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In this episode of The Alternative Dog Moms, holistic veterinarian Dr. Nick Thompson, President of the Raw Feeding Veterinary Society, the voice behind @HolisticVetUK, and co-host of the Raw Pet Medics podcast, joins us to talk about why nutrition is often the missing link in canine health.

Dr. Nick shares his journey from conventional practice to holistic veterinary medicine and explains why nutrition is frequently overlooked as a root cause of chronic disease in dogs. We discuss why some veterinarians remain resistant to nutrition-based approaches, how pet parents can work collaboratively with conventional vets they may disagree with, and the cultural differences between raw feeders in the UK and the USA.

You’ll also learn what Dr. Nick feeds his own dogs and how dog parents can confidently feed fresh food without relying on spreadsheets or complex formulation software.

Whether you're new to raw feeding or a more advanced fresh feeder, this episode will help you better understand how nutrition impacts long-term canine health and how to advocate for your dog while maintaining a positive relationship with your veterinary team.

CHAPTERS:

• Introducing Dr. Nick Thompson and why he shares the content he does on social media (0:56)
• Origin story to becoming a holistic veterinarian (8:38)
• Why do "conventional" veterinarians have such opposition to understanding that nutrition is often the root of disease (18:07)
• Working with conventional veterinarians who you may fundamentally disagree with (25:13)
• UK vs USA pet parents who embrace raw feeding (32:50)
• About Dr. Nick Thompson's dogs (41:41)
• What does the President of the Raw Feeding Veterinary Society feed his own dogs? (44:51)
• Feeding your dog without spreadsheets (55:04)

LINKS DISCUSSED:

• Raw Feeding Veterinary Society
  • Website: https://rfvs.info/
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RawFeedingVets
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rfvs.info/
• Dr. Nick Thompson
  • Website: https://holisticvet.co.uk/
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Holisticvet.Ltd
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holisticvetuk/?hl=en
• RawPetMedics
  • Website: https://rawpetmedics.com/
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rawpetmedics
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rpmvet/
• Courses with the Billinghurst Institute (https://www.billinghurst.institute/)

SOCIAL MEDIA:

• Kimberly: Raw Feeder Life, RawFeederLife.com
• Erin Scott: Believe in Dog podcast, BelieveInDogPodcast.com
• Raw Feeder Life, Instagram.com/RawFeederLife

Thanks for listening to our podcast. You can learn more about Erin Scott's first podcast at BelieveInDogPodcast.com. And you can learn more about raw feeding, raising dogs naturally, and Kimberly's dogs at KeepTheTailWagging.com. And don't forget to subscribe to The Alternative Dog Moms.

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In this episode, we dive into Dog Mom Winter, kibble contamination concerns, and why many homemade dog food recipes online are nutritionally deficient. We also break down a fascinating study on bloat (GDV) and the markers researchers are investigating, unpack heated online debates about medicinal mushrooms for dogs, and explain how to critically examine pet nutrition studies—without fear or fluff. We wrap things up with a little TV talk to keep it fun.

Chapters:

• Dog Mom Winter (0:56)
• Kibble contamination and deficient homemade recipes online (8:23)
• Are you concerned about bloat? What a study reveals about markers for this condition (33:43)
• Online mushroom debates and how we examine studies (43:19)
• TV Talk (1:03:29)

Links Discussed:

• Study out of Greece showing 95% of kibble has mycotoxins and 72% showed pesticide
  • Dr. Becker link: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17sPNRaQ37/
  • Link to study: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/18/1/22
• Study re: dogs that are prone to bloat have genetic and microbiome markers
  • Dr. Becker link: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1aXwExQoqR/
  • Link to study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29889838/
• Mushroom debate
  • Host Defense claims Lion's Mane mycelium more beneficial than fruiting body: https://nutraceuticalbusinessreview.com/new-study-lion-mane-mycelium-immune-fruiting-body
  • Critique that marketing claims aren't science: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/critique-claims-regarding-lions-mane-mycelium-philip-rebensburg-wmvne/
• Facebook Recipe Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3811403639186117/
• ADM Episode 12: Breaking down the 2013 study that 95% of homemade diets are deficient (https://alternativedogmoms.buzzsprout.com/1955775/episodes/10779166-alternative-dog-moms-ep-13-homemade-diets-satc-ajlt-cbd-oil-and-fireworks)

Social media:

• Kimberly: Raw Feeder Life, RawFeederLife.com
• Erin Scott: Believe in Dog podcast, BelieveInDogPodcast.com
• Raw Feeder Life, Instagram.com/RawFeederLife
• Believe in Dog Podcast, Instagram.com/Erin_The_Dog_Mom

Thanks for listening to our podcast. You can learn more about Erin Scott's first podcast at BelieveInDogPodcast.com. And you can learn more about raw feeding, raising dogs naturally, and Kimberly's dogs at KeepTheTailWagging.com. And don't forget to subscribe to The Alternative Dog Moms.

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In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Francis Cabana to talk pet nutrition myths, unbalanced homemade recipes online, microbiome health, probiotics, and what it’s really like working in the pet food industry. We also cover whether dogs are true carnivores, zoo kibble, affordable ways to improve your dog’s bowl, and how to confidently choose evidence-based nutrition over internet noise.

Timestamps:

0:56 – Dr. Francis’s origin story: from zookeeper to PhD animal nutritionist
8:06 – Why she started sharing about pet food on social media
13:13 – Life for dogs, cats, and pet parents in Singapore
17:16 – Unbalanced homemade recipes and misinformation online
25:31 – Encouraging pet parents (and our own parents) to try something new
32:00 – PhD in Animal Nutrition vs online nutrition certificates
40:11 – Are dogs carnivores? And what’s the deal with zoo kibble
45:10 – The microbiome, probiotics, and gut health
51:11 – Working as a nutritionist for a pet food brand
57:38 – What Dr. Francis feeds + affordable ways to improve your dog’s bowl

Links Discussed:

• https://www.instagram.com/fuelledfurlife/
• https://www.fuelledfurlife.com/
• Dr. Francis's published studies: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=francis%20cabana&sort=date&sort_order=desc

Social media:

• Kimberly: Raw Feeder Life, RawFeederLife.com
• Erin Scott: Believe in Dog podcast, BelieveInDogPodcast.com
• Raw Feeder Life, Instagram.com/RawFeederLife
• Believe in Dog Podcast, Instagram.com/Erin_The_Dog_Mom

Thanks for listening to our podcast. You can learn more about Erin Scott's first podcast at BelieveInDogPodcast.com. And you can learn more about raw feeding, raising dogs naturally, and Kimberly's dogs at KeepTheTailWagging.com. And don't forget to subscribe to The Alternative Dog Moms.