Welcome to Tails of Truth, the podcast where holistic veterinarian Dr. Angie Krause and her co-host, veterinary nurse JoJo, bring you candid, light-hearted conversations about pet health, veterinary medicine, and everything in-between. Whether you're a pet parent or a veterinary professional, this is your judgment-free space for real answers, practical problem-solving, and the kind of grounded guidance that helps you advocate confidently for the animals you love.
From integrative treatments and preventive care to hot-button topics, tough diagnoses, and the emotional reality of pet parenting, we cover it all with clinical expertise, empathy, open minds, and curiosity. This show takes the discussion beyond the exam room and elevates the way we care for animals.
Make yourself a cup of tea and press play. This is the kind of exchange you'd want to have with a trusted friend who just happens to be a veterinarian. We're so glad you're here!
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Are mRNA vaccines safe for dogs and cats? Dr. Angie Krause and JoJo unpack Merck’s newer RNA vaccines for pets in plain language. They cover how these vaccines differ from the ones vets have used for decades, why they don’t need an adjuvant, and why they don’t change your pet’s DNA. They’re also candid about what we still don’t know, from long term data to manufacturer funded studies. Plus, why skipping rabies vaccines is a risk with no do over, and why healthy skepticism and critical thinking matter more than fear.
Key Takeaways
Merck’s newer RNA vaccines for pets use technology similar to the COVID vaccine, but not identical.
Unlike killed vaccines, they don’t need an adjuvant, which is the ingredient behind many “I don’t want that in my pet” concerns.
The RNA does not enter the nucleus, so it does not change your pet’s DNA.
Studies so far have found no evidence that the protein is being shed.
In Dr. Angie’s view, fewer additives could mean fewer vaccine reactions, but long term data isn’t in yet.
The trials were funded by the manufacturer, which is a fair reason for healthy skepticism.
Dr. Angie is staying with Purevax for now. She isn’t an early adopter, and familiarity with your products is part of what makes a clinic safe.
Skipping rabies vaccines is a growing trend, and rabies has no second chance for pets or people.
Vet medicine has historically downplayed vaccine reactions. The answer is critical thinking and individualized, risk assessed vaccination, not all or nothing.
Soundbites
“I think veterinary medicine has been really guilty of denying the vaccine reactions that some pets have had.” — Dr. Angie
"Maybe we can put some information in the misinformation.” — JoJo
"When you look at all the ingredients in a vaccine, you’re like, I don’t want that.” — Dr. Angie
“I think critical thinking is really important when it comes to vaccines.” — JoJo
“I have to turn in my holistic vet card" — Dr. Angie
“That would be terrible business to roll out something that just kills every animal.” — JoJo
“It’s not entering the part of your cell that makes DNA." — Dr. Angie
It’s okay to die. Dr. Angie Krause and veterinary nurse JoJo get personal in this episode about dignity in death and how differently veterinary and human medicine approach the end of life.
Speaking from their own experiences with loss, they explore why vets have the end-of-life conversation so many people never get in their end-of-life, and why our culture treats death as a failure to delay at all cost.
Along the way, they answer questions many pet parents quietly carry. Will my dog or cat pass peacefully in their sleep? What does a natural death really look like? Is it okay to say goodbye before my pet is suffering? How do vets decide whether chemo is worth it? What if my beliefs don’t allow euthanasia?
Dr. Angie shares how she built her own relationship with euthanasia after growing up in a family that didn’t believe in it. Together they talk about quality of life tools, in-home euthanasia, and why grief, especially the loss of a dog or cat, so often has nowhere to go.
This is a tender, deeply personal conversation about the one universal experience every being shares.
Key Takeaways
Veterinary medicine treats a terminal diagnosis as a conversation about options, comfort, and what comes next. Human medicine seems to often avoid that conversation.
In vet med, cancer treatment that causes significant side effects for a short gain is generally not the standard of care. Comfort is part of the decision.
Humane euthanasia is a gift. It spares pets prolonged suffering, and it spares families caregiving they can’t sustain.
A “natural death” rarely means a peaceful passing in sleep. For most degenerative diseases, that isn’t how it plays out.
Quality of life tools exist because it's difficult to see your pet clearly. Everyone bargains in grief.
Choosing euthanasia before suffering peaks can feel better than expected, not guilt-inducing.
When beliefs rule out euthanasia, there are still more humane, comfortable ways to support a dying body.
Every vet visit is a partnership, and some habits make it harder for everyone, including the pet. In this episode, Dr. Angie and JoJo get candid about five things pet parents do that frustrate veterinary teams. They talk about what really happens when clients are unkind to the front desk, why sending a partner who doesn't know the pet's history can derail an appointment, and when a long phone call should really be a consultation. JoJo explains why skipping prescribed pre-visit sedation often means a second visit, and why leaving out details, even embarrassing ones, makes it harder to help. Dr. Angie also shares what she considers the hardest part of her job, and it isn't euthanasia.
Key Takeaways
Being rude to front desk staff doesn't get a pet seen faster. Dr. Angie says kind, anxious clients are easier to call back, and she tends to get to them sooner.
The front desk team is the one advocating to fit patients in, so a good relationship with them works in a pet's favor.
If a partner or family member brings the pet in, send written notes or a voice memo so the appointment isn't built on missing information.
A 20 minute phone call is really a consultation. Dr. Angie asks clients to book an appointment instead, and no pet is required.
Skipping prescribed pre-visit medication without warning the clinic often means a failed visit, a second appointment, and a pet that has to go through it twice.
