In this week’s episode, I have the absolute joy of chatting with Dr. Madeleine Browne, a fellow integrative veterinarian and sports medicine expert who’s just as passionate as I am about helping our pets thrive at every stage of life. We dive into one of my favorite topics: how to protect your dog’s joints, starting long before you ever see signs of stiffness or pain. Because here’s the truth… the way your pup plays, moves, and exercises from those wiggly puppy days can shape their mobility for years to come. Dr. Browne shares simple, practical steps you can start right away, from gentle play modifications to fun at-home strengthening exercises, all designed to help your dog avoid heartbreaking conditions like arthritis, cruciate ligament tears, and IVDD (herniated discs). If you’ve ever dreamed of your fur baby trotting happily by your side well into their golden years, this episode is filled with the tools to make that dream a reality. Let’s keep those tails wagging for life 🐶

KEY INSIGHTS:

✨ Why mobility matters at every age — and how prevention in puppyhood sets the stage for lifelong joint health.

✨ How everyday activities like stairs, zoomies, and jumping off the couch can impact growing joints, and how to make them safer.

✨ Why keeping your dog lean is one of the most powerful ways to prevent arthritis and other mobility problems.

✨ How “prehab” (rehabilitation exercises started before injury) can strengthen your dog’s core, improve coordination, and lower injury risk.

✨ Breed-specific risks you should know — and what to ask your vet about preventing common issues like IVDD or cruciate ligament tears.

✨ Simple at-home strengthening exercises, including the “doggy crunch,” to build core stability and protect the spine.

✨ How to safely prepare puppies for high-impact activities like hiking, jogging, or agility — and why starting too soon can backfire.

✨ And home environment changes (like raised food bowls and non-slip flooring) that can make a big difference for joint protection.

RESOURCES:

Check out Dr. Madeleine’s educational blog posts on her website for more joint health and mobility tips: Balanced Paws Vet

FOLLOW:

Dr. Madeleine Browne: @balancedpawsvet

Integrative Pet Wellness Center: integrativepet.com
Integrative Pet Wellness Center on Instagram: @integrativepet
Dr. Lily Chen on Instagram: @dr.lilychen @the.unicorn.vet

Sign up to our newsletter to get more holistic pet care tips

When Melissa Boland’s dog Henry Clay was diagnosed with cancer, and then she was diagnosed with cancer as well, her world cracked open. What she discovered next lit a fire in her that would change the grooming industry forever. In this episode, I sit down with her to talk about founding 4-Legger, a USDA-certified organic dog shampoo brand, and we dive into a powerful conversation about what’s really hiding in your pet’s grooming products, and how it could be affecting their long-term health. We talk about everything from misleading marketing terms to hidden carcinogens that never even show up on the label. Melissa breaks down what you really need to know about ingredients like “coconut-based” and why most “natural” dog shampoos… aren’t. If you’ve ever assumed that what you’re putting on your dog’s skin is safe, this episode is a must-listen because your dog’s skin is their largest organ. And what goes on it… goes in it. 

KEY INSIGHTS:

✨ How Melissa’s deep soul relationship with her heart dog Henry Clay started her on a mission to change the pet shampoo industry. 

✨ How companies like 4-Legger that go through the USDA organic program are required to list all their ingredients giving pet parents real transparency. 

✨ How the toxins found in a lot of conventional shampoos build up in our pets bodies and over time can contribute to liver or kidney failure.

✨ Are pets with seizures being chronically exposed to neurotoxins through shampoos?

✨ The rescue dog whose hair grew back after he got many many therapeutic baths with 4-Legger healing shampoos.

✨ How the pet grooming industry is shockingly unregulated and what that means for your dog.

✨ What terms like “coconut-derived” or “natural surfactant” really mean (and why they’re a red flag).

✨ How a single fragrance on the label can contain up to 500 undisclosed chemicals. 

✨ How conventional ingredients like formaldehyde-releasing preservatives can accumulate in your dog’s body over time..

✨ How 4-Legger peppermint and tea tree oil shampoo can sometimes be used as a natural alternative to medicated shampoos.

