Tell Us What You Think

Dr. Rob Silver, the integrative veterinarian behind Boulder's Natural Animal Hospital, the Rx Vitamins line, and Real Mushrooms Pet Line joins Dr. Angie Krause to talk functional mushrooms and the gut microbiome. They cover why a probiotic alone rarely fixes an itchy dog, the importance of diet on gut health, how puppies and kittens inherit their microbiome, why Dr. Silver avoids metronidazole, what fecal transplants can do, and how to tell real mushroom supplements from mycelium grown on grain.

Key Takeaways:

• A probiotic alone rarely fixes an pet that's itchy or has digestive upset. Diet, genetics, environment, and lifestyle all shape the gut.
• Ultra processed food drives inflammation and immune reactivity. Fresh food doesn't have to be raw or fed seven days a week to help.
• The microbiome is individual. There is no single best probiotic for every animal.
• Puppies and kittens inherit their mother's microbiome. That makes the new puppy or kitten visit a key moment to build gut health.
• Dr. Silver considers metronidazole one of the most disruptive antibiotics for the microbiome. He reaches for symptomatic support first.
• Fecal microbiome transplants have a long track record and are now available fresh, freeze dried, and in capsules.
• Microbiome tests are all fairly reliable. The real challenge is interpreting the results and acting on them.
• Many "mushroom" supplements are mostly mycelium grown on grain. Beta glucan content tells the difference.
• Over the counter supplement labels are often dosed at wellness levels, not therapeutic ones.
• Lion's mane has roots in gut health, not just cognitive support. That's the gut brain connection in action.

Soundbites

"And we all know that most disease comes from the gut."  — Dr. Angie

 "Each animal is their own universe."  — Dr. Silver 

"It's kitty crack in here. They love it." — Dr. Angie

"Into every life a little vice must fall." — Dr. Silver 

"I think sometimes it's kind of like reading tea leaves" — Dr. Angie

"After forty years in practice, tired of putting out fires, it's time to start planting some trees" — Dr. Silver 

"I find that most supplements that people are buying over the counter don't really have therapeutic doses" — Dr. Angie

"It delays effective treatment to be giving grain to an animal who has cancer."— Dr. Silver 

"Because you can have dysbiosis without GI symptoms." — Dr. Angie

Dr. Silver's resources
There's a Mushroom for That
Well Pet Dispensary and his monthly live Q&A, fourth Thursday at 6pm Mountain: https://www.wellpetdispensary.com
SuprDOG microbiome testing waitlist: https://www.SuprDOG.ai
For veterinarians, his RACE approved CIVT mushroom course: https://civtedu.org/courses/essentials-of-veterinary-medicinal-mushrooms

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Tell Us What You Think

This week Dr. Angie and JoJo get into the uncomfortable question of overtesting in veterinary medicine. They talk about packages that bundle unnecessary vaccines and tests, the debate over year round flea and tick prevention, whether a heartworm test is necessary before starting Ivermectin, and why so many pet parents feel like they're not being offered options. Dr. Angie shares how she handles these conversations in her own exam room, including a few opinions she knows will ruffle feathers. 

Key Takeaways

• Dr. Angie has not personally seen private practices selling unnecessary test/vaccine packages, but acknowledges some clinics do it
• A more litigious culture may be pushing some vets toward defensive over testing, particularly in emergency medicine
• Dr. Angie questions the value of yearly fecal tests in low risk populations and does not require year round flea, tick, and heartworm prevention unless a pet travels or the household needs the routine
• A heartworm test before starting prevention is mainly a concern for pets coming from high risk regions (the South); in Boulder's climate and history it's less critical
• 81% of vets say they often offer an alternative plan when cost is a barrier, but 73% of clients say they're not offered one, a communication gap 
• Tiered treatment options ("start here, then here") seem to be disappearing, especially at corporate clinics, replaced by single upfront estimates
• Vet experience and individual risk tolerance both affect how many diagnostics get recommended
• Dr. Angie encourages clients to ask "do I really need this" and says she wants shared decision making, not blind compliance
• Cost is often the real driver behind what looks like distrust, and financial conversations are normal and okay to have
• Building a relationship with a vet who will have honest, individualized conversations is presented as the real solution, more than any specific test or protocol

Soundbites

"I don't wanna gaslight people and tell them this isn't happening. Sometimes it is happening."  — Dr. Angie

