Keeping PETS out of vets since 2011

Articles

Something Smells at the Veterinary Evidence Journal…

Following on From Yesterday’s Post, Here is Another Example of a “Study” Published by the Veterinary Journal That Leaves far Questions Asked Than Answered. Something is Going on… Another recent work by Veterinary Evidence Journal. This one authored by a lady with a degree in science, entitled “In Adult Dogs,

Read More »

A Constant and Exhausting Tide of Poo…

It’s a Constant and Exhausting Tide of Bullshit. That’s Their Plan. A new “knowledge summary” (a clever way of avoid the use of the word “review”, which it most certainly is not) study in the highly enlightened Veterinary Evidence journal (I would have put Evidence in italics if FB provided

Read More »

Some points on two recent raw dog food recalls…

Some points on two recent raw dog food recalls and how they compare to dry pet food recalls… There has been a variety of raw dog food recalls in the past. In 2011, one of Australia’s biggest raw dog food producers, V.I.P. PetFood, was caught using dangerously high amounts of

Read More »

Medivet Top Brass Appears not to Support Raw Feeders…

UK Raw Feeders, Consider who you Spend Your Money With… Below you’ll find Medivets statement on raw feeding, released internally, which was emailed to me by a vet working for the group. All the usual guff. It’s funny, if you substitute the word “raw” for “dry food” their statement actually

Read More »

The RFVS Conference 2018!

The RFVS Conference 2018, What a Phenomenal Weekend… A few months back the Raw Feeding Veterinary Society took me in as a non-vet consultant. I was really proud about that. All the people I would consider peers are in there, from Billinghurst to Becker to Thompson, and a few others

Read More »
Raw Green Tripe

This is Going to get Worse Before it Gets Worse…

Four STEC Infections; one Person Dead After Exposure to Raw Pet Food (but not Really) When you read a title like the above on Food Safety News concerning some humans apparently getting poisoned by raw green tripe, you think you’re going to read something interesting, enlightening or in the least

Read More »
feeding dogs bones

Do Raw Meaty Bones Cause Fractures: The Results

We asked 290 Raw and Dry Feeders if Raw Meaty Bones Cause Tooth Fractures, Here are the Results of 541 Dogs… This was the informal questionnaire put to both raw and dry feeders on my Facebook page over the weekend. Some data was excluded on the basis of incorrect submissions.

Read More »
DOG-FOOD-SCALE-INFOGRAPHIC_

Where are you on the dog food scale?!

Where are you on the dog food scale?! There is such a range of pet foods now available to the pet owner these days that it can become quite confusing. Every day I am sent links to products by folk asking me is this good or bad for my dog.

Read More »
Bloated Dog

What of Legumes and the Risk of Bloat in Dry-Fed Dogs?

The Recent Trend of Adding Even MORE Fermentable Fibre via Grain-Free Foods Might Pose More, as of yet Undisclosed, Issues for Dogs… Over the last month, there has been a lot of concern regarding “grain-free” dry foods. Our recent article on the risk of DCM in dogs fed grain-free diets

Read More »
valerian root for dogs

Herbs to Reduce Stress in Dogs

Study finds ginger, vanilla, coconut and valerian root are effective at reducing activity and vocalisations in kenneled dogs…might help with a stressed dog at home Researchers exposed 15 dogs in shelter surroundings to a cloth with each of the scents on it for 2hrs then recorded their behaviour. They found: • Vanilla

Read More »

Once McDonalds brought out the salad, they were doomed!!!

