105. Gut Health, Holistic Healing & The Power of Proactive Pet Care

Disclaimer: Our podcast is produced as an audio resource. Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and human editing and may contain errors. Before republishing quotes, we ask that you reference the audio.

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Pets, add Life, your guide to the latest in Pet Trends products and the joy of the human animal Bond with Kristen Levine and Chris Bonafide, powered by the American Pet Products Association and Dog tv.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Hello and welcome to another episode of Pets Ad Life. I am Chris Bonti, joined as always by the hostess with the mostest, Kristen Levine. Kristen, how are we doing today?

Speaker 3 (00:27):
I'm doing great. I have a birthday tomorrow, so I'm very excited.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Just one.

Speaker 3 (00:32):
And we just won and then we celebrated Tulip's birthday last week, so it's a big birthday month around the Levine household in February.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Oh, that's adorable. Do you guys do combined birthday parties like your siblings?

Speaker 3 (00:44):
No. No, but what we do combine is Tulip's birthday is on Valentine's Day, so we do combined Valentine's Day with Tulip's birthday.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
Well that's sweet.

Speaker 3 (00:54):
But I get my own celebration

Speaker 2 (00:56):
First and she's named after a flower. Yes. Isn't that sweet? That is so nice. Well, happy birthday. Thank you. Happy 31st birthday to Crystal Levine. So sweet and happy birthday to Tulip as well. And to celebrate these momentous occasions, we will of course be having two incredible guests. On today's episode, we'll be sharing two great stories going over two fantastic products from our industry. And at the very end of the show we're going to answer two of your questions. So Kristen, do you got anything else to say in this intro? No, I'm ready. Let's do it. Neither do I. Let's hop into

Speaker 1 (01:30):
Story time, Kristin and Chris, present story time.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
Alright, Kristen, it is story time. Why don't you go ahead and kick us off this time.

Speaker 3 (01:41):
So my story this week is kind of as we wrap up February and Dental Health Month, I thought I would share a dental story that has to do with ai. So Mars Pet Care has launched a brand new suite of artificial intelligence powered digital tools, and these are going to help pet parents monitor their pet's health at home. And this is part of a 1 billion investment Mars is making in digital innovation for their pet nutrition business. So this one is their very first tool that they're launching is called the Greenies Canine Dental Check. So it is tied to their greenies brand, which I think most pet parents have heard of Greenies. They are dental treats and chews and it's really cool. It's available here in the us. It's designed to help dog owners specifically spot early signs of dental problems just by just using your smartphone, taking a photo.

(02:38):
Now I did this yesterday. All you do is you go to the website, I'll give it to you here in a second, but you're going to take a picture of your dog's mouth, lift their gums up, and I think the criteria is you have to have at least five teeth showing. I only took one picture, I just wanted to see how it worked. So I took a picture of the left side of her mouth and the AI is trained on over 3000 images of canine mouths. And so it's going to analyze your dog's image for signs of tartar buildup and gum irritation. So it gives you this cool little graph, lemme see if I can find it here. And it shows that on the left side of tulip's mouth, it shows that there is some tartar buildup on only one tooth, her canine tooth. And then you click on gums and it shows that she does have some irritated gums showing on a couple of her teeth in the front of her mouth on the left side. And this is really great timing because she has a vet appointment on Friday. So it'll be interesting to see if the vet sees what I see with this cool AI tool. But I thought that was really clever because something you could do at home. We had a question from a listener a couple weeks ago about, Hey, how do I know if my dog's teeth are healthy? They look good. This is a really great way to check your dog's dental health at home. So lemme give you that. Let's

Speaker 2 (04:04):
Say all you need to do is manage to have five teeth in a picture.

Speaker 3 (04:07):
And that's not as easy as it sounds. Not easy. That's been easy as the first picture was four teeth in my finger, and then the second picture was three teeth and two fingers. Okay? So you can go to greenies.com and when you scroll down, you'll see the thing for the dental check. And yeah, it's that simple. You just click a few buttons, you don't even have to put your email address in, you take a picture, upload it, bam, you get the feedback.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
That's some good stuff.

Speaker 3 (04:34):
So what do you have for us this week?

Speaker 2 (04:35):
I've got a little local story here out of Norwalk, Connecticut, home of the bonafides. We've had a lot of snow and ice up here and I just thought that this was a very fun one where we have a bunch of river channels that lead into the Long Island town. And that is sort of honestly, you could say that's what Connecticut is known for because we ain't known for much. So in our towns on the coastal side of Connecticut, there's all sorts of bridges that lead sort of directly into these channels. And animals often get stuck, especially when it's icy. Now, we had a swan, an adult male swan get stuck in the ice at the Norwalk River Channel right on Wall Street. And the entire fire department showed up a, I'm going to have to fin the link because I messed up a little spreadsheet in here because people have to see these pictures, so they get the swan free from the ice, but now the swan is, I don't know if they can get hypothermia, but the swan needs to be warmed up.