"There's an overarching story that veterinarians are greedy. And veterinary medicine is greedy."  — JoJo

"I want you to know there's a lot of dogs walking around and we know they have a heart murmur and they haven't had an echocardiogram yet."  — Dr. Angie

"So trust your vet."  — Dr. Angie

"It does feel like a unnecessary reach for money, which makes the industry feel distrusting."  — JoJo

 "I think those consults are great for second opinions."  — JoJo

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Tell Us What You Think

Most cat parents assume rabies risk is an outdoor cat problem. Dr. Angie and JoJo disagree, and they've got two recent patient cases to explain why. In this episode, they walk through rabid bats becoming more common in the Boulder and Denver area, how a bat's behavior changes when it's infected, and what actually happens if a cat is exposed. That includes the quarantine process, why a rabies titer won't get a cat out of being vaccinated and quarantined, and the real consequences an unvaccinated, exposed animal can face. They also cover why rabies tops Dr. Angie's list of nonnegotiable vaccines, common myths about vaccine side effects, and what to look for in the vaccine itself. Listeners can grab their free course on cat vaccines at boulderholisticvet.com using code Truthtails or Truthtales. 

Key Takeaways

• Rabid bats do exist in the Boulder and Denver area, and their behavior changes when infected: daytime activity, flying into windows, being on the ground.
• Two of Dr. Angie's patients had confirmed or suspected bat exposure in the past year.
• If a cat is exposed to a potentially rabid animal and isn't current on the vaccine, the state veterinarian can require an extended quarantine, and in some cases can move to euthanize the animal.
• A rabies titer does not substitute for vaccination in an exposure situation. It only shows immunity status at that moment and takes too long to come back to be useful in an active exposure.
• Rabies is not just a bat issue. Skunks, fox, and domestic animals can carry it too.
• Of all core vaccines, Dr. Angie ranks rabies as the one she'd keep no matter what, because it is uniformly fatal once symptomatic. FVRCP matters, but panleukopenia is the only component in that combo with comparable severity for cats.
• Common vaccine hesitancy around rabies (fear it affects the nervous system) misunderstands how the vaccine works. It's a fragment of virus prompting an antibody response, not an infection.
• Dr. Angie uses Purevax (Boehringer Ingelheim) for cats, administered below the knee, elbow, or in the tail, per current best practice for injection site.

Soundbites

"We've had two in the last year of our patients be exposed to bats, one confirmed rabies, we're waiting on the second one."  — Dr. Angie 

"If your animal has been exposed to a rabid animal and they are not up to date on their vaccines, I mean they can try to force you to euthanize your animal."  — Dr. Angie 

"It's a peace of mind vaccine because rabies is fatal."  — JoJo

"This is no shade to bats. Yes. Like they do so much."   — Dr. Angie 

"Well, I think there's like this trend right now to not vaccinate for rabies."  — JoJo

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Tell Us What You Think

On this episode of Tails of Truth, Dr. Angie Krause and veterinary nurse, JoJo, dig into listener comments and questions, covering cat hyperthyroidism testing, Cytopoint and cancer risk, heartworm resistance to ivermectin, and the rabies vaccine recall. They also talk through saccharomyces boulardii for dogs on prednisone and the ongoing debate around gut health and allergies in dogs. Some comments are kind. Some are not. Dr. Angie and JoJo answer them anyway. 

Key Takeaways

• Cat hyperthyroidism testing is different from thyroid testing in dogs or people and a standard T4 is usually sufficient; free T3 panels are rarely needed.
• Oral ulcers unrelated to kidney disease can drive up BUN and creatinine through dehydration alone, which can look like kidney failure on bloodwork without being kidney failure.
• Saccharomyces boulardii is generally considered safe for dogs on prednisone and may ease gut side effects, though it has no known direct effect on lymphoma itself.
• Long-term gut-healing protocols for allergic dogs are time- and resource-intensive and haven't shown consistently reliable results in Dr. Angie's experience.
• Cytopoint is not linked to increased cancer risk. Cyclosporine, a different drug, does carry a small increased lymphoma risk in some patients.
• As of recording, there were no confirmed reports of ivermectin-resistant heartworm in Colorado; informal discussion pointed to possible resistance in the Mississippi Delta/Louisiana region, not yet a verified nationwide trend.
• Rabies vaccine cost and dosing intervals vary by manufacturer and formulation: a one-year and three-year version aren't automatically the same product.