“Once McDonald’s brought out the salad, they were doomed”! These are the words of Bill Burr, my favourite comedian. He was being interviewed on the Tonight Show when he took the perhaps unpopular stance that he felt sorry for McDonald’s. His point was that once they started serving healthy options

Read More »
a dog with a carrot on his head

Why you might feed some vegetable matter to dogs…

A comprehensive review of the pros and cons of feeding dogs vegetables, and best advice… Of all the ingredients we can put in their bowl, none create more debate than the mention of feeding vegetables to dogs. A quick trip around the forums reveals a lot of cliques. From the

Read More »
a dog being shown a plate of meat and licking his lips

More Grade A Bullshit From the Pet Food Industry

With bullshit being one of the few ingredients they’re not actually permitted to use (too much of) in pet food, the industry instead employs it lavishly around the industry to help it grow. Here’s the latest… The pet food industry has always had the following conundrum – they want to produce

Read More »
a close image of bacteria floating in liquid

Everything you need to know about Canine Probiotics

Canine Probiotics, What We Do and Don’t Know, Study Participants Needed… What is the Gut Flora and What Does it do for us? Meet the ENS, the Organ you Never Knew you had… How to keep your Gut Flora happy Canine Probiotics Dry versus Raw-Fed Dog Gut Flora… Are human

Read More »
mexican hairless terrier

The Shaved Dog Debate

The Shaved Dog Debate… There’s an interesting debate that has just popped up, I’d welcome your input. The image below is of a double-coated dog who has been shaved. The shaved area is apparently hotter than the unshaved area. The advice that resulted was to stop shaving your dogs in

Read More »
pre-rendered meat meal

Rendering plant staff describe meat meal production

Want to know what goes on inside an Australian rendering plant? Listen to what previous staff had to say… Great interview on ABC news Australia this week. It’s fair to say this news company is ALL OVER the latest scandal from Mars Pet Food, this time with their magic Dermal

Read More »
Food type is a risk factor for bloat in dogs

The Nutrient Profile of Popular Raw Dog Food Ingredients

The Nutrient Profile of Popular Dog Food Ingredients We’ve put together a useful table below for those making up their own raw dog food. It will be particularly useful to people formulating diets for dogs suffering kidney disease and pancreatitis. For kidney disease in dogs, the key is to watch

Read More »
Lab-grown meat in a petri dish

Lab-Grown meat hitting shelves by 2019!

WITH LAB-GROWN MEAT POISED TO HIT US SUPERMARKET SHELVES BY THE END OF THE YEAR, HERE’S THE LOW DOWN…AND IT’S ALL GOOD! You heard that correctly. Lab-grown meat, a.k.a. “clean meat”, is coming to a supermarket near you soon. What does this mean for meat eaters, raw-feeding dog owners and

Read More »
which pet insurance

A Note on Pet Insurance in Ireland & UK

A Note on Pet Insurance for Cost (and Drug) Conscious Pet Owners in Ireland & UK… For dog owners concerned about over-vaccination and getting ripped off in general, pet insurance is a bit of a daunting minefield. I did a little digging, made a few calls and largely have drawn

Read More »
Dudley

Duds Update, 8 Months On

DUDLEY 8 MONTHS ON…A NEW DIRECTION… So, this is how Duds walks now, 8 months post op. He’s looking lean and his gait is pretty good, but there is work to be done on his hind muscle mass. On that note, I have an idea…   Just to remind you

Read More »
lungworm life cycle diagram

Lungworm in Dogs

INCREASE OF LUNGWORM IN DOGS IN NORTH DUBLIN… Dr. Emily McAteer, Dublin Holistic Vet, emailed me an alert over the weekend regarding lungworm in dogs. I trust her opinion 100% when it comes to the prevalence of critters (she’s no scare mongerer) so thought I’d repost what she sent below,

Read More »
fleas on dogs

Is Bravecto Safe? Here we lay out the facts…

Is Bravecto safe for dogs? Well, in 21 months it sold 40mil doses. In that time, the EMA cites it killed every 52,000 doses. How badly do you want to kill the fleas your dog doesn’t have?! Bravecto is a flea and tick killer made by pharmaceutical giant Merck. It’s

Read More »
pure-street-sweepers

Ever Heard of a Pure Gatherer?!