(05:43):
The swan needs to be taken in for questioning so they don't want to, swans are aggressive, they're not the nicest animals, so they don't want, it's not like rescuing a dog where it's like, alright somebody, somebody just carry this dog up out of here and it's like an eight foot ledge down to the river. So they put this swan on a stretcher, no way. The swan is on the fireman stretcher and they use the little holy thing to pull it up. And there's a picture of the swan hole bundled up on the stretcher getting rescued. And I just thought that that was the cutest little thing in the world coming straight from our little hometown where nothing ever happens and everything

Speaker 3 (06:27):
Is happening. I love it. Swan rescue.

Speaker 2 (06:29):
So thank you. Norwalk Fire apartment, good save on the swan. And nobody got bit, no reported injuries, nobody got So truly a miracle. I love it.

Speaker 1 (06:40):
Beyond the leash, exploring the untold stories of pet passion and

Speaker 2 (06:44):
Professionalism. Okay, it's my absolute pleasure to introduce Dr. Doty Tway, a veterinarian and the founder of Holistic Vet Blend, LLCA company focused on holistic plant-based supplements and wellness support for dogs and cats. Her work centers on integrating nutrition, herbal support and lifestyle care with convenient veterinary medicine to help pets thrive, especially those dealing with chronic conditions, aging or stress related issues. Through holistic Vet Blend, Dr. Robi emphasizes responsible veterinarian informed use of natural products, helping pet parents understand how supplements can compliment, not replace traditional care. So Dr. Doty, thank you so much for hopping on the podcast. Today is an excellent grab that we have here and we are happy to have you.

Speaker 4 (07:35):
Well, thanks for having me.

Speaker 2 (07:38):
So my first question, just some background here, I think a lot of pet parents are curious about holistic care, but they're not really sure what that means. So in your view, how do you define a truly holistic approach to pet health?

Speaker 4 (07:55):
I believe a true holistic approach involves both physical, mental and emotional health for the animal. So you want to be looking at stress factors, you want to be looking at their physical wellbeing, enrichment, stress, all the factors in the environment that affect them, but truly holistic. You're going to be looking at nutrition as the foundation and everything else compliments that. In traditional medicine they avoid things like physical therapy for animals, but you would never have surgery without having some kind of physical therapy afterwards. For animals we're saying that's important too. It's important for us, it's important for them. It's important that they don't eat ultra processed food all the time. We need to give them some fresh food as well.

Speaker 3 (08:51):
Yeah. And Dr. Jody, in addition to being a veterinarian, you also created a company called Holistic Vet Blend. So what led you to creating that and what was the gap in pet care that you were aiming to fill?

Speaker 4 (09:05):
Well actually I started after the pet food recall in 2007. My clients were feeding just home cooked food without balancing it. And some of them were doing that for years. People would come to me and I was like, you can't feed chicken and rice forever. You have to balance that. So I started selling supplements that could balance the food. Many of them were very expensive. I imported one from Canada because of the clean ingredients, but many of the ingredients were dehydrated. So that added to the cost of it. Also not great for the environment, and I needed something that would be cost effective for my clients and started working with a zoo nutritionist, tried doing it all with Whole Foods. That was very challenging. Driving around and curating organ meat, this, that, and the other thing. So I was like, okay, I need something that works for my busy lifestyle, something that is affordable and knew I could do better. So we put our heads together and since then over 20 years, I've been perfecting it, making it easier. I have grass fed organ meat in there instead of me trucking around town wasting gas, trying to find organ meat, what is needed, the essentials, let the rest be food. Yeah, it's been a long road, I'll bet.

Speaker 2 (10:38):
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And I think it has been a long road and nowadays there's a lot of awareness around nutrition and supplements and it's oftentimes times the first place people turn to when their pet's having a chronic issue. So how in your professional opinion would you guide pet parents on deciding what's helpful and what's unnecessary?

Speaker 4 (11:01):
So the first thing I do is I always come back to diet because you cannot out supplement a bad diet. I mean, that would be eating fast food all day and taking a multivitamin.

Speaker 2 (11:15):
Wait, that doesn't work.

Speaker 4 (11:16):
Yeah, exactly. And multivitamins in the pet industry, they are designed to compliment an already balanced diet. So I think a lot of people think that they can kind of erase a bad diet with a multivitamin. They also want to throw the kitchen sink at a pet when it's sick. So we have to be careful. We don't do too much at a time when the animal is unable to take it and choosing supplements, choose them wisely. If you're feeding an ultra processed food, omega threes are likely degenerated in there. You need to add omega threes. That's like a basic thing. They're very labile. They degrade an oxygen and light and whatnot. So it's best to either give a gel cap or add it at the time that you feed them. So that's like a basic diet. Omega threes, if your pet is on anti-inflammatories, maybe a natural turmeric or something else, that green lip muscles, there's so many supplements that can are evidence-based. So make your decisions based on evidence. A good opinion of a veterinarian that's versed in herbal medicine and natural therapies, they're going to be very picky about whether there's evidence that actually works.