Soundbites

"The majority of these messages are so disrespectful and unnecessarily mean."    — Dr. Angie 

"Sometimes intervention earlier prevents more intense toxic interventions later."  — JoJo

"Cytopoint is not going to increase your dog's risk of cancer. That's real."                — Dr. Angie

"That's a very privileged place to sit, to be able to say I am gonna just really spend the next two to three years working on my dog's gut health."  — Dr. Angie

"If somebody had one experience with their animal and it worked out well for them, they suddenly are the expert." — JoJo

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Tell Us What You Think

Thorne, the supplement company millions of pet parents have trusted for over two decades, was just sold to Procter & Gamble for $3.8 billion. But the veterinary side of that business isn't part of the deal. It's now PetDomain, a fully family owned company built by the same people who ran ThorneVet for years.

In this episode, Dr. Angie and JoJo sit down with PetDomain owner and CEO Alex Pearson to talk about what happened, why his family chose independence over joining a corporate sale, and what family ownership means for the quality assurances behind every product on the shelf.

They cover how PetDomain sources and tests ingredients, why proprietary blends make it hard for pet parents to know what they're actually giving their pets, and what to look for when choosing a supplement brand you can trust.

If you've used ThorneVet products, or you're just trying to make sense of a pet product world full of company buyouts, this episode is for you.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• ThorneVet has rebranded to PetDomain following Thorne's $3.8 billion sale to Procter & Gamble, announced the same day as PetDomain's own brand launch.
• PetDomain is fully family owned and operated, run by the Pearson family who took over the ThorneVet line in 2019.
• Formulations, sourcing, and testing protocols have not changed with the split from Thorne.
• Proprietary blends can hide exact ingredient amounts from pet parents. PetDomain discloses full amounts on every label.
• NASC certification is one practical way pet parents can vet a supplement brand's manufacturing and testing standards.
• More supplements isn't always better. Both Alex and Dr. Angie agree on this.
• PetDomain randomly retests products already on shelves at six, twelve, and eighteen months to confirm they still deliver full potency and safety standards.

 SOUNDBITES 

 "I tell ya, integrity's probably cost me money."  — Alex Pearson

"What's in there is what's in there. I know that's gonna be true."  — Dr. Angie

"Luck is the residue of design."  — Alex Pearson

"There's no placebo. That's the nice thing."  — Dr. Angie

"We didn't want to be a part of a $3.8 billion purchase."  — Alex Pearson 

"I think a lot of people need to do less supplements."  — Dr. Angie 

"It's hard to find integrity in anything anymore." —JoJo

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Tell Us What You Think

Even veterinary professionals aren't immune to chaos and medical errors. In this episode, Dr. Angie and JoJo get vulnerable about the mistakes, emergencies, and shame spirals that happened with their own pets, including a medication dosing error, an unexpected ER visit after a dog ate a pot cookie, and a cat dental emergency that came with major sticker shock. They talk through what it actually feels like to mess up in an industry where you're expected to know better, why full mouth dental x-rays under anesthesia matter, how ASPCA Animal Poison Control works, and what to do if your dog may have eaten THC. Vulnerable, honest, and possibly even relatable.  

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Even experienced veterinarians and vet techs can make dosing errors, and ASPCA Animal Poison Control is a resource available to any pet parent, not just veterinary professionals
• Full mouth dental x-rays under anesthesia can catch problems like tooth resorption that aren't visible without them
• Dog THC toxicity is rarely fatal but can cause serious discomfort, including body temperature swings, vomiting, and disorientation
• CBD may help counteract THC toxicity in dogs by displacing it from cannabinoid receptors
• Pet insurance (the hosts both use Lemonade) can reimburse emergency costs quickly
• Veterinary professionals can feel shame asking their own colleagues questions, the same way pet parents sometimes do
• Veterinary medicine is expensive even for veterinarians
• Medical errors happen to even the best veterinarians and vet staff 
• Mistakes happen with pet parents.  This is a judgement free zone for all of it