✨ And Melissa tells us all about the Pet Shampoo Ingredient Database she created.  

RESOURCES:

✨Check out the Pet Shampoo Ingredient Database by 4-Legger 👇

The Pet Shampoo Database 

✨ Download our FREE holistic pet care guides 👇

Itchy Pet Action Plan

FOLLOW:

4-Legger: https://www.4-legger.com/

Integrative Pet Wellness Center: https://integrativepet.com/

4-Legger: @4leggerz

Integrative Pet Wellness Center: @integrativepet

Dr. Lily Chen: @dr.lilychen

@the.unicorn.vet

💌 Sign up for our newsletter to get holistic pet care tips straight to your inbox

In this episode, Shari, a cherished Concierge Member and founder of the Shari's Daycare, and I explore what it really looks like to offer the highest level of care. Shari shares how her daycare model flipped the script on what a day care can be. Think luxury concierge-style services, individualized enrichment, personalized meals, and even a pickup school bus for dogs. Basically it’s like a kindergarten for pets! Shari takes the happiness of each dog seriously—carefully observing their needs, guiding social play, and making sure every pup is an energy match with their friends so everyone’s having a good time. But Shari and I also go deeper into what happens behind the scenes when caretakers are running on empty. We both think back to our experience with a corporate vet practice model that lacked compassion and how we saw firsthand how so many brilliant vet professionals are undervalued. This episode is a beautiful reminder that raising the standard for pets starts by raising our standard for self-care and team care 💫 

KEY INSIGHTS:

✨ How Shari’s concierge-style daycare model creates emotional safety through individualized support, personalized meals, and carefully curated playgroups.

✨ How delivering high-level care means charging in a way that honors the team's time, energy, and expertise.

✨ The importance of guiding social play and watching for energy matches—so every dog feels safe and genuinely happy.

✨ What both Shari and Lily witnessed working in corporate vet clinics that made them realize something had to change. 

✨ And how filling up your own cup and taking a proper break is essential for anyone in a caregiving role. 

RESOURCES:

If you’d like to apply to join Shari’s amazing dog care in South Bay, Los Angeles, just send her an email [email protected]

Please note: The Integrative Pet Wellness Center does offer payment plans through Vet Billing 💸

INTRODUCING THE EXCLUSIVE CONCIERGE MEMBERSHIP WITH DR. LILY AND VET TECH DIANNE

Are you a pet parent who expects nothing less than exceptional care for your fur baby? Do you want to keep them healthy rather than waiting for them to get sick?And is having access to advanced integrative treatments and both western and holistic options a non-negotiable for you?

If that sounds like you, you're exactly who this membership was designed for 💖

Doors are now open. Apply to join: https://www.theunicornvet.com/Concierge ✨

FOLLOW:

Integrative Pet Wellness Center on Instagram: @integrativepet

Dr. Lily Chen on Instagram: @dr.lilychen

@the.unicorn.vet

Sign up for our newsletter to get pet health care tips & updates

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Katie Woodley—aka The Natural Pet Doctor—for a heart-opening, science-rich chat on gut health, food sensitivities, chronic skin issues (because the skin always tells a deeper story), and what to do if your dog keeps having diarrhea. Dr. Katie's shift from conventional vet med to holistic gut expert began when her husband was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, and she realized just how much was missing from the traditional toolbox. That moment sparked a deep dive into holistic healing, and today, she's one of the most sought-after gut health vets in the field. Together, we explore how true healing begins with restoring the gut terrain before big diet changes and how functional testing can finally offer the deeper answers you’ve been searching for (the ones we just can't find with conventional testing alone). So if your pet has been struggling with itchy skin, chronic vomiting, or ongoing diarrhea, and you've tried different diets and supplements and seen multiple vets, and your pup still isn't getting better then this heartfelt, practical episode is for you.

KEY INSIGHTS:

✨ Why some pets react to even the best fresh food diets—and what that reveals about the underlying gut terrain.

✨ The exact tests Dr. Katie runs in every chronic diarrhea or itchy skin case. 

✨ Why functional medicine testing speeds up healing and helps avoid burnout from trying the wrong things in the wrong order. 