Speaker 3 (12:49):
And to that point, Dr. Doty, what is your approach into integrating the natural support with the conventional veterinary treatments, especially if a pet is already on medication, do

Speaker 4 (13:01):
If they're already on medication, I like to, for example, an anti-inflammatory. Okay, that is going to be possibly an issue with the liver. It's eliminated by the liver, it can affect the kidneys. I'm going to want to make sure that I'm supporting that. Liver supplements that have a track record of helping those issues. Milk thistle, Sammy, if there's a kidney issue, there are supplements that will help kidney circulation. Omega threes for example. You want to be looking at the problem and obviously prioritizing complimentary approaches without throwing the kitchen sink at the animal. I see that all the time, especially with pets that have cancer. People bring in boxes and bags of supplements and it's just really almost traumatic for the animal to have that done and replace their food practically that you want them eating their food first. That is so important. If there's anything you walk away with that's just come back to the food always and then add to it.

(14:08):
But get the opinion of people that have gone through some real training and legitimate programs. There's so many bogus internet degrees out there. And I mean I literally saw one recently that you could become an animal naturopath and I was like, oh my gosh. Human naturopaths would've gone through training like an MD would be this like flabbergasted. But I think pet parents, when you're concerned and love your animal, you'll do anything. And if you're a scrolling Instagram and you see somebody that's saying that they're the best thing since sliced bread, and based on these testimonials to help your pet look at what their credentials are, ask your veterinarian. Your veterinarian may know nothing about holistic medicine, but they will more than likely know the name of somebody that is respected in the field.

Speaker 2 (15:09):
Yeah, absolutely. And you were going through a few of the common issues and we do q and a on the show, and one question we get a lot is about aging pets and how to help alleviate some of the mobility issues. And we've had a few people come on to talk about different supplements and diets that can work to, you can't cure old age, but you can make an animal more comfortable. What's your opinion on that type of care for an aging pet?

Speaker 4 (15:38):
Well, first things first, you want to make sure they're healthy weight because with 60% of the animals in this country that are overweight or obese, that's going to really impact their joint health. That's going to cause pain and immobility. And we all know that immobility is not a good thing. You've got to keep them moving. They've shown with the lifespan study that dogs that have at least, I can't quote the exact amount of exercise, but just a few 20, 30 minute walks a day or even break it up, four, 10 minute walks, that's going to stimulate the brain and they'd be less likely to have dementia. They're going to be with a healthy weight, they're going to have better joint health. And there's so many things that we can do now to address pain with acupuncture, cold laser therapy, rehabilitation, of course, a minimally processed diet.

(16:37):
We know with ultra processed food in humans, that's going to lead to more inflammation. Fat is its own endocrine organ. It causes inflammation. Just dealing with that first. And then lastly, omega threes are so important for brain health in humans and animals. We know a Mediterranean diet has at least a less inflammation. It's the same thing with animals. Minimally processed healthy diet is going to take care of a lot of problems and you're going to see better mobility and more vitality. I mean, I hear it all the time. Even if you can't go whole hog and you can't afford to do something, you can add some, do a combination, add some fresh foods to what you're already doing, have it be your canned food. A lot of people buy dry and then they put some canned with it. Make the canned be some homemade food or a minimally processed diet that you purchase that has good, healthy ingredients, is balanced by a veterinarian. There's so many things that you can do in start small, but movement in a healthy way are so important.

Speaker 2 (17:50):
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Well, we're coming up on time, Dr. Doty, but where can our listeners go to learn more about what you are studying? Where can they find your brand of products? Give 'em the quick picture.

Speaker 4 (18:05):
Yeah. Okay. So I have a website, it's holistic vet blend.com, and I also have a YouTube channel, the Holistic Vet channel. And I love to educate around holistic health. It's just in my passion. I'm a certified herbalist acupuncturist. I'm certified in rehabilitation, natural nutrition. It's just my passion. I've dedicated my life to that. Wanted to be a vet since I was five. I have three cats, four dogs, and a grand kitty.

Speaker 2 (18:42):
So you're in it, you're

Speaker 3 (18:44):
Committed. Yes. All in, you're living your five-year-old dream. That's wonderful. Yes, exactly. We'll put those links in the show notes so people can find you. And thank you again so much for your time today, Dr. Doty.

Speaker 4 (18:54):
Thank you.

