My Dog Is Better Than Your Dog

This one is for every veterinarian who has ever felt like an island.
But it is also for every pet parent who has ever wondered what it actually takes for a vet to practice medicine on their own terms, and why so many of the best ones end up building something from scratch.
Dr. Judy Jasek never wanted to own a business. She became an entrepreneur because it was the only way she could practice the medicine she believed in. She bought a conventional practice, stopped doing as many vaccines because she believed they were harming her patients, and watched her revenue plummet. Then she built a full integrative hospital, burned out under the weight of it, sold it, sat through a three year non-compete, and rebuilt from the front room of her house. No debt. No bank loan. Just a mat on the floor and a willingness to see what happened.
It thrived.
Dr. Lily started the same way. House calls, then 500 square feet, a mat and a desk, no X-ray machine, no surgery suite. The only piece of equipment she needs to plug in today is her ozone machine.
This conversation also goes into the loss of empathy in the veterinary profession since COVID, what drove it, and why both Dr. Judy and Dr. Lily believe that healing is an art that is at risk of being lost.
KEY INSIGHTS:
✨ Most holistic vets become entrepreneurs by necessity, not choice. The only way to practice authentically is often to build something yourself.
✨ You do not need a big loan, a big space, or all the equipment. Dr. Judy rebuilt from her front room. Dr. Lily started with house calls and 500 square feet. Both practices thrived.
✨ Avoiding debt is one of the most important decisions you can make when starting a practice. When you own debt, you feel trapped. When you own nothing, you are free to practice the way you want.
✨ Find the modality that is uniquely yours and go all in on that. You do not have to do everything. Every other clinic is already doing everything. Your niche eliminates your competition.
✨ The curbside drop-off era during COVID did profound damage to the veterinarian-client bond. The loss of empathy in the profession since that time is something both Dr. Judy and Dr. Lily are seeing firsthand.
✨ Corporate practice appointments run every 10 to 15 minutes. There is not enough time to sit on the floor, listen to the family, explore options, or practice medicine that feels like medicine.
✨ Informed consent is how veterinarians are supposed to practice. Explaining the risks, the whys, the regulations, and letting the family make the choice. Not badgering, not enforcing, not checking boxes.
✨ Clients follow doctors, not clinics. When you practice from the heart, people are drawn to that energy. The right clients will find you.
✨ Healing is an art. Every veterinarian has unique gifts. The world needs those gifts, not another clinic that does the same things as the 10 clinics around it.
✨ If you feel like an island in this profession, you are not alone. There are more of us than you think.

RESOURCES:
Animal Healing Arts: https://ahavet.com
Instagram: @judyjasek
Facebook: @Animal Healing Arts
Substack: https://judyjasekdvm.substack.com
Membership (free to join): https://ahavet.com/membership

FOLLOW:
Integrative Pet Wellness Center: https://integrativepet.com
Instagram: @integrativepet
Threads: @integrativepet
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Dr. Lily Chen:
Instagram: @dr.lilychen @the.unicorn.vet
Threads: @the.unicorn.vet
LinkedIn: Lily Chen, DVM, CVA & The Unicorn Vet

Your Pet Is Not Worried About Dying. You Are.
What if the tumor is not the disease? What if it is the body's way of telling us something went wrong a long time ago, and the real work is figuring out what that was?
Dr. Judy Jasek graduated from Colorado State University in 1988 and spent years in conventional practice before something shifted. Her own horse developed a behavioral problem that no conventional approach could touch. An energetic chiropractor turned the animal around completely, and once Dr. Judy started looking at medicine differently, she could not stop.
Nearly 40 years later, she runs Animal Healing Arts, a telemedicine practice rooted in what she calls the Terrain Paradigm: the idea that health is the body's natural state, and our job is to figure out what knocked the body off balance and help it return.
We talk about mistletoe therapy, ozone, Chinese herbal medicine, why she almost never recommends surgery as a first step, and why your pet is not worried about dying from cancer. They just want to live a happy life. And the energy you bring into the room, fear or gratitude, directly affects their healing.

