Back in January of 2023 I reviewed claims for a purported anti-aging supplement for dogs called Leap Years. My conclusion at the time was- Leap Years is similar to most veterinary supplements on the market: It is based on some plausible ideas with limited supporting evidence, and it is marketed with claims that go well beyond anything scientifically proven or reasonable.  In that review, I pointed out that one piece of evidence the manufacturer cited to support their claims was an unpublished clinical study conducted at the veterinary school at North Carolina State University ..read more

It’s been ten years since my first post on the use of cannabis in dogs and cats. For a while, I regularly covered new research studies, but the number of those has become great enough that keeping up with individual papers is not feasible. Fortunately, the principles of evidence-based have an answer- literature reviews! There are two main types of review articles of use to clinicians: narrative reviews and systematic reviews. Narrative reviews are far more common in veterinary medicine. These involve individuals or small groups reviewing the research on a given subject and writing a ..read more

I first began writing about potential medical uses for cannabis products in pets ten years ago. AT the time, there was weak evidence for a few uses in humans, and almost no research evidence in dogs or cats. Since then, I have covered the topic frequently, and new evidence has appeared regularly. This evidence has been mixed, with some studies suggesting benefits and others not. Generally, the safety data has suggested minimal risk, though a recent recommendation to lower the maximum daily dose of CBD in humans reflects the fact that there is much we still don’t know about ..read more

Only the most dedicated followers of this blog are likely to remember this (are there any?), but way back in 2009, I first wrote about resveratrol in an article about supplements for cognitive dysfunction and brain aging in dogs. My conclusion at that time was: Resveratrol, in short, stands at the juncture of hope, profit and scientific promise — a social phenomenon galloping ahead of research that is undeniably intriguing but very incomplete. That was followed by several updates on the status of resveratrol, which still didn’t find scientific justification for the hype. 2012- it is a fine ..read more

I have been tracking the growing body of evidence concerning veterinary uses of CBD since 2018, and it is an exciting and fast-changing field. While there has only been a little clinical trial research in dogs and cats, there have been a couple of encouraging papers looking at CBD for treatment of canine arthritis.  A 2018 study looked at 16 dogs taking either 2 mg/kg of CBD or a placebo twice daily and evaluated subjectively by blinded owners and veterinarians. The owner measures showed improvements in pain and function, while the veterinarian measures showed improvement in pai ..read more

I have been following the research literature investigating the use of pheromones to manage behavior problems in dogs and cats since my first post of the subject in 2010. Here is a rough timeline of my conclusions over that period: 2010- Pheromone Therapy for Dogs and Cats: What’s the Evidence? “The limitations in the quality of the evidence mean we cannot definitively declare that pheromone therapy doesn’t work. What we can say is that based on the best evidence to date, it does not appear to have a benefit. Further study is certainly reasonable, but as always I question the wisdom and t ..read more

Over the years, I have written about many quack medical products for veterinary patients, and about many veterinarians and others who sell or use these products with impunity despite laws intended to protect pets and pet owners from ineffective or harmful snake oil. Unfortunately, these laws are weak and rarely enforced, and even when regulators take action, it doesn’t seem to deter illegal and fraudulent behavior.  Dr. Gloria Dodd was sanctioned by the California Veterinary Medical Board and warned by the FDA, yet she continued her practices until the end of her life, and her busine ..read more

I first wrote about the subject of probiotics in 2009, and I have added quite a few articles on the subject since (1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11). Overall, the evidence has been mixed but pretty poor for most conditions. The best evidence suggests some possible benefit for acute gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea, but the veterinary probiotic literature is sparse and poor quality, with significant risk of bias, particularly given that almost all studies are funded by companies selling probiotic products. There is also evidence that&n ..read more

I have covered the subject of probiotics many times in the ten years since the beginning of this blog. I last summarized the evidence in a 2017 post reviewing all of my previous articles as well as the results of a narrative review published that year. My conclusion at that time was: There are few studies, and those that have been done have significant limitations and often conflict. There is reasonable evidence for some clinical benefit in acute diarrhea associated with stress or antibiotic use. There is no high-quality, consistent evidence for most suggested uses of probiotics. The unr ..read more

I recently updated my coverage of attempts by the American College of Veterinary Botanical Medicine (ACVBM) to attain specialty recognition, and explained why I am opposed to this effort. The deliberations and decisions of the American Board of Veterinary Specialties (ABVS) are shrouded in mystery and seldom discussed publicly, but I have been able to confirm that the ABVS has rejected the ACVBM petition. While I am hopeful that appropriate scientific study will find useful treatments buried in the pile of accumulated tradition and anecdote that currently makes up veterinary herbal medicine, I ..read more