Speaker 3 (18:59):
That was very educational. Yeah,

Speaker 2 (19:02):
I learned a lot,

Speaker 3 (19:03):
Especially about the omega threes. After we interview these guests, we often chit-chat off the air and she said,

Speaker 2 (19:11):
Because we're friendly.

Speaker 3 (19:14):
And Dr. Doty said there was one thing she forgot to mention, and that was that dogs and cats cannot convert plant oils. So things like olive oil, flaxseed oil, but the omega is, that's fish oil, right? That's good.

Speaker 2 (19:32):
Yeah. Yes, yes. So no reason to give the animals olive oil. Even if you're Italian like me, save the olive oil for your own cooking. That's right. And get the fish oil into the pets. But what a great risk. Learned a lot. Drilled her on my own health Afterwards, she off a thing and I was like, I need to know some stuff.

Speaker 3 (19:51):
You're going to get a bill. You title from her. Hey,

Speaker 2 (19:54):
It's what it's,

Speaker 3 (19:56):
It is my pleasure to welcome our guest, Dr. Judy Morgan. She's an integrative veterinarian with more than 40 years of experience in holistic pet care. She earned her doctor of veterinary medicine degree from the University of Illinois and is certified in veterinary, acupuncture, chiropractic care, food therapy, and physical rehabilitation. After retiring from clinical practice in 2020, Dr. Judy shifted her focus to education, speaking and online consultations and also advocacy through her platform, naturally healthy pets. She's the bestselling author of eight books, the host of Naturally Healthy Pets podcast, and Chief Veterinary Medical Officer for Monkey's House Dog Hospice and Senior Sanctuary. I can't wait to learn more about that. Her mission is to empower pet parents worldwide to improve their pet's health through whole food, nutrition, natural therapies, and informed decision-making. Welcome Dr. Judy.

Speaker 5 (20:55):
Thank you very much. I'm happy to be here.

Speaker 3 (20:57):
We're happy to have you. You've got so much experience and decades practicing both conventional and integrative veterinary medicine. So what's the moment or some of the moments in your career that pushed you toward a more holistic approach to pet health?

Speaker 5 (21:14):
My first 10 years, I was a hundred percent traditional, and then I accidentally took a chiropractic course. I didn't know that that's what it was. It was tied to something else. I take a course

Speaker 2 (21:24):
Accidentally all the time.

Speaker 5 (21:26):
My whole life is a series of fortunate accidents. So there we go. I love that. So I took the course after I was there for a few hours, I was like, I think they're talking about chiropractic. I don't even know if I believe in this. But I started using it as soon as I came back to practice after the course. And it was nothing short of a miracle. Animals that couldn't walk that were being carried in, went running out the door. And I was so enthralled with it that I said, what else can I learn? And that started the journey and I went to acupuncture and food therapy and raindrop therapy, color therapy, sound therapy, essential oils, you name it, I've dabbled in just about everything.

Speaker 2 (22:08):
That's amazing. That's amazing. And we live in a day and age where there's a lot of information, especially with the internet and influencers and all this kind of stuff. So pet parents, they're getting conflicting information. So how do you help a pet parent think critically without feeling fearful or guilty and make the right decision for their pet?

Speaker 5 (22:29):
So knowledge is power, and my whole goal is to educate pet parents and give them facts and knowledge that they can take with them when they go to speak to their traditional veterinarian. So we have great evidence that our pets do not need to be vaccinated with everything under the sun every year. And so if a pet parent has evidence that they can take and say, look, these studies show that this vaccine lasts for five to seven years, maybe even a lifetime, I'd rather do a titer rather than just vaccinating or going in and saying, well, my pet has no exposure to that particular disease. My cat is inside all the time. I'm not going to vaccinate him against 10 different things that he's never going to see. If you have that knowledge and you have that proof that you can take and say, look, I'm not just making this up and listening to some crazy person on the internet, here's actual knowledge and studies behind this.

(23:30):
So we want to give people that, those tools to be able to take with them. And we also want people to question things and to be very proactive with their pet's health. So if your veterinarian is prescribing a medication, you should be aware of the potential side effects of every one of those medications, and you should ask questions about that. And the great thing is we all carry around little computers in our pockets and we can look up the side effects of the medication so that you can make an informed decision, wow, my pet's diabetic and this one says should not be used in diabetic pets. Maybe we should look for something else. So just being informed and knowing which questions to ask. And so that's what my books are about. That's what our blogs, we have courses online just to help people be more empowered.

Speaker 3 (24:19):
Yeah, yeah, that's so important. It's a lot like human health. We know as humans that we have to be our own health advocate and we have to do the same for our pets. So Dr. Judy Nutrition is central to your work. Can you tell us what some of the most common mistakes are that you see pet parents making when it comes to feeding, say our dogs or our cats?