What I Learned From the Chronicles of Frankenstein… New babies mean you get to watch more TV. This means you can stray into parts of teleworld you might not normally venture into. Case in point, the Frankenstein Chronicles starring Sean Bean. I like a bit of horror / zombie action

Read More »
clean dog teeth with dollar sign

Pearly White Profits

How Vets are Being Encouraged to Extract More Money From Pet Owners… I was contacted by a lady yesterday who was entirely exasperated with her vet who had been pushing a dry diet on her mother’s dog as fresh food “is not good for the teeth”. Of all topics to tackle,

Read More »
a pouch of freeze dried raw dog food

I Just Tried Some Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food!

Meet Jenny Golsby of The Complete Pet Company, Maker of one of the First Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Foods… I have just been sent a few samples of what is possibly the world’s first, truly-raw-but-freeze-dried raw dog food product. It is made by the wonderful Jenny Golsby in Australia. Jen is

Read More »
tins of horsemeat in maxizoo

Would you feed horse meat to your dog?

Did you know that horsemeat was the primary, indeed the only, meat ingredient used in canned dog food until the 1940’s?! Horse was so popular in fact that dog food companies owned their own horse meat supplies. Then WWII, with the ensuing shortage of horses and metal, coupled with the

Read More »
medivet logo

Who are Medivet and Why are Mars Interested?!

Who are Medivet?! Ownership of the health profession is every multinational’s dream. To highlight this, let me give you two stories: Highlighted back in 1997 by Parker-Pope of the Wall Street Journal, in a piece called “Colgate Gives Doctors Treats For Plugging Its Food Brands”, Colgate-Palmolive (CP) were the first

Read More »
picture of a dog eating raw chicken

It is Highly Unlikely Raw Chicken Causes Paralysis in Dogs

RAW CHICKEN IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY TO CAUSE PARALYSIS IN DOGS… Recently, Melbourne University produced a study investigating Acute PolyradiculoNeuritis (APN) in dogs. This is an immune-mediated peripheral nerve disorder where a suspected trigger is the bacterial pathogen Campylobacter spp. In a piece entitled “Raw Chicken Linked to Paralysis in Dogs”, the university

Read More »
Up and down thumbs

About Dog Food Comparison Websites…

All Dog Food Comparison Websites are Affiliate Sites, But What Does That Mean to You the Consumer? There are lots of dog food comparison sites, some more popular and useful than others, so I thought I’d do a quick blog to explain a little about affiliate marketing and what it

Read More »

RCVS Publishes Complementary Medicines Statement

Soo, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons UK has released its statement on complementary medicines. Needless to say, it doesn’t bode well for homeopathy… Let’s get straight into it. Please note, I have added italics for emphasis in their comments where necessary. It begins with: We have recently been asked questions about

Read More »
Images from Cullivans Puppy Farm

Puppy Farming in Ireland EXPANDING with OK From Govt.

More Shame on Ireland: Our Worst Puppy Farmers are EXPANDING Their Highly Profitable Businesses… Yes, you read that correctly. They’re expanding with blessing from the government. This isn’t breaking news either. In March 2017 permission was granted to Raymond Cullivan, the guy at the centre of the BBC’s disgraceful puppy farming

Read More »
dog scared of fireworks

The Trick is Treats for Halloween

It’s That Time of Year Again, Here’s How to Get Dogs Through Halloween Safely… I can already here the bangers going off. Not your pet’s favourite time of year, that’s for sure. For those of you with new pets or simple those that you know might worry about the sounds of

Read More »
The Assissi Loop for dogs

The Assisi Loop – Dogs First

Anyone Ever Heard or Ideally Used an Assissi Loop, or Anything Similar?! A friend of mine has an old dog with bad joint issues, hip dysplasia and canine arthritis. She’s trying everything including a great diet, getting him nice and lean (with good muscle tone), some great natural additions such

