Paws, Reflect & Heal with Dr. Randy

How To Talk to Your Vet About Holistic Treatments

• Dr. Randy Pet Vet • Episode 33

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In this episode of PAWS, Reflect & Heal, Dr. Randy and co-host Olivia Sacchi answer a crucial question from pet parents like Elena in Alaska: How do you respectfully approach your traditional vet about pursuing treatments or supplements recommended by a holistic vet? We provide the exact script to use when bringing up integrative modalities like B12 or natural foods for conditions like IBD, and we also explain the response you should expect from an open-minded veterinary professional.

It's vital for pet owners to feel empowered to advocate for their animal's health, but sometimes the approach matters. We discuss the current state of veterinary education regarding integrative medicine and why some vets might be resistant to non-traditional options. Learn why collaboration and communication are the pillars of modern pet care, and what to do if your veterinarian dismisses natural or alternative treatments. Remember, you are the voice for your pet, and being informed is the first step toward better wellness and longevity.

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Products and Resources I Recommend
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Animal Biome - Gut Microbiome Health Test

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Feline Natural

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SPEAKER_01:

Dr. Randy here with my co-host Olivia Sacci from the University of Arizona Veterinary School. I got that right this time.

SPEAKER_00:

I know, I'm excited. They're down. Yeah, absolutely. Excited to see you.

SPEAKER_01:

And we're here today to answer a question from Elena in Alaska. Uh Elena wants to know about how to approach your veterinarian with some of these holistic modalities. Did I get that right?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So our question is basically when you're going to your primary veterinarian and you want to pursue holistic treatment, but they don't have access to or information about it, how do you approach that?

SPEAKER_01:

I tell my pet parents to ask gingerly. Some veterinarians feel accosted by the question because it's like, I read on Google that I should be doing this for this. Right. And instead of going in and saying, hey, you know, my animal, you know, we we've diagnosed uh inflammatory bowel disease. Are there any foods or supplements that I might be able to use that would be more natural uh or holistic that I could help my pet with?

SPEAKER_00:

And that's actually was part of Elena's question too. Was she wanted to be respectful when bringing up this question. But even as a veterinary student, it's not really something that we get taught about too much, holistic and integrative medicine. They're very much, here's the traditional approach. And so if somebody came to me with that question, I might not have the correct answers. So how would you navigate that situation?

SPEAKER_01:

But see, you're gonna have the right answers because we're gonna teach you all that. You already know because you're I bother Dr. Randy all the time. Well, one of the best goals for me um coming up in the next couple of years is to try to get what we call an integrative track put into the veterinary school. I remember we were talking about we're gonna approach the University of Arizona, but there's some other possibilities. But I really want to see one course being taught through at least one vet school in the United States to help, because often this is how it starts. Right. But the idea is that sometimes if you're a veterinarian, the what really we want to see the response is I don't know about using B12 for bowel disease, but I'll look it up.

SPEAKER_00:

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01:

Or I don't know about B12, but here's a person who may, let's find out from them and and access it. If you get like, oh, that's hocus pocus and it doesn't work, I would suggest you might want to look at a different veterinary.

SPEAKER_00:

I was gonna say. Interesting response. But the big thing in in science and in medicine is collaboration and communication. And so if you ask your veterinarian about it in a respectful way, which you just provided an avenue to do that, they like myself, they should be willing to look that up, to go communicate with other people, reach out to holistic integrative medicine uh veterinarians. Absolutely and so don't be afraid to do that, I would say.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I think I think it's certainly something, it's a it's a great question. There's no reason not to ask it. I'm always encouraged to see people asking that question and getting the right answers or moving in that direction as much as possible. Uh, but yes, exactly what you talked about. Remember, you know, none of us went into veterinary medicine to be extremely wealthy or uh or you know, the God gives answers to all the questions. Right. We're here for the right reasons. Just sometimes we are trained so Western or classically that you get the prescription diet recommendation. Exactly. Or you get the medication recommendation, and hopefully there's some other options that we can turn you on to that will help.

SPEAKER_00:

And and I think that's a great point. Remembering that veterinarians, the reason we got into this, the reason I and Dr. Randy got into it is because not only do we love your pets, but we love communicating with people, helping people, and helping the pets that bring them joy, that bring them comfort. And so don't be afraid to advocate for yourself, to advocate for your pet patients in a respectful way. But I think that's a really great question and and we appreciate receiving it.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00:

Perfect. So thank you guys so much for joining us today. Hope you learned a little bit more. Um, and you can follow us both on social media. Dr. Randy has an Instagram, it's at Dr. Randy Petbet, also has a YouTube account at the same handle at Dr. Randy Petbet. Uh, so make sure to follow and subscribe. New content's gonna come out every week. For myself, I have an Instagram at at Drsachi. That's Dr. S-A-C-C-I, and thank you so much for your time today. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01:

And remember to pass this on to your pet parents uh or guardians that are your friends so that they'll have this information also, because the more information we get out, the more we educate our pet population, the better we're gonna get wellness, longevity, and health span. Thanks for joining us.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you.