Speaker 5 (24:43):
So one of the misconceptions that has been pushed by the veterinary world for years and years and years is that we should put these dead, burnt, dry brown balls in the bowl twice a day and consider that to be complete nutrition, that that's the only thing our pets will ever need because they are formulated by board certified nutritionists, scientists, whatever. But there was a study done in Europe where they tested dry kibble and canned foods. Over 90% of the canned foods that were labeled as complete and balanced were not. And over 60% of the kibble that was labeled as complete and balanced was not when it was tested. So by putting the same thing in the bowl twice a day and never adding fresh foods, we are doing our pets a disservice. First of all, it's boring. It doesn't taste good if there is a problem with that food.

(25:34):
And we've had so many recalls over the years for euthanasia solution in the food, excess vitamin D, so many things that can go wrong. You need a backup plan. So one of the companies that I feed very commonly to my dogs, it's a frozen, fresh, whole food, either gently cooked or raw. I'm a raw feeder, but their machinery broke and so they weren't able to process food for a few weeks. Well, if I didn't have a backup plan and other companies food that I could use or know how to make my own food in a pinch, I'd have been in trouble. So people who get really stuck on this is the only thing my pet can eat. If there's a problem with a recall or a manufacturing issue, you're going to be stuck. So we need to have backup plans. And in a pinch for my dogs, I have my own farm. So I've got my own fresh organic eggs. I've got my own fresh organic milk in a pinch, my dogs might have to get some eggs and some canned sardines and some fresh yogurt or fresh milk. It's like, yeah, that's going to be almost a complete meal, and we're going to eat that today until I get something else.

Speaker 3 (26:49):
I'm sure they don't hate that.

Speaker 5 (26:51):
Honestly. Sounds like my dinner when the wife is gone. I have great videos of them just covered in soupy stuff. And

Speaker 3 (26:59):
So Dr. Judy, let's talk about this. So holistic care is sometimes almost compared to traditional medicine as it's like the opposite of traditional medicine. How do you explain the balance between both natural therapies and conventional veterinary care?

Speaker 5 (27:15):
Yeah, so I'm an integrative veterinarian, which means I use both. And I was trained originally in traditional medicine. And so I always say to people, look, if I get hit by a bus, if I need surgery, I'm getting surgery and I'd probably some really good pain medication right then and there, but that I'm going to have chronic problems from getting hit by that bus. How am I going to solve those chronic problems? That's where the more holistic care can come in, because what we want to do is give the body the tools to heal completely, not just be so all these pets with allergies or arthritis. We just keep putting band-aids on the symptoms. It's like I want 'em to stop itching. I'm going to give 'em this shot for itching. I want to stop itching. I'm going to give them this pill for itching, but we're not solving the underlying problem.

(28:00):
So then they get stuck in this repetitive cycle of needing medications. And then those medications have side effects. So you need medications for the side effects, and we're just always treating symptoms instead of saying, Hey, how do we back up, get the body to actually heal and solve this problem? So I've got an older cocker spaniel that we adopted on x-ray. His arthritis is horrendous. He used to be on a kibble diet. He came with a lot of inflammatory problems. We've got him now on a whole food, human grade diet. You would never know this dog has arthritis to watch him run and play and jump and climb and I mean he's blind, but he's our best one at playing fetch because his nose works really well and he runs through the yard all the time. So if I were feeding him a highly inflammatory diet on top of all the inflammation that I can see, radiographically, he would not be moving this well. So he's on a lot of natural supplements. And so that's kind of where the holistic thing comes in. We use them in conjunction. So traditional medicine works really well for putting out an immediate fire, but now you've got to take those smoldering ashes and make them stop smoldering, and we're going to do that by building the body up and rebalancing everything.

Speaker 2 (29:20):
Yeah, that's an amazing answer to a very difficult question that a lot of people don't understand.

Speaker 5 (29:27):
Holistic is not, there's a time and a place for everything. And some people say, oh, it'll be cheaper if I do holistic because then I don't have to go to the veterinarian and do all these other things. That's not true either, because if we're doing holistic medicine really all in, we might be doing things like cold laser therapy, we might be doing acupuncture, we might be doing massage, we might be doing laser therapy. Those all come with a cost as well. Some of it can be done at home, but a lot of it, you're going to have to go to that specialist who can do those things. So it's not that we're, I mean, maybe we'll save a little money not on that treadmill of chronic medications and never solving the problem. So we're back at the veterinary office every three to four weeks. So in the long run, maybe we can save money, but what we're really doing in the long run is saving pain and suffering.

Speaker 2 (30:19):
And I think that's the paramount point that pet parents are trying to solve for. But you have so many years and years of clinical practice and you've taken all of that learning that you've done and you're passing it on to pet parents through education, online courses and advocacy. So let's talk a little bit about those resources and where people may be able to go find them and what gaps you're trying to fill in pet health education.

