, and why some of the most important things we can do to support healthspan are also some of the most ordinary.I also share what my own animals have taught me about healthspan, including how my understanding of it has changed as Max and Elvy have grown older. We explore what healthspan means when an animal is already living with chronic illness, why I believe our animals’ emotional and energetic environment belongs in this conversation, and the two things I keep coming back to when supporting an older or unwell animal: stability and joy of living.In this episode:Lifespan vs healthspan — and why the distinction mattersWhy healthy ageing starts earlier than we might thinkThe everyday foundations of healthspanWhat research in dogs and cats is teaching us about healthy ageingWhy longevity is about more than supplementsRethinking healthspan when an animal is living with chronic illnessThe emotional and energetic environment we share with our animalsWhat my own animals have taught me about ageingWhy we can influence healthspan without being able to control everythingMore life in their years — not simply more yearsResearch mentioned:Dog Aging Project
 Cat Prospective Ageing and Welfare Study (CatPAWS), University of Liverpool
 Additional Resources:Work With Me - 
If you’d like individualised holistic support for your animal, you can learn more about working with me here. Foundational Guides
 - Explore my practical guides to help you build strong foundations for your animal’s health and wellbeing.Read More on Substack - 
Subscribe for articles, reflections and resources exploring holistic animal health and wellbeing.Connect With Me
 - Follow me on Instagram at @ruth.animalnaturopath. Watch this episode on YouTube.

The words “complete and balanced” are often treated as the final word on whether a pet food is suitable - but do they really tell us everything we need to know?In this episode, I examine five recent papers exploring fresh food, kibble, processing, nutrient adequacy and contaminants in pet food.We look at what this research genuinely tells us, what it cannot prove and why short-term biological differences should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of better lifelong health.In this episode:Why nutritionally complete foods are not necessarily biologically equivalentWhy fresh and homemade diets must still be properly formulatedWhether the human concept of ultra-processed food can be applied to pet foodToxic metals, BPA, PFAS, antibiotic residues and microplastics detected in commercial pet foodsResearch from the University of Helsinki’s DogRisk groupThe longer-term studies we still urgently needUltimately, meeting a nutrient profile matters enormously, but it should be the beginning of our assessment, rather than the end.Animals do not eat nutrient profiles. They eat food.Additional Resources:Fresh-diet support — For personalised support transitioning your dog or cat to a properly formulated, fresh, species-appropriate diet, you can find information about working with me here.Prefer to do it yourself? My Real Food Diet for Pets ebooks provide practical guidance to help you create a properly formulated fresh diet at home.Try Lyka - If you would like to try Lyka, click here or use the code RUTHHATTEN to receive 50% off your first box, 30% off your second box plus FREE treats.Watch this episode on YouTube.Research discussed - in order of discussionCampbell L, Thompson M, Muir M, Raubenheimer D, Holmes A. Diet-induced metabolic and faecal microbiome responses in pet dogs fed a minimally processed versus extruded kibble diet. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. Published 10 April 2026.Lim S, Sohn SJ, Hong YJ. Case Report: Diet-associated iodine-deficiency goitrous hypothyroidism in a dog: a longitudinal clinical, endocrine, and ultrasonographic evaluation. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. Published 13 August 2026.Tanprasertsuk J, Tate DE, Tarr DS, Shmalberg J. Does the definition of human ultra-processed foods apply to dog and cat foods? A review of pet food processing techniques, their impact on health, and a call for pet food processing classification. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. Published 4 March 2026.Öztürk Y, et al. Multiple contaminant detection in commercially available chicken-based cat kibbles in Italy. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. Published 10 June 2026.Nomiyama K, Sato A, Tanoue R, Saeki K, Ikenaka Y, Mizukawa H, et al. Widespread PFAS contamination in pet food: dietary sources and health risks to companion animals. Environmental Pollution. 2026;395:127779.Nomiyama K, Sato A, Sato F, et al. Species-specific PFAS profiles in companion dogs and cats: paired serum–food evidence for dietary long-chain PFCA exposure in Japanese cats. Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances. 2026;23:101468.Bardhi A, Serrantoni E, Inauen D, Del Baldo F, Galac S, Gehring R, Fracassi F, Barbarossa A. An investigation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl concentrations in dogs and cats with endocrine disorders. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. Published 24 August 2026.Clean Label Project. Extremely High Levels of Lead, Mercury, Arsenic, and Cadmium Found in Dry Dog Food. Published 12 February 2026.Holm S, Baarman E, Anturaniemi J, Hemida M, Salin S, Vuori KA, Moore R, Hielm-Björkman A. The effect of a kibble diet versus a raw meat-based diet on energy metabolism biomarkers in dogs. The Veterinary Journal. 2025;314:106462.Vuori KA, Hemida M, Moore R, et al. The effect of puppyhood and adolescent diet on the incidence of chronic enteropathy in dogs later in life. Scientific Reports. 2023;13:1830.More research from DogRisk.

