Dr. Flavia Vedova, DVM, MBA, DACVIM (Nutrition), jumps into one of the most confusing parts of pet nutrition, figuring out when to switch diets, what “all life stages” actually means, and whether your large breed dog really needs a large breed formula. If you’ve ever stared at a pet food bag wondering if you’re helping… Read More
About Andy Roark DVM MS
Do You Like Being a Veterinarian on Thursdays?
Today was a good Thursday. I saw a litter of kittens that have clearly been well loved and taken care of. I had a bunch of appointments for diarrhea (diarrhea… it comes in waves) and they were all fine. I had to stay a little bit late because my last appointment was a dog having… Read More
HDYTT: Fecal Transfer for Chronic Diarrhea
Dr. Andy Roark welcomes Dr. Lily Chen, DVM, owner of Integrative Pet Wellness Center in Los Angeles, to talk fecal transfers and microbiome therapy for chronic diarrhea cases that keep cycling back to antibiotics. Using a 10-year-old German Shepherd with recurrent diarrhea as the example, Lily explains why dysbiosis can be a root cause, when… Read More
Where Are the Greatest Opportunities for Access to Care?
Dr. Andy Roark hosts Dr. Jules Benson, founder and principal of Titum Lucidum Consulting, to push the access-to-care conversation from advocacy into practical, feasible actions veterinary teams can take now. They frame access to care as a broad spectrum, noting growth in specialty access while affordability challenges are expanding even for middle-income households, and they… Read More
We Desperately Need Maverick GPs
A contractor doing work on my house called me on Sunday after spending Saturday night at the emergency vet clinic. The previous day, his dog ate a bag of rawhide treats and then, inhibitions thrown to the wind, a bunch of other stuff. He began retching and vomiting shortly thereafter. At the emergency clinic, radiographs… Read More
This Could Be the Last Time
One day you are going to watch your cat play like a kitten or your dog run with complete freedom for the very last time, and you won’t know it’s happening. What does that mean? My youngest daughter and I make fairly regular trips to Atlanta. Every time we go she mentions that she’ll have… Read More