KEY INSIGHTS:
✨ The tumor is the tip of the iceberg. It is a warning sign that the body's toxic load has exceeded what it can handle. Removing the tumor without addressing what caused it is incomplete.
✨ Cancer rates are rising in young dogs. Lymphoma in two-year-olds, aggressive tumors in four-year-olds. This was not something seen 20 or 30 years ago and it is a wake-up call.
✨ Dr. Judy's first question for every cancer patient is not about the diagnosis. It is how is the pet doing. A pet that is still eating, vigorous, and enjoying life has a lot to work with.
✨ Mistletoe therapy has been used in human oncology in Europe for over 100 years. In Germany, roughly 70% of human cancer patients receive it. It is immunomodulating, has direct anti-cancer effects, and can be administered at home.
✨ Fever after mistletoe treatment can be a sign the immune system is waking up, not a sign something is wrong. Warming the body activates enzymatic pathways that support healing.
✨ Ozone therapy oxygenates the body at a cellular level. When pets are tired after ozone treatment, it is often because the body has been given a healing tool and needs to rest to use it.
✨ Dr. Judy almost never recommends surgery as a first step. Unless there is a life-threatening blockage or bleed, she focuses on supporting the body first and correcting what led to the cancer.
✨ Success does not have to mean the tumor is gone. Can the pet live with this comfortably with good quality of life? That is a more realistic and more achievable goal than elimination.
✨ Your pet does not know they have cancer. They want to eat, play, and curl up next to you. The fear and grief you carry around them affects their healing. Gratitude and presence are medicine.
✨ Prevention is the most powerful tool. Testing the gut microbiome, vitamin D levels, and toxic burden early, before anything shows up on bloodwork, gives the body the best chance to come back into balance before disease develops.
✨ Diarrhea is not a metronidazole deficiency. Any symptom the body produces naturally has a reason. The question is not how do we stop this, it is what is the body trying to tell us.

RESOURCES:
Animal Healing Arts: https://ahavet.com
Instagram: @animal.healing.arts
Facebook: @animalhealingarts
Substack: judyjasekdvm.substack.com
👉 Membership (free to join): https://ahavet.com/membership-agreement/

FOLLOW:
Integrative Pet Wellness Center: https://integrativepet.com
Instagram: @integrativepet
Threads: @integrativepet
TikTok: @integrativepet
Sign up to our newsletter to get more holistic pet care tips 🐶🐈‍⬛

Dr. Lily Chen:
Instagram: @dr.lilychen @the.unicorn.vet
Threads: @the.unicorn.vet
LinkedIn: Lily Chen, DVM, CVA

This one started as a continuation after the main episode wrapped up.

Heather Gibson and Dr. Lily just kept talking, and what came next was more honest and more direct than anything in the main episode. They got into the coefficient of inbreeding, a term becoming a bigger deal in the breeding world that Dr. Lily had never heard before, and why Heather made the controversial decision to move from purebred to mixed breeding for the sake of dog health.
Then Heather asked Dr. Lily about microbiome testing, fecal transplants, and why vets are still using metronidazole as a first line dewormer for puppies. That part got Dr. Lily fired up.
Shorter, a little more raw, and very much a conversation between two people from different corners of pet care who both care deeply about getting this right.

KEY INSIGHTS: 
✨ The coefficient of inbreeding measures how genetically similar a puppy's parents are. Lower numbers mean more genetic diversity, which generally means better health, stronger immunity, and fewer inherited diseases. 
✨ Pedigrees alone cannot tell the full story. Two dogs from completely different lines, even different continents, can still be genetically too similar. Companies like Embark now calculate this before a breeding ever happens. 
✨ Many purebred dogs are already mixed breeds, just from centuries ago. Golden Retrievers were originally Irish Setters, Bloodhounds, a Tweed Spaniel, and reportedly a dog from the side of the road. 
✨ Heather moved from purebred to mixed breeding because she saw health issues she did not believe could be resolved without more genetic diversity. It is not anti-purebred. It is pro-health. 
✨ Asking a breeder whether they test for coefficient of inbreeding is one of the most important questions a pet parent can ask and most never think to. 
✨ Metronidazole is wildly overused as a first line dewormer for puppies. Some puppies arrive at eight weeks already having had three or four rounds, leaving their gut microbiome already depleted before they ever come home. 
✨ Giardia can be cleared naturally without antibiotics. Dr. Lily has done it and trained vets to do it successfully with microbiome testing before and after to prove it. It takes more work but builds a far more resilient gut. 
✨ Not every dog needs a fecal transplant. Some improve with diet changes and the right supplements. But choosing supplements without microbiome data first can sometimes make things worse. 
✨ Fecal microbiome restoration does not require sedation or invasive prep. At Dr. Lily's clinic it is a gentle one to two minute procedure. Animals go home exactly as they came in. 
✨ Research takes an average of 20 years to move from a journal into standard clinical practice. Our pets do not have 20 years to wait.
 ✨ Testing the mother's microbiome before breeding could be one of the most impactful things we do for puppy health since her microbiome becomes the puppy's starting point for life.

