Hello Dog Lovers! I am so honored to have America’s Favorite Veterinarian, Dr. Gary Richter on the show! He has been practicing veterinary medicine in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1998 and is certified in acupuncture, chiropractic, and Western herbology. Dr. Richter’s practice focuses on the benefits of conventional and holistic treatment methods for the preventative and therapeutic care of pets as well as educating professionals and pet owners on the benefits of integrative care. He was named Holistic Veterinarian of the Year for 2019 by the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, is currently the President of the American College of Veterinary Botanical Medicine, and is a founding member of the Veterinary Cannabis Society. And Dr. Richter is also a #1 Amazon Best-Selling author of the book, The Ultimate Pet Health Guide.

Dr. Richter could you start the conversation with the difference between holistic and conventional veterinary medicine?

Is it more cost effective than traditional?

Are the words holistic, alternative and integrative all interchangeable?

If a holistic practitioner is interested in working on the whole animal, so keeps in mind not only the medical history, but also genetics, nutrition, environment, family relationships, stress levels, and other factors, is more time usually spent with a holistic veterinarian vs a conventional?

So, your practice uses both conventional and holistic modalities? What circumstances for each?

What are some reasons why ppl should consider holistic treatments for their dogs?

Since people are a lot more educated about alternatives now, and holistic veterinary medicine is becoming more accepted and mainstream, are you finding that more and more veterinarians are interested in this type of approach and are continuing their education?

How would you address comments from people who say that holistic medicine is woo woo and not backed by true science?

Even some strictly conventional vets argue that there aren’t really any studies on these therapies and that they don’t see many articles in mainstream veterinary journals. How would you respond?

Would you agree that the foundation to health is nutrition?

What do you recommend when it comes to feeding our dogs?

How about supplements?

Can you share the different types of holistic therapies and how they benefit our dog’s health?

Do many people turn to holistic therapies as a last resort? That maybe western medicine could not heal their dog’s illness?

Can you share some success stories of patients that have benefited with holistic medicine?

What is your position on vaccines?

How have you seen that cbd enhancing the lives of dogs?

What does the future hold for holistic veterinary medicine?

Are more integrated practices offering even more treatments or are they sticking to their current offerings?

What’s the best way to find a holistic veterinarian?

https://drgaryrichter.com/

Social Media: @ultimatepetnutrtion

Resources mentioned by Dr. Richter:

https://mypetthrives.com/

https://holisticvetcare.com/

https://www.ahvma.org/

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Special thanks to Dana for being on the show. Catch you next time!

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