Read More »
The Best Kennels in the World

The Top 5 Kennels in the World – Dogs First

The Top 5 Kennels in the World I was over with the very appropriately named Aileen Woulfe in Switzerland last week doing a nutrition talk. Aileen runs Happy Dogs Aigle. Now, you might think you’ve seen some fancy kennels in your time, you’ve undoubtedly seen some pricey ones after all it’s

Read More »

Look how many studies support the use of CBD oil…

I was so saddened to read a headline in the Journal.ie yesterday. It read “Epilepsy drug which has left 400 Irish children with disabilities to come under EU review today”… The FACS (foetal anticonvulsant syndrome) Forum Ireland, an umbrella group of patients and disability organisations, estimates that sodium valproate has

Read More »
A dog in a walking supportive harness

Dogs in a Box – Week 2 Summary

This week Dudley begins his various therapies, most importantly physio and hydrotherapy. The progress we have seen in this week along is frankly, incredible. On just his second hydro session, just four days after his first, the therapist said this could easily be a different dog. Wait until you see

Read More »
a dog pen, used for a dog recovering from a spinal operation

Dog in a Box Part 2 – What You Will Need

Dog in a Box Part 2 – What You Will Need Dudley, a.k.a. the “Dog in a Box”, is recovering from a spinal operation. A ruptured disc, to be exact. This series of videos charters his long road to hopeful recovery and back to rude, waggy health. In this second part

Read More »

Dr. Arleigh Jones…Great Video!

Feeding Dogs for the Toughest Endurance Race Imaginable…. I did a seminar for a small group in Dublin recently. There was a great mix of people there, a few Stafford breeders, some Rottie owners and some working dog owners. The latter group were speaking very highly of Dr. Arleigh Jones.

Read More »
a sign that says don't knock on our door or our dogs will go mad and so will we!

How to Stop Dogs Going Mad at the Door…

How to Stop Dogs Going Mad at the Door… Dudley doesn’t bark all too often but I know it would drive me nuts if my dogs kicked off every time a visitor called to the door. Anyone else have that problem? A simple cure, should you want to calm it

Read More »
Yin and yang symbol

On Behalf of the West, I Apologise!

Eastern and Western Nutritional Philosophies Eastern and Western cultures have, on the face of it, quite unique ways of looking at food and nutrition as a whole. However, we both agree on many things: We both agree that proper nutrition is essential for achieving optimal health We both agree individual

Read More »
how pet food is scientifically proven

What does “Scientifically Proven”mean?

What Does Scientifically Proven Mean? So, we had quite a heated debate last week on our Facebook page. Debate might be the wrong word mind. It was more of an argument. A scientific debate is where two scientists debate a topic, such as the importance of fresh ingredients or the

Read More »
funny dry food label

Why is This dry Food Label so Hilarious?!

Why is This Dry Dog Food Label so Hilarious?! A great pic was doing the rounds the other day. It was held up as an example of how manufacturers will try and jam as many cool buzz words on to their dry food product as possible, bamboozling the owner into

Read More »
Insulin in dry fed dogs

Why a 50% Carbohydrate Diet Gives Dogs Cancer

Why a 50% Carbohydrate Diet Gives Dogs Cancer Did you know domestic dogs are ten times more likely to get cancer than humans? They are the most cancer stricken animals on the planet. This is a total disgrace when Western dogs are so adored, so pampered. One more little fact,

Read More »
cbd oil for dogs

Results of the Canna-Pet Trial

Results from the Canna-Pet CBD Trial… You may remember I got on to the company making Canna-Pet CBD oil for pets some time ago. I proposed to them that I would put 6 dogs with various health conditions which might benefit from CBD (Cannabidiol) oil supplementation (largely skin and joint

Read More »
herb garden for dogs

What to do With all Your Polystyrene Boxes

What to do With all Your PolyStyrene Boxes There is no alternative to a fresh meat diet for dogs and cats. However, the whole process comes with many costs. And no, the financial cost is not one of them as you can feed them fresh food for the same price

Read More »
Halal meat in raw dog food

Is There Non-Stunned Meat in Your UK Raw Dog Food?!