RESOURCES:
Big Hearted Breeders: https://www.bigheartedbreeders.com Instagram: @bigheartedbreeders
Facebook: @bigheartedbreeders
YouTube:@Bigheartedbreeders

AnimalBiome: https://www.animalbiome.com
AHVMA Vet Directory: https://www.ahvma.org
Magic of Microbiome Course for Vets: https://theunicorn.academy

FOLLOW:
Integrative Pet Wellness Center: https://integrativepet.com Instagram: @integrativepet
Threads: @integrativepet
TikTok: @integrativepet
Youtube: @integrativepet
Sign up to our newsletter to get more holistic pet care tips 🐶🐈‍⬛
Dr. Lily Chen:
Instagram: @dr.lilychen @the.unicorn.vet
Threads: @the.unicorn.vet
LinkedIn: Lily Chen, DVM, CVA

Before that puppy ever comes home to you, before the first walk, the first vet visit, the first time they fall asleep in your lap, there are six to eight weeks happening behind the scenes that will shape their health, their temperament, and their resilience for the rest of their life.
Most pet parents have zero control over what happens during that window. And most never think to ask.
Heather Gibson is the founder of Big Hearted Breeders, a certified pet nutrition coach who has spent over 12 years raising dogs and cats with a holistic wellness first approach. Before she was a breeder, she was a foster parent for over a decade, caring for children with severe trauma. It was watching her foster children heal through their bond with animals that set her on this path.
We get into what early neurological stimulation actually is and why it matters, what health testing should happen before breeding ever begins, how to tell the difference between a breeder who truly cares and one who is running a business, and why the relationship between breeders and vets is so strained and what we can do about it.
KEY INSIGHTS:
✨ The first eight weeks of a puppy's life happen entirely without you. What a breeder does during that window shapes the immune system, nervous system, temperament, and resilience for life.
✨ Early neurological stimulation, developed by the military and sometimes called the Superdog program, is done from day six to day 17. Research shows it builds a more robust immune system and a nervous system better able to handle change.
✨ After those first two weeks, good breeders move into daily socialization, introducing new sounds, textures, smells, and obstacles so the puppy's brain builds the neural pathways that say new things are safe.
✨ Health testing on the parents is non-negotiable. Hips, elbows, patellas, heart, eyes, and a full genetic panel to screen for recessive genes that two healthy dogs can unknowingly both carry and pass on.
✨ Colostrum is a window that cannot be replicated. If a puppy misses those first hours of mother's milk, they start at an immune disadvantage that is very difficult to make up. Ask whether all puppies were latched and fed immediately after birth.
✨ Weaning straight from mother's milk to kibble is a harsh transition for a developing gut. Even partial introduction of fresh food during weaning sets up a stronger microbiome for life.
✨ Routine deworming with metronidazole every two weeks means some puppies have had three or four rounds of gut-clearing medication before they leave the breeder. Dr. Lily recommends testing before treating rather than automatic deworming protocols.
✨ Ask any breeder whether they offer lifetime support and whether they will take the dog back at any point if something happens to the family. That answer tells you who you are working with.
✨ A puppy at eight weeks can only be awake for about 30 minutes before needing a long rest. Overstimulation is one of the most common reasons new puppies seem out of control, and most families are never told this.
✨ The vet and breeder relationship does not have to be adversarial. They share the same goal. Building bridges between those two worlds is better for puppies and better for families.