✨ How a study showed puppies fed fresh food early had a lower risk of allergies and itchy skin later in life. 

✨ Why digestive enzymes are often the key first step for pets with poor digestion. 

✨ How herbs like slippery elm and marshmallow root soothe an inflamed gut and reduce food reactivity. 

✨ What “binders” are and how they help detox gently without stressing the body. 

✨ Why detoxing too early can backfire when drainage pathways aren’t open—and how to know if your pet is ready. 

✨ How to rotate food in a way that strengthens the gut when your pet is ready. 

✨ The connection between chronic gut and skin symptoms and deeper issues like heavy metals, mycotoxins (aka mold), and leaky gut. 

✨ Why prescription diets weren’t meant to be long-term and how they can lead to nutrient deficiencies. 

✨ What it really means to “restore instead of strip” the body and how this flips conventional veterinary thinking. 

✨ Why things haven’t worked in the past and how understanding your pet’s gut terrain can change everything. 

✨ How emotional stress in humans impacts pets and why you soothing your nervous system is part of their healing too. 

✨ And the power of community and support when navigating chronic illness because you don’t have to do this alone. 

RESOURCES:

Dr. Katie’s Gut & Skin Healing Program 👇

Better Gut Health Blueprint

FREE Masterclass with Dr. Katie 👇

Transform Your Pet's Health Naturally: The Blueprint to End Chronic Gut and Skin Issues

FOLLOW:

Dr. Katie Woodley:  https://www.thenaturalpetdoctor.com/

Dr. Katie’s YouTube: The Natural Pet Doctor

Dr. Katie Woodley Instagram: @thenaturalpetdoctor 

Integrative Pet Wellness Center: integrativepet.com

Integrative Pet Wellness Center Instagram: @integrativepet

Dr. Lily Chen: @dr.lilychen @the.unicorn.vet

Sign up to our newsletter to get more pet health care tips

It’s our 1-year podcast anniversary! 🎉 And what better way to celebrate than with a real, unfiltered Q&A answering the exact questions pet parents are asking right now. In this special episode, I’m joined by two amazing guests and Concierge Members—Janet and Shari—who open up about their journeys with chronic pet conditions, shifting from a conventional to integrative vet model, and the healing breakthroughs they’ve experienced through holistic care. From cysts that closed without surgery to UTIs resolved without antibiotics to cancer that dissolved without chemo, this episode is filled with the kind of stories that remind you healing is possible. We cover some of the most important questions I hear in practice and online—from flea meds to senior care to vaccine protocols to yeast infections, and whether rectal ozone therapy is really worth the drive (spoiler: it is). Whether you're brand new to holistic care or just want to go deeper, this episode is packed with practical insight, lived experience, and a whole lot of heart.

KEY INSIGHTS:

✨Why I started this podcast and what shifted for me along the way.

✨What holistic medicine actually means and why it’s rooted in science.

✨What rectal ozone therapy is, how it works, and why I recommend it weekly.

✨How a senior dog healed her cancer without surgery or chemo.

✨How a chihuahua, Jinju’s, chronic UTIs cleared up naturally without antibiotics.

✨What to do if your pet has Giardia or tapeworms and why you sometimes want to avoid dewormers.

✨The rise of parasite resistance and why conventional flea meds might be doing more harm than good.

✨Safer, holistic flea prevention strategies that actually work.

✨Is once-a-day feeding ideal for large dogs?

✨When GI issues mimic Addison’s disease and how to avoid misdiagnosis.

✨What it means when your dog has chronic diarrhea but all their tests are “normal”.

✨Why yeast overgrowth is often a gut problem, not just a skin issue.

✨How I handle rabies vaccine laws, titer testing, and exemption requests.

✨How to prioritize care for your senior pet when you’re on a tight budget.

✨Why preventative care is more powerful than treating symptoms after the fact. 