The UK Halal Sector and its Implications for Your raw dog Food of Choice… As my recent articles on Halal / kosher meat production in Ireland have indicated, non-stunned meat is not required to be labelled as such for the normal, non-halal market, thus we don’t know if we have

Read More »
trust me I'm a vet

Some Bad News, Some Worse Journalism and Good News…

Multinationals Have Turned Veterinary Science Into the Veterinary Industry… I’m not supposed to be blogging on my holiday but I can’t help it. This is just too big and too serious an event. Mars have taken a huge step towards controlling a hefty chunk of the vet hospitals in the US.

Read More »
cartoon image of a dog holding his groin

New Poll: Is Your dog Neutered?

New Poll: Is Your dog Neutered? Results of last week’s poll, where we asked if you have pet health insurance or not, are in. It was practically a dead heat the entire time, finishing with 78/154 (51%) of you saying “yes” you have health insurance for them! Very interesting. Our

Read More »
image of dog with collar and bandaged food

Do you Have pet Insurance? Take our Poll!

[poll id=”4″] Pet Insurance is a hot Topic… Some reading the above headline might be surprised. Others less so. The truth is health insurance is a good thing. Ask anyone waiting on trolleys in the public sector. When it comes to our pet’s health though, it gets a little more grey.

Read More »
almond oil is natural sunscreen for dogs

Natural Sunscreen For Dogs…

Natural Sunscreen for Dogs… A VERY optimistic poster just asked me did I know of any natural sunscreen ideas for a very white little Staffie pup. This was interesting as I remember hearing that seed oils are naturally SPF. Two things you might not know about sunscreen. The first is,

Read More »
a picture of a dog with a suitcase

Travelling Abroad With Your Dog…

Travelling Abroad With Your dog, a Note on Blood Titres and Passports… As the evidence builds against the gross over-vaccination of our pets, more and more people are asking me for travel advice, specifically on vaccinations when crossing borders. Currently, pets are required to be dosed up to the eyeballs

Read More »
a cartoon waiver

Waivers for Kennels and DayCares

Waivers for Kennels and Daycares… I think the majority of us on here do not believe in the practice of annually boosting already vaccinated animals, or an entirely ineffective kennel cough “vaccine”, not to mention chemical flea or worm control for animals with no parasites. The problem for us arises

Read More »
cartoon dog getting sick from a chicken or beef allergy

Chicken or beef allergies in dogs

Ever Wonder how / why Dogs can Suffer Chicken and Beef Allergies?! A New Theory… As I like to say, a dog being allergic to beef or chicken should be as strange as a cow being allergic to grass. So, how can dogs become sensitive to a food group that

Read More »
a range of botanica products

Botanica, For Skin Conditions in Dogs

Botanica, Natures Healing Energy So, who’s heard of Botanica?! As we’re now stocking them! Botanica is an Irish company making natural products that target the heal and repair of a great variety of common skin conditions in dogs (as well as horses and humans). And by all accounts they do it

Read More »

Tips for Buying Dry Dog Food…

Top Tips for Buying the Best Dry Dog Food If you absolutely have to feed dry food, for whatever reason, then it really doesn’t matter who is making or selling your “complete” dry food of choice, as there’s so little between these brands, bar marketing budget. So here’s a few top tips

Read More »
ALOE VERA FOR DOGS

Aloe Vera For Pets, Why and How

Aloe Vera For Pets, Why and How Aloe vera is one of my favourite plants on the planet. Incredibly versatile but most effective on skin issues. It’s not only rich in vitamins A, C and E but it is a clinically proven antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory. Furhtermore Aloe Vera is

Read More »
a single roll of biodegradable poo bags

Biodegradable Poo Bags, The Inside Scoop!

Biodegradable Poo Bags, The Inside Scoop! Nice title, eh?! Seriously though, we know plastic is really bad for the environment. Plastic goes into landfill and doesn’t break down. Or, it does, but extremely slowly, meaning it releases all it’s chemical nastiness slowly through all the garbage into our water table.