When an animal becomes seriously unwell, it's easy to believe that healing depends on finding the next answer.The next test.The next supplement.The next medication.The next veterinary appointment.After my beautiful cat Elvy's recent medical emergency, I found myself caught in that cycle. I was doing everything I could to support his body, yet there was another lesson quietly unfolding beneath it all.This episode isn't about herbs or pharmaceuticals.It's about the often-overlooked role we play in our animals' healing environment.We spend so much time asking, "What does my animal need?" But perhaps there's another question that's just as important:Who does my animal need me to be?In this deeply personal episode, I explore the shift from being solely a caregiver who is trying to fix, monitor and control every outcome, to becoming a companion who walks beside their animal with presence, steadiness and an open heart.Together we'll explore:Why your nervous system is part of your animal's healing environmentThe science of co-regulation and how our emotional state can influence the animals we loveThe difference between caregiving and companioningWhy supporting yourself isn't selfish – it's an important part of supporting your animalHow fear, worry and anticipatory grief can quietly shape the environment our animals are living withinThe healing power of ordinary moments, even in the midst of illnessA gentle invitation to move beyond doing... and return to simply beingWhether you're caring for an ageing companion, navigating a chronic illness, or walking alongside an animal facing uncertainty, I hope this conversation offers comfort and reminds you that your presence is one of the greatest gifts you have to give.The previous episode: Episode 39 – Why It's Time to Stop Choosing Sides in Animal HealthcareElvy's recent health journey and the lessons it has broughtCo-regulation and the role of the nervous system in healingThe importance of caring for the caregiverIf this episode resonated with you, I'd love to hear your thoughts.Instagram:@ruth.animalnaturopath@thenaturalanimalpodcastIf you enjoyed this episode, please consider following the podcast, leaving a review, or sharing it with someone caring for an ageing or unwell animal. Your support helps these conversations reach more people who need them.

What if one of the biggest divides in animal healthcare isn't between natural healing and veterinary medicine......but in the belief that we have to choose between them?In this deeply personal episode, I share the experience of caring for my beloved cat, Elvy, after he recently needed emergency, life-saving veterinary care.As a natural animal health practitioner, it was a week that challenged me emotionally, professionally and philosophically. It forced me to confront questions I'd never had to answer in quite the same way before.Can you be deeply committed to natural healing while also embracing emergency medicine?Can herbs and pharmaceuticals both have a place in an animal's care?What does truly holistic care look like when an animal's life depends on immediate intervention?This conversation isn't about natural medicine versus veterinary medicine. It's about moving beyond that divide altogether.In this episode, we'll explore:• Why natural healing and emergency veterinary medicine aren't competing philosophies• The difference between supporting long-term health and responding to a medical crisis• What true integrative animal healthcare really looks like• Why discernment is one of the most important skills we can develop as animal caregivers• How to thoughtfully support an animal receiving pharmaceuticals without abandoning holistic principles• Why every decision should begin with one simple question: What does this individual animal need from me, right now?This episode is an invitation to move beyond choosing sides and towards a more thoughtful, individualised approach to animal care. Because true integrative healthcare isn't about deciding whether natural healing or modern medicine is "better". It's about understanding what each has to offer and discerning what is most needed in that moment, for the animal in front of us.Let's continue the conversation on Instagram @ruth.animalnaturopath or @thenaturalanimalpodcast