Speaker 5 (30:48):
Well, there's a big problem right now in that there are not enough veterinary practices. There are not enough veterinarians. There certainly are not enough holistic veterinarians, and people are having a big problem. My daughter's dog was sick last week and she had to call five clinics before it was a Friday morning before she could even find one who would admit the dog. And the dog was there for vomiting and diarrhea after having eaten a toy. Her bill for 48 hours was over $7,000, no surgery involved. That was just for care. So we're trying to keep people out of trouble, trying to keep people out of those emergency rooms. How do I avoid that? How do I make my pet as healthy and resilient as possible so that I don't get stuck? I mean, this dog ate a toy that she shouldn't have eaten. Not normal for her, but she did it. So we can't prevent all of those things, but we want to prevent as much as possible. So it's all about, and then also having some tools for when do I really have an emergency? Is this something I can deal with at home? What could I possibly try like, oh, my dog's got some upset stomach. Could I try some slippery m, some marshmallow root? Could I try this, supplement this bland diet and see how it goes for 24 hours before I'm in that emergency crunch stuck at midnight?

(32:13):
We have on my website, dr judy morgan.com. We have a ton of blogs. All my books are there. And actually for your guests, we have a Code PAL, 50 PAL 50. We'll give them 50% off of all of my books that are on my website. So if they want to get educated from Needles to natural was my first one. Raising naturally healthy pets is a great starting point. Protecting your pets from parasites, great to avoid some of those chemicals. The keeping your pets naturally healthy is for those who are really looking for alternatives to medications that also has a ton of recipes in it. And then Yin and Yang 2.0 has recipes from a Chinese medicine food therapy standpoint, but it has recipes for heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, pancreatitis, diabetes. So if you're looking for ways to be more proactive at home, we have all of that. And then you can also through the website, get to Dr. Judy Yu, which is kind of our university. It has courses from me and a lot of other holistic practitioners. So there's tons of information you can probably, our most popular is Homemade Food for Dogs 1 0 1 for people who are like, I don't know if I trust this commercial pet food stuff, I want to do it myself, or I want to try to save money by doing it myself. So we have a course on how to do that.

Speaker 3 (33:31):
Fantastic. Well, we appreciate your time today, Dr. Judy, and thank you so much for your decades of commitment to keeping our pets healthy and we'll make sure we've got those website addresses up in our show notes. And remember, PAL 50 for that 50% discount. That's very generous. Thank you. Thank you very much. Chris. We forgot to ask her about the podcast. She is the host of the Naturally Healthy Pets podcast, so if you want some more of Dr. Judy Morgan, check it out.

Speaker 2 (34:00):
And we forgot to drill her on my diet and nutrition. And again, folks, that promo code is PAL 50 PAF five zero PAL five zero, not F. There's no F, don't include an F for 50% off of all of those excellent books. So be sure to check it out the product of the week. Alright, it is time for the product of the week, and I am, I believe this is our last episode in Pet Dental Health Awareness Month.

Speaker 3 (34:38):
It is.

Speaker 2 (34:38):
So I've decided we'll do one last dental product

(34:43):
As a sendoff, as a goodbye to what a lovely month February has been. And this product comes from Woof. Their website is my wolff.com. They have a lot of great products and I really love their Emerald Green gem tone that they use. But they've got a dental toy called the Bite and Brush, and it's shaped like a very obtuse V and inside on each side you sort of stick in the treat that they also sell. And there's some holes and rivets in it with the brush where essentially your dog can only access the treat itself, this long bully stick type treat through the hole that has the brushes. So as they chew, they're sort of getting a nice little brush to their teeth. It's a silicon toy, looks real sturdy here, and it's MSRP, the small one for just 20 bucks. So it's not going to break the bank at all.

(35:47):
They make it for a small and they make one for large dogs as well. I've heard really great things about this product. They're going to be sponsoring Global Pet Expo in a few weeks here. So if you're going to be at Global Pet Expo, check out there, they're sponsoring one of the entrances, the show entrances. So make sure you go through both entrances so you get both experiences. We spend a lot of money on those, so you really can't avoid 'em because you got to get under the she there, right there. You got to get on the shelf right there. But I really like this product to wrap up dental health awareness because it is a little bit more of a unique design. It's nice and hearty. It's going to last you a while. And if you have a dog in need of a nuke shoe wake, check it out.

Speaker 3 (36:34):
Yeah, I love their toys. I actually have a couple for Tulip, not that one in particular, so I definitely want to check that out at Global. Alright, so along the same lines, listeners, I hope you're not getting sick of our dental products of the week, but this is the last one. This

Speaker 2 (36:49):
Is the last one. We promise.