RESOURCES:

Ozone therapy, microbiome testing, natural flea treatments, and holistic UTI care:

✨ Learn more at Integrative Pet Wellness Center

Toppers & fresh food brands I trust:

✨Green Juju

✨ Solutions Pet Products

✨Susan Thixton’s The List (a curated list comparing the top pet food brands)

INTRODUCING THE EXCLUSIVE CONCIERGE MEMBERSHIP WITH DR. LILY AND VET TECH DIANNE 

Are you a pet parent who expects nothing less than exceptional care for your fur baby? Do you want to keep them healthy rather than waiting for them to get sick? And is having access to advanced integrative treatments and both western and holistic options a non-negotiable for you? If that sounds like you, you're exactly who this membership was designed for 💖

Doors are now open. Apply to join ✨👇

https://www.theunicornvet.com/Concierge

FOLLOW:

Integrative Pet Wellness Center on Instagram: @integrativepet

Dr. Lily Chen on Instagram: @dr.lilychen @the.unicorn.vet

Sign up for our newsletter to get pet health care tips & updates

This week’s guest is someone I absolutely adore, Shari! 💜 She’s a longtime client, a rockstar in our Concierge Membership, and one of the most open-hearted learners I know. Shari’s story is a reminder that when you stay curious and say yes to growth, amazing things can happen. She started her journey in vet med in the 80s as a kennel assistant. From there? She soaked up everything she could—learning lab work, radiology, even assisting with dentals—and eventually became a veterinary technician, then a beloved practice manager known for her leadership and compassion. But it wasn’t until her dad got sick that she discovered the world of holistic healing. That experience opened her eyes… and later, her heart, to integrative care for pets too. Now she runs a thriving doggy daycare, is deeply committed to her own cat’s preventative care, and brings so much wisdom to everything she does. We talk about the power of saying yes to the next right step, how integrative medicine found her when she was ready, and why being a lifelong learner might be the most magical trait of all. This episode will leave you feeling hopeful, inspired, and totally in love with Shari’s story 💫

KEY INSIGHTS:

✨ Why taking care of your vet team is the real secret to a thriving practice and how Shari’s leadership style led to a standing ovation from a roundtable of vets.

✨ The moment she realized conventional protocols weren’t enough for her own pet, and why she started searching for deeper answers. 

✨ How our pets mirror our own physical and emotional health more than we realize.

✨ A few ways vet practices can take care of their teams at a deeper level and create a culture of kindness and belonging. 

✨ Why meditation and stress reduction is so powerful for healing. 

✨ And how the Concierge Membership inspired Shari not only to support Miley’s health on another level... but start prioritizing her own well-being too.

RESOURCES:

If you’d like to apply to join Shari’s amazing dog care in South Bay, Los Angeles, just send her an email [email protected]

INTRODUCING THE EXCLUSIVE CONCIERGE MEMBERSHIP WITH DR. LILY AND VET TECH DIANNE 

Are you a pet parent who expects nothing less than exceptional care for your fur baby? Do you want to keep them healthy rather than waiting for them to get sick? And is having access to advanced integrative treatments and both western and holistic options a non-negotiable for you? If that sounds like you, you're exactly who this membership was designed for 💖

Doors are now open. Apply to join ✨👇

https://www.theunicornvet.com/Concierge

FOLLOW:

Integrative Pet Wellness Center on Instagram: @integrativepet

Dr. Lily Chen on Instagram: @dr.lilychen @the.unicorn.vet

Sign up for our newsletter to get pet health care tips & updates

Could this be what’s been missing in your pet’s healing journey? Okay, pet parents… this might be the most unexpectedly fascinating episode we’ve ever recorded. Yes, we’re talking about poop 💩. But not just any poop. We're talking about fecal microbiota transplants (FMT), a powerful healing therapy that’s helping pets recover from chronic disease, regulate their immune system, and even change their behavior. If your dog struggles with chronic vomiting, diarrhea, allergies, or itching and nothing seems to work this episode might open a whole new door. In this episode, I sit down with our incredible vet assistant Mickie for part two of our candid conversation on holistic healing. We dive deep into how I got started with fecal transplants and where we think this is going. Imagine a future where we can select specific strains of bacteria to target specific diseases. Where you can personalize a transplant like you would a supplement blend, mixing and matching strains to target a specific health challenge. Come along as we explore where the fascinating world of microbiome healing is heading, because this might just be the future of medicine, and your pet deserves to be at the forefront of it. 