Resources: Big Hearted Breeders: https://www.bigheartedbreeders.com
Instagram: @bigheartedbreeders
Facebook: @bigheartedbreeders
YouTube: @bigheartedbreeders
TikTok: @bigheartedbreeders
Pinterest: @bigheartedbreeders

FOLLOW:
Integrative Pet Wellness Center: https://integrativepet.com
Instagram: @integrativepet
Threads: @integrativepet
TikTok: @integrativepet
Sign up to our newsletter to get more holistic pet care tips 🐶🐈‍⬛
Dr. Lily Chen:
Instagram: @dr.lilychen @the.unicorn.vet
Threads: @the.unicorn.vet
LinkedIn: Lily Chen, DVM, CVA

Episode 100.
I almost cannot believe it. When this podcast started, I did not know if anyone would listen. I only knew there were options out there, real and powerful ones, that too many pet parents never get told about. So I made a place for those conversations.
Tonight was different. No guest, no script. Just a live recording with a room full of pet parents who have been on this journey with me, asking the real questions, sharing what they have lived through, and reminding me exactly why this exists.
We talked about fecal transplants for IBD and when to start tapering off antibiotics like tylosin. We talked about ozone therapy and what it actually does inside the gut. We talked about the Qest4 scan, stem cell therapy for heart disease, UVBI, reference ranges that shift over time, and why a dog's liver values being high for 15 years might just be that dog's normal.
And somewhere in the middle of all of it, I said something I have been wanting to say for a long time. I am a little tired of the fighting between conventional and holistic. I do both. I sit squarely in the middle. And it was never for us doctors to decide. It is for the families to decide, and they cannot decide if they do not know the options exist.
Here is to the next hundred.

KEY INSIGHTS:
✨ Diarrhea and heart failure are not directly connected. Heart failure causes fluid in the lungs or belly, not the intestines. But pets in heart failure may be more prone to gut issues because the body is already working so hard.
✨ Seasonal flares and stress are real allergy triggers. A dog can have their food sensitivities fully managed and still flare because of pollen, environmental shifts, or the anxiety of their person being away.
✨ Quercetin with bromelain stabilizes mast cells, one of the biggest drivers of allergic reactions. It works best as longer term support rather than an in-the-moment rescue.
✨ Metronidazole has been overused for diarrhea for decades. Research shows it can damage the microbiome and sometimes it does not recover. Fecal transplant is often a better first reach.
✨ When a pet is on multiple gut medications simultaneously, FMT will be less effective but still worth doing. The goal is to build enough stability to slowly taper, starting with the antibiotic.
✨ Ozone before fecal transplant is not about killing bad bacteria. It breaks up biofilm so the new transplant material has a better chance to take hold.
✨ Reference ranges shift over time and are based on a sample population. Trends over time matter far more than any single value.
✨ When kidney values are elevated on bloodwork, 70 to 80 percent of kidney function may already be gone. Watching trends within normal range gives you time to intervene before that point.
✨ The Qest4 bioenergetic scan can test supplement compatibility, showing whether a product is addressing root cause, addressing symptoms, or is not a match for that pet.
✨ Stem cell therapy using amnion has produced dramatic results in heart valve disease, including reversal in some patients. It works best when introduced early in the disease process.
✨ A 20 minute sniff walk provides mental stimulation equivalent to roughly one hour of physical exercise. Letting the dog lead the sniff rather than pulling them along is one of the most effective enrichment tools available.
✨ The microbiome can be imbalanced from puppyhood, often traced back through generations. Testing early, before symptoms appear, gives the most time and the most options.

FOLLOW:
Integrative Pet Wellness Center: https://integrativepet.com
Instagram: @integrativepet
Threads: @integrativepet
TikTok: @integrativepet
Sign up to our newsletter to get more holistic pet care tips 🐶🐈‍⬛
Dr. Lily Chen:
Instagram: @dr.lilychen @the.unicorn.vet
Threads: @the.unicorn.vet
LinkedIn: Lily Chen, DVM, CVA & The Unicorn Vet