Speaker 3 (36:50):
This last one we promise, but this one's for cats. So when I was looking at, and I didn't have to, this is not a stretch from my earlier story of the week because when I was on the Greenies website, I was looking to see if they had that canine dental tool, AI tool for cats, but they don't have it yet. So in the meantime, pick up some greenies greenies clean teeth for cats. These are tasty dental chews. They're shaped or they're textured to help scrub away plaque and tartar as your cat chews on them, which can obviously help not only clean the teeth, but keep the gums healthier and freshen their breath. They come in all the flavors that cats love, salmon, chicken, tuna, and they just, again, it's not a replacement for your dental checkup at the vet with your cat, but it is a great maintenance tool for them and one that they will love. So you can pick those up. Oh, by the way, I wanted to mention, this is pretty impressive. It has a 4.8 star average rating on Amazon with over 25,000 reviews. So that is a lot of happy Cats advocating for greenies. So check those out.

Speaker 2 (37:58):
Just want to say pets add life across all platforms. Still a perfect five out of five stars.

Speaker 3 (38:02):
Oh, sweet. Sorry, Greenies.

Speaker 2 (38:05):
Sorry. Sorry. Q and a. Alright, Kristen, it's time for our favorite part of the show. That's right. We're going to answer two questions from our incredibly attractive and socially well adjusted audience. So I know what you're thinking. How do I get my question answered by Chris and Kristen? Well going to be easy. You're going to head on over to pets at life.org/podcast. Scroll along. Down to the bottom of that page, you'll see a form to submit your question. Or if you're feeling as brave as Norwalk fire department trudging into the icy waters to rescue a full grown swan, you can record a voice memo and your question may be played live on the air. And with that out of the way, I'm getting real fast at that. You are. It's a tongue tie. I'm not reading it off a piece of paper. People that'ss all up here in the steel

Speaker 3 (38:52):
Track. It's all in your nogging.

Speaker 2 (38:53):
Yeah, well, you do it 105 times and you start to remember it. So I've got a question. Let's see. Do I have a question? I do. I have a question and oh, it's fun because it's horse related. Kristen, which I'm going to throw to you. And as a horse question, it's naturally coming from Lexington, Kentucky, from Claire. Thank you, Claire for your question. Claire asks, we're thinking about bringing a horse into our family, but I'm not sure what level of care and commitment that really involves. What should new horse owners know before taking that step?

Speaker 3 (39:28):
Oh boy, Claire,

(39:30):
Big question. Big question, big question. And I think I can speak to this pretty well because I once had a horse I once felt just like you, Claire, and thought, Hmm, I'm thinking about bringing a horse into my family. And I did. But I'll tell you what, I had a secret weapon and that was my next door neighbor who was a lifelong horseman, and she was able to guide me through this process and not only guide me, but I was able to kind of watch her lifestyle as a horse owner. Of course she had six, I only wanted one. But Claire, what I would recommend is that you first talk to other people that have horses, there is so much to learn. If you have never had a horse before, for example, you're going to need a barn or a shelter for your horse. And if that's not going to be on your property, you'll need to rent a stall from a barn in the area.

(40:26):
You're going to need to, if you're not planning to be there two or three times a day yourself, you're going to need to pay somebody else to take care of that horse two or three times a day with feeding and mucking out the stall and all that good stuff. You're going to need a veterinarian to see that horse at least once a year. You're going to need a farrier, which is the professional that trims their hooves or shoes, then puts their shoes on. And that can be like an every six to eight week routine. They need daily feed, hay, water, and they eat a lot. They need daily turnouts. They can't stay in their stall all the time unless of course the weather is bad, but they need to get exercise every day. If you're planning to ride this horse, you'll need riding lessons to be safe.

(41:13):
And also, I think the most important piece of advice I can give you is that if you're not knowledgeable about horses yourself, please find a horse mentor, somebody that can help you find the right kind of horse, the right age, the right breed, one with the right level of training, the right temperament. That's really important because horses can be flighty and if you don't choose the right horse, it can be too much horse for you. And that just basically means there could be safety issues. So Claire, I can say, I know I'm not trying to deter you. I think it's wonderful. I loved having my horse Bailey, but it was a lot of work, but tons of enjoyment and experience. I wouldn't trade for anything. There you go.

Speaker 2 (42:01):
That is a great answer. I will not be getting a horse.

Speaker 3 (42:06):
I wouldn't recommend a horse when you have a new baby.

Speaker 2 (42:09):
That's for sure. You kept on naming jobs that I didn't know existed, like farrier, and I was like, oh yeah, I'm not ready for a horse. I was like, I don't know anything about this. Right, right.

Speaker 3 (42:20):
Well, and they also say you should never have a horse and a boat at the same time because they're both money pits. I

Speaker 2 (42:24):
Mean, boat stands for bust out another thousand. I never heard

Speaker 3 (42:29):
That. That's

Speaker 2 (42:30):
Awesome. Really?

Speaker 3 (42:31):
No.