KEY INSIGHTS:

✨ How a pet parent’s research led to Dr. Lily’s very first fecal transplant and the results that blew her mind. 

✨ The origin of Dr. Lily’s now-trademarked Balanced Biome protocol (hint: it involved a lot of trial and error). 

✨ Why poop from the right donor can reset a pet’s immune system, behavior, and digestion. 

✨ The real reason fresh poop works better than powder and how we're thinking of building our own poop bank of super-donors.

✨ What the future of microbiome therapy could look like: personalized blends of specific strains to treat disease. 

✨ And why you shouldn’t wait until your pet is sick—microbiome therapy is a powerful preventive tool too. 

Download any of our free resources: 

⁠Itchy Pet Action Plan ⁠

⁠The Preventative Testing Guide That Can Help Your Pet Live (Almost) Forever⁠

⁠The Step-By-Step Pet Detox Guide ⁠

FOLLOW:

Mickie's IG: ⁠@mickiecurtice⁠

Integrative Pet Wellness Center: ⁠https://integrativepet.com⁠

Integrative Pet Wellness Center on Instagram: ⁠@integrativepet⁠

Dr. Lily Chen on Instagram: ⁠@dr.lilychen⁠ ⁠@the.unicorn.vet ⁠

⁠Sign up⁠ to our newsletter to get more holistic pet care tips

In this episode, I sit down with one of our incredible vet assistants, Mickie, for a fun and refreshingly candid conversation about what it really looks like to go from total skeptic to full on believer in holistic medicine. When Mickie first joined us as an extern, she didn’t hold back—she was questioning everything from acupuncture to fecal transplants to crystals (especially the unicorn one 😅). But what she experienced behind the scenes changed everything. Mickie opens up about the pet patient that cracked her heart wide open and why she now believes that we’ve been conditioned to trust pharmaceuticals without questioning side effects—while dismissing holistic care that’s been used for thousands of years. This episode is about unlearning what we’ve been taught. About realizing that suppressing symptoms isn’t the same as healing. And about the power of keeping an open mind—because when we do, we just might witness something miraculous. This is a must-listen for any pet parent who’s been curious about  holistic medicine but isn’t sure what to believe.

✨ Why Mickie was completely against holistic medicine at first and what finally changed her mind.

✨ What happened when she watched a dog with Cushings fully heal with microbiome therapy, nanolight therapy, and acupuncture. 

✨ Why she thought acupuncture was nonsense… until she saw it work. 

✨ How we can use a pendulum to figure out where an animal is holding pain is when we can’t pick it up on an exam. 

✨ What conventional vet training gets wrong about healing, and why so many good techs and vets feel stuck in a system that doesn’t fix the root cause. 

✨ The emotional toll of working in veterinary care and how our team culture at Integrative Pet Wellness Centre helps us show up with empathy and presence. 

✨ What pet parents should look for when choosing a veterinary team and why team dynamic matters more than you think. 

✨ Why individualized care will always create greater results than “standard” protocols (even the “gold standard” ones).  

Download any of our free resources: 

Itchy Pet Action Plan 

The Preventative Testing Guide That Can Help Your Pet Live (Almost) Forever

The Step-By-Step Pet Detox Guide 

FOLLOW:

Mickie's IG: @mickiecurtice

Integrative Pet Wellness Center: https://integrativepet.com

Integrative Pet Wellness Center on Instagram: @integrativepet

Dr. Lily Chen on Instagram: @dr.lilychen @the.unicorn.vet 

Sign up to our newsletter to get more holistic pet care tips

This week, I’m joined by Dr. Tina Hansen (aka the Purple Vet), an integrative veterinarian from Norway with a global perspective and a huge heart for real nutrition. She’s worked with animals all over the world, from the UK to South Africa to the Caribbean to Argentina to Zimbabwe, and what she’s seen will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about pet food. In this episode, we dive into why some of the healthiest animals she’s treated aren’t eating premium kibble at all… and why ultra-processed food may be contributing to the chronic issues we see in pets today. Tina breaks down how to start feeding fresh without overwhelm, when raw food makes sense (and when it might not), and how nutrition can literally transform allergy, autoimmune, and gut cases…sometimes when nothing else has worked. This conversation is packed with insights that simplify pet care. Let’s jump in!