Read More »
Dog chewed up their license

Do you have a license for your dog?!

Do you have a license for your dog?! I was approached yesterday with the question – how many dogs are there in Ireland? However, in trying to research the answer I came across a more interesting question, how many of you actually have a dog license?! Here’s what we found…

Read More »
a photo of a labrador eating grass

Applied ZooPharmacognosy

Applied ZooPharmacognosy Two weeks ago a lady asked me did I know of any Applied ZooPharmacognosy (AZ) practioners in Northern Ireland? In Northern Ireland?!!! I don’t even know any in the South either. In fact, to be honest, I wasn’t exactly sure what it was. Then I got to thinking.

Read More »
fish oil for dogs alleviates inflammation

An Important Note on Fish Oil Supplementation in Dogs

Fish Oil Supplementation in Dogs I just read an interesting point on Patricia Gethin’s excellent forum re fish oil supplementation in dogs. It concerned a dog owner in Australia who had been giving 8 capsules of fish oil tablets to her 3yr old, fresh fed, 80kg Neopolitan Mastiff (example above,

Read More »
a photo of two dogs and one dog looks guilty

They Might Remember More Than you Know…

Our dogs might remember a lot more than we have given them credit for… It has long been an old adage that dogs do not reflect on events in the recent past. For this reason you should never chastise them after an event such as a chewing of your chew

Read More »
trying to clone a mammoth

Clone your dog for €100k?!

Welcome to the Clone Factory… Our fourth installation of the top 5 most interesting studies to come out on dogs in 2016, this one is about cloning and involves laboratories that are putting out 500 new animals a week, wolves born to dogs and an opportunity to resurrect the dead! In an effort

Read More »
oregano oil is great for kennel cough in dogs

Oregano Oil for Kennel Cough

Lots of Folk Recommend Oregano Oil for Fighting Bacteria AND Colds, But Does it Work and who Says?! Oregano oil is recommended for treating kennel cough in dog by many websites, including Dogs Naturally Magazine. In fact every single natural-type website has it top of the list for all the

Read More »
an image of kelp with "kelp for cancer" written on it

Kelp for Cancer…And Everything Else

Kelp for Cancer…And Everything Else So much disease in humans is the result of nasty, reactive baddies called free radicles (oxidants) which whizz around inside us. They are responsible for most inflammatory and cardiovascular disease, cancer and ageing. How do they get in? For the large part, we eat them (processed foods, unnatural

Read More »
cartoon of a doctor with his hands hand cuffed with a dollar sign

Influence of Big Pharma in Ireland: Uncovered

Influence of Big Pharma in Ireland: Uncovered Anyone see that article in the Sunday Business Post on the influence of corporate sponsorship in Irish surgeries and hospitals nationwide? It was a cracker, everything you hoped wasn’t true but feared it was. The lead caption said it all: Big drug firms pay almost one-third

Read More »
big tick project

The Big Tick Project

The Big Tick Project is Funded by The Makers of Bravecto, The Controversial Chemical Tick Killer… I was recently sent a pretty astounding study that stated 31% of 15,000 UK dogs tested had ticks. This was, at first glance, very concerning. However, history has told me that when something absolutely

Read More »

Categories

Need Advice?

1-to-1 Online Consultations

Should you need a little hand holding, I’m here to help. Consultations are typically 1 hour in length: 15 minutes to read your presubmitted questionnaire and prepare for your pet, 30-40 minutes with you directly via Zoom / Skype and 10-15 minutes to write your summary email, including all necessary tips and their diet plan. It also includes a follow up email should you need it.

MY BEST SELLER

5/5
"Finally! A well-written, well-referenced thorough examination of the raw dog food debate. A fantastic gift for your favourite veterinarian."
Dr. Karen Becker

Share

Share This Article

Subscribe

For the most up-to-date advice and support.