Speaker 2 (42:32):
Oh man,

Speaker 3 (42:32):
I got to tell my husband that one because we used to have,

Speaker 2 (42:34):
Yeah, write that one down for Paul.

Speaker 3 (42:35):
Okay, I just wrote it down. Bust down about thousand, bust down another thousand. I have a cat question for you.

Speaker 2 (42:41):
All right,

Speaker 3 (42:42):
Mr. Catman. Okay, this is from Ethan and Portland, Oregon, and Ethan says, I've got three cats. And while they mostly tolerate each other, there's constant tension and occasional fights. How can I create a calmer, more balanced multi cat household?

Speaker 2 (43:00):
This is a great question and I would have one follow-up question. If we're able to get Ethan on the line, which obviously we can't, did you get all these cats at the same time? Or are these from three different litters? Have they had staggered entrances? For me reading into this question, reading between the lines, it seems like you got these three cats all at different times and they're all from different litters. That's usually what causes disharmony. When you adopt three cats from a litter, they usually figure it out through kittenhood and play. So here's a tip I haven't really shared on this show somehow in over a hundred episodes, but when you have a multi catt house, so I would say three or greater cats, and there is tension when you're talking about resources, add one. So if you have three cats have four litter boxes, have four water bowls and have four different areas, the food gets put down and sort of rotate it through.

(44:02):
And I know we talk a lot about routine and we talk a lot about setting structure, and we're going to get into that on the second half of my question. But a lot of what causes the drama in your little cat household is the concept of resource scarcity. And I'm sure you give them plenty of food. I'm sure you give them plenty of water, you're probably taking great care of these cats. They are animals and they don't have the logic centers in our brain that we have. So they're looking at this situation as, I need to make sure I get to the food before these two guys. I need to make sure I get to the water before these two guys. If you give them an overabundance that they can see, it's going to calm them down. It's going to make them realize they don't have to fight over these resources.

(44:48):
And now routine and structure, you do want each cat to have their own space, which can be difficult with three cats. So I highly recommend optimizing your vertical space, build vertical, get a cat tree, put shelves on there, make sure each cat has a place they can go to feel safe. And when all else fails. I've never tried the whole pheromone thing. I don't know how much I believe in it with cats, but you could give it a whirl. You could give it a whirl. There's all sorts. I think we talked about some around the show that allow, it's these pheromone diffusers that diffuse pheromones that kind of, it reminds them of mommy is basically what it is. You're basically mom pilling all of your cats and reminding them that they're family at that one. Listen, I've heard great success stories. I've also heard that some are snake oil. So I would try the first two tips before you resort to number three. And if you get through all of that and your cats are still having a rough time, maybe they really do just dislike each other. And cats, they gain an opinion and then they're stubborn about it. And I'm sorry, but I do think if you give them their space, if you make sure they're aware that resources are abundant in your household, you're going to make some good progress, even

Speaker 3 (46:10):
Great advice, Chris. And I would just throw in that I agree with you about the pheromones, although I have personally had some success. I think it's important to get a quality

Speaker 2 (46:20):
Veterinary

Speaker 3 (46:20):
Backed pheromone product.

Speaker 2 (46:22):
There we go. Yeah. You know what? I need to tag this on to my answer anyway because I always do it. Ask your veterinarian, man, why are you asking me? Why are we doing the segment of the show? I don't know. Anyway, that's it for this episode of Pets and Life. Why do we have jobs? That's for you to determine. You could get us fired by stopping here and never listening to us again. Or you could get us promoted by telling three friends who love animals about this podcast. Make sure you're watching us on YouTube dog TV unleashed or listening to us on any of these amazing platforms. I hope you're having a nice morning commute. I hope you're cooking a nice dinner. I hope you're enjoying cuddle time with your furry friend. Whatever you're doing while you're listening to pal, thank you very much for being here.

Speaker 3 (47:07):
Yeah, and my tail end tidbit is definitely check us out on YouTube because then you could see Chris's Mr. Rogers neighborhood sweater he's wearing.

Speaker 2 (47:14):
I do. I've got a dad. I've got a dad card to get off. My mother-in-law got it for me. Love

Speaker 1 (47:18):
It. It's great.

Speaker 2 (47:19):
Love it.

Speaker 1 (47:19):
Pets, add Life, your guide to the latest in Pet Trends products and the joy of the Human Animal bond with Kristen Levine and Chris Bonafide, powered by the American Pet Products Association and Dog tv.

Speaker 3 (47:36):
Hey guys, I'm Kristen Levine, your host of The New Show, the Experts. This is where I bring to you three pet experts to answer your burning questions about your furry friend. So you can't do the show without your questions. So here's what you do. Take out your phone, videotape yourself horizontally asking your question about your pet, and send it to dog tv.com/experts. And we might just feature you on the next episode. So what are you waiting for?