 SOUNDBITES

"This is a scary episode." — JoJo

"I immediately felt sheepish and small."  — Dr. Angie

"She's hella uncomfortable." — JoJo

"You've gotta let yourself be human."  — Dr. Angie

"I think it makes us less judgmental, 'cause how can we judge?" — JoJo

"I'm in metronidazole jail."   — Dr. Angie

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Tell Us What You Think

Steroids get a bad reputation, especially among holistic pet parents, but Dr. Angie Krause and JoJo break down when cats actually need them and when it's okay to explore other options. They cover the difference between prednisone and prednisolone, the real risk of steroid-induced diabetes, budesonide as a gentler alternative, and how to safely taper a cat off long-term steroids. They also dig into steroids for IBD, asthma, and skin conditions, plus what the research does and doesn't say about steroids and cancer risk. They discuss benefits and risks and potential side effects.  This conversation is for any cat parent who has felt nervous about starting their cat on steroids.

Key Takeaways

• Prednisolone is generally preferred over prednisone for cats because some feline livers convert it less efficiently, though exact failure rates aren't well studied.
• Steroid-induced diabetes in cats is rare (Dr. Angie has seen it twice in 20 years) and, caught early, is often reversible.
• Diabetes risk is dose-dependent and shows up early, usually within the first few weeks, not after prolonged use.
• Budesonide stays local to the GI tract and doesn't carry the same systemic risk as prednisone/prednisolone.
• Cats tolerate steroids better than dogs, with fewer personality changes or physical side effects like muscle wasting.
• Steroids don't have to mean a lifelong commitment, but tapering, not cold-turkey stopping, is essential after long-term use to avoid adrenal crisis.
• Natural alternatives (diet, CBD, herbs, probiotics) work for maintenance situations but not during an active crisis like an asthma attack.
• Steroids can still be appropriate for cats with kidney disease depending on severity of their disease, and current evidence doesn't support steroids causing cancer.

Soundbites 

"Cats often need steroids. They need steroids for asthma, for inflammatory bowel disease, for their allergic disease, for all kinds of things."  — Dr. Angie

"People in the holistic space really try to avoid steroids. They hear that word steroid and I feel like it's all out panic."  — JoJo

"The first thing I think of is please don't become diabetic. It's happened to me twice in 20 years, but it feels bad." — Dr. Angie

"I know it can feel overwhelming to dose your cat a pill every day. Just know that this can be compounded into a formulation that works for you and your cat."         — JoJo

"If your cat has asthma and is struggling to breathe, steroids are the best thing... in crisis, it's not the time to think about any kind of alternative." — Dr. Angie

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Tell Us What You Think

The veterinary industry is changing fast, and Dr. Angie Krause and veterinary nurse JoJo are not afraid to say how they feel about it. In this episode, they get honest about why pet care keeps getting more expensive, what corporate consolidation and mergers like MWI and Covetrus mean for your local vet clinic, and how brands like Chewy are reshaping the industry in severely impactful ways. It is a conversation about what is happening to veterinary professionals trying to stay independent and to pet parents trying to keep up, and what you can actually do about it.

Key Takeaways

• Corporate and private equity ownership of US veterinary clinics jumped from 8 percent in 2011 to 50 percent in 2025
• Vet costs have risen 60 percent since 2014, pushing pet insurance from optional to functionally necessary
• The proposed MWI Covetrus merger, under FTC investigation, would give one company control of 75 percent of veterinary supply distribution
• Chewy's $49.99 dollar telehealth consults can prescribe medication without a physical exam, straining the relationship between pet parents and their regular vet
• Some corporate wellness plan contracts continue billing pet parents after their pet has died
• Zoetis faces two lawsuits: one from shareholders over undisclosed product losses, one from an Oregon veterinary hospital alleging its VETSCAN Imagyst AI tool misdiagnosed a mass that turned out to be fatal cancer
• AI tools in note taking, radiology, and diagnostics are becoming standard, raising questions about how new veterinarians will learn to build differentials on their own
• Lifetime cost of pet ownership: 22,000 to 60,000 dollars for a dog, 20,000 to 47,000 dollars for a cat
• Dr. Angie and JoJo recommend pet insurance, filling prescriptions locally when possible, and supporting independently owned clinics

Soundbites

" I felt like, okay, it's up to us to evolve or die."  — Dr. Angie 

"Like it's just contractual, it's not human."  — JoJo

"It definitely feels like a knife in the back."  — Dr. Angie 

"I'm like Chewy is Voldemort."  — JoJo

"What I wanna say is try to get care at non corporate veterinary clinics."  — Dr. Angie