KEY INSIGHTS:

• Dr. Tina shares her incredible experiences treating pets and wildlife across the globe from South Africa to Argentina to remote Caribbean islands. 

• Why chronic disease was practically nonexistent in certain parts of lower income countries where kibble prices were super high. 

• Why feeding fresh food (even scraps!) often creates better health outcomes than expensive ultra-processed diets. 

• How pets might have a harder time absorbing synthetic vitamins in kibble than nutrients from whole food. 

• Why medications like steroids and antibiotics should be a last resort not the first line of care and how it makes it much harder for the pet to heal in the long term. 

• How nutrition can be the single most powerful healing tool (when used correctly!)

• How raw feeding can be done safely and simply even for beginners. 

• Why we need to rethink the “standard of care” in conventional vet medicine and how ignoring the root cause can cause more harm than good. 

• How a hair mineral analysis can give you deeper insight into your pet’s health. 

• Why early nutrition and lifestyle support can prevent years of struggle. 

• And a gentle reminder: Vets are under huge pressure to do it all and they really are trying their best. 

  
  

  RESOURCES:

  You can access Dr. Tina (aka the Purple Vet’s) amazing free resources and courses for pet parents 💜👇

  Purple Vet Courses

  
  

  FOLLOW:

  Dr. Tina: @purple.vet 

  Purple Vet: https://www.purple.vet/

  Integrative Pet Wellness Center: https://integrativepet.com

  Integrative Pet Wellness Center on Instagram: @integrativepet

  Dr. Lily Chen on Instagram: @dr.lilychen @the.unicorn.vet 

  
  

  Sign up to our newsletter to get more holistic pet care tips

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Edward Bassingthwaighte, aka The Healing Vet, to explore one of the most fascinating (and sometimes misunderstood) topics in animal care: energy healing. Dr. Edward shares his deeply personal journey from working in conventional vet hospitals to creating his own method of intuitive bodywork and energy healing to being forced to heal himself from Lyme disease and chronic fatigue when western medicine failed. We talk about how therapeutic touch helped him relieve pain and trauma in animals, and why your emotional state directly affects your pet’s well-being, something I know many of us have felt in our bones. He opens up about telepathic communication with animals (yep, it's a thing), what it’s like to connect with pets across the globe via Zoom, and how every single one of us can tap into our own healing abilities to help our pets. If you've ever wondered if your pet would benefit from energy healing or body work this episode is for you. 

KEY INSIGHTS:

• How Dr. Edward’s own health crisis led him to develop the Whole Energy Body Balance Method. 

• How animals taught him how to heal with touch. 

• How you can support your pet with anxiety, trauma, or pain through bodywork. 

• A wild story about a rescue dog who kept running away… until one energy healing session changed everything. 

• The truth about pets “mirroring” your emotions (and how to help them by healing yourself). 

• The one daily grounding practice every pet parent should do, for their sake and their pets. 

• How Dr. Edward learnt a technique to help horses who are lame walk again. 

• How to spot common signs of stress in your cat or dog.

• What it means if your pet doesn’t seem to have the ability to learn. 

• And how you can take Dr. Edward’s course and learn to do energy work on your own pet. 

  
  

  RESOURCES:

  Want to learn Dr. Edward’s healing techniques? Check out his courses 

  WholeEnergyBodyBalance.com 

  
  

  FOLLOW:

  Dr. Edward: @the_healing_vet

  Dr. Edward’s holistic vet practice TheHealingVet.com 

  Integrative Pet Wellness Center: https://integrativepet.com

  Integrative Pet Wellness Center on Instagram: @integrativepet

  Dr. Lily Chen on Instagram: @dr.lilychen @the.unicorn.vet 

  
  

  Sign up to our newsletter to get more holistic pet care tips