 "I just want to really acknowledge that the industry is changing. You're not imagining that."  — JoJo

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Tell Us What You Think

In this episode of Tails of Truth, Dr. Angie Krause and veterinary nurse JoJo dig into the murky world of pet supplements: what's actually worth buying, what's marketing hype, and how pet parents can tell the difference. They talk through the emotional pull of supplement ads, including Dr. Angie's own impulse buy, why fear is such effective marketing, and why a page of five-star reviews doesn't mean a product works. The conversation covers what the NASC seal actually means, why CBD chews for pets can vary wildly in potency, and which supplements Dr. Angie actually trusts and stocks, including fish oil, probiotics, and Chinese herbs. They close with a simple gut check for choosing a supplement without falling down a research rabbit hole.

Key Takeaways

• Fear is one of the most effective marketing tools in the pet supplement space. Ads leaning on "your senior pet could live longer" or reversing a scary diagnosis are designed to bypass rational decision-making.
• A high review count says nothing about whether a supplement is safe or effective.
• The NASC seal and a third-party certificate of analysis are real green flags, but neither guarantees a pet actually needs the product.
• Many supplements don't contain therapeutic doses of their active ingredients, partly because manufacturers balance dosing against palatability.
• CBD chews for pets can have inconsistent THC distribution between doses, even within the same bag.
• Fish oil is one of the most broadly useful supplements, supporting joint, skin, cognitive, heart, kidney, and anxiety-related health.
• Dogs and cats generally don't need a multivitamin if their diet is properly balanced.
• Probiotics need consistent long-term use to work, not a quick start right before antibiotics.
• A veterinary consult can save pet parents money by cutting an oversized supplement list down to what actually matters.

Sound bites

"Anyone can start a supplement company."  — Dr. Angie 

"Fear is fantastic marketing."  — JoJo

"Fish oil is one of the most underrated supplements. I think that's helpful for almost any condition."  — Dr. Angie 

"A consultation with you might save people money."  — JoJo

"My philosophy overall is if I have a good diet, I shouldn't need that many supplements."  — Dr. Angie 

"What really irritates me is how then you'll have people come on and say, I thought I was gonna have to euthanize my dog, but then I started this supplement and now he's totally fine."  — Dr. Angie 

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Tell Us What You Think

In this episode of Tails of Truth, Dr. Angie and JoJo take a break from veterinary topics for an unscripted, personal catch up after two weeks apart. There's no agenda for this episode other than to give their listeners a peek into their lives. They talk through mutual, mostly unfounded worries about the podcast, chat dating and travels, and share real life updates including a health scare, a surprising pregnancy test twist, and a family court update. The conversation turns practical toward the end as Dr. Angie and JoJo map out, in real time, a sedation plan for JoJo's anxious dog, Sage, ahead of an upcoming vet visit. If your own pet turns into a different animal the moment you walk into a clinic, you'll find you're not alone in trying to figure out how to get veterinary care for your pet.

Key Takeaways

• An unscripted personal catch up between Dr. Angie and JoJo after two weeks apart, including their mutual (unfounded) fears about firing/quitting each other.
• Dr. Angie shares a health update involving endometriosis and an ovarian health scare that turned out to be nothing.
• JoJo shares a startling positive pregnancy test tied to hormone shifts common in perimenopause/menopause.
• Real time planning for sedating JoJo's dog, Sage, who is fearful and reactive at the vet, including specific injection techniques used to reduce her stress.
• A reminder that vet staff have challenging pets too, and a fearful or reactive dog at the clinic is nothing to be embarrassed about.

Sound Bites

I have to admit JoJo like I've been really worried all week that you hate working here and you're gonna quit.  — Dr. Angie 

This is where I feel like a jerk... I could do it and save everybody, but I also don't want to do it.  — JoJo

It doesn't really matter who you marry. It matters who you parent with.  — Dr. Angie 

I've been worried all week that you're gonna fire me.  — JoJo

I feel like the labradoodle and the golden doodle, those are like soft choices.  — Dr Angie 

If you don't subscribe, I'm gonna quit.  — JoJo

Remember, Meta doesn't love us. — Dr. Angie 

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