Leaving out part of a pet's history, even the embarrassing part, makes it harder to help. The team isn't there to judge.
Dr. Angie says the hardest part of her job isn't euthanasia. It's when people are mean.
Soundbites
"Because everyone thinks that the hardest part of my job is euthanizing animals. It's in fact not." — Dr. Angie
"We're not here to shame. We're here to educate." — JoJo
"We go to the back and cry when you are mean to us. The doctors cry, the nurses cry." — Dr. Angie
"And so there's this hierarchy of madness." — JoJo
Functional Mushrooms & Gut Microbiome with Dr. Rob Silver
Dr. Rob Silver, the integrative veterinarian behind Boulder's Natural Animal Hospital, the Rx Vitamins line, and Real Mushrooms Pet Line joins Dr. Angie Krause to talk functional mushrooms and the gut microbiome. They cover why a probiotic alone rarely fixes an itchy dog, the importance of diet on gut health, how puppies and kittens inherit their microbiome, why Dr. Silver avoids metronidazole, what fecal transplants can do, and how to tell real mushroom supplements from mycelium grown on grain.
Key Takeaways:
A probiotic alone rarely fixes an pet that's itchy or has digestive upset. Diet, genetics, environment, and lifestyle all shape the gut.
Ultra processed food drives inflammation and immune reactivity. Fresh food doesn't have to be raw or fed seven days a week to help.
The microbiome is individual. There is no single best probiotic for every animal.
Puppies and kittens inherit their mother's microbiome. That makes the new puppy or kitten visit a key moment to build gut health.
Dr. Silver considers metronidazole one of the most disruptive antibiotics for the microbiome. He reaches for symptomatic support first.
Fecal microbiome transplants have a long track record and are now available fresh, freeze dried, and in capsules.
Microbiome tests are all fairly reliable. The real challenge is interpreting the results and acting on them.
Many "mushroom" supplements are mostly mycelium grown on grain. Beta glucan content tells the difference.
Over the counter supplement labels are often dosed at wellness levels, not therapeutic ones.
Lion's mane has roots in gut health, not just cognitive support. That's the gut brain connection in action.
Soundbites
"And we all know that most disease comes from the gut." — Dr. Angie
"Each animal is their own universe." — Dr. Silver
"It's kitty crack in here. They love it." — Dr. Angie
"Into every life a little vice must fall." — Dr. Silver
This week Dr. Angie and JoJo get into the uncomfortable question of overtesting in veterinary medicine. They talk about packages that bundle unnecessary vaccines and tests, the debate over year round flea and tick prevention, whether a heartworm test is necessary before starting Ivermectin, and why so many pet parents feel like they're not being offered options. Dr. Angie shares how she handles these conversations in her own exam room, including a few opinions she knows will ruffle feathers.
Key Takeaways
Dr. Angie has not personally seen private practices selling unnecessary test/vaccine packages, but acknowledges some clinics do it
A more litigious culture may be pushing some vets toward defensive over testing, particularly in emergency medicine
Dr. Angie questions the value of yearly fecal tests in low risk populations and does not require year round flea, tick, and heartworm prevention unless a pet travels or the household needs the routine
A heartworm test before starting prevention is mainly a concern for pets coming from high risk regions (the South); in Boulder's climate and history it's less critical
81% of vets say they often offer an alternative plan when cost is a barrier, but 73% of clients say they're not offered one, a communication gap
Tiered treatment options ("start here, then here") seem to be disappearing, especially at corporate clinics, replaced by single upfront estimates
Vet experience and individual risk tolerance both affect how many diagnostics get recommended
Dr. Angie encourages clients to ask "do I really need this" and says she wants shared decision making, not blind compliance
Cost is often the real driver behind what looks like distrust, and financial conversations are normal and okay to have
Building a relationship with a vet who will have honest, individualized conversations is presented as the real solution, more than any specific test or protocol
Soundbites
"I don't wanna gaslight people and tell them this isn't happening. Sometimes it is happening." — Dr. Angie
Most cat parents assume rabies risk is an outdoor cat problem. Dr. Angie and JoJo disagree, and they've got two recent patient cases to explain why. In this episode, they walk through rabid bats becoming more common in the Boulder and Denver area, how a bat's behavior changes when it's infected, and what actually happens if a cat is exposed. That includes the quarantine process, why a rabies titer won't get a cat out of being vaccinated and quarantined, and the real consequences an unvaccinated, exposed animal can face. They also cover why rabies tops Dr. Angie's list of nonnegotiable vaccines, common myths about vaccine side effects, and what to look for in the vaccine itself. Listeners can grab their free course on cat vaccines at boulderholisticvet.com using code Truthtails or Truthtales.
Key Takeaways
Rabid bats do exist in the Boulder and Denver area, and their behavior changes when infected: daytime activity, flying into windows, being on the ground.
Two of Dr. Angie's patients had confirmed or suspected bat exposure in the past year.
If a cat is exposed to a potentially rabid animal and isn't current on the vaccine, the state veterinarian can require an extended quarantine, and in some cases can move to euthanize the animal.
A rabies titer does not substitute for vaccination in an exposure situation. It only shows immunity status at that moment and takes too long to come back to be useful in an active exposure.
Rabies is not just a bat issue. Skunks, fox, and domestic animals can carry it too.
Of all core vaccines, Dr. Angie ranks rabies as the one she'd keep no matter what, because it is uniformly fatal once symptomatic. FVRCP matters, but panleukopenia is the only component in that combo with comparable severity for cats.
Common vaccine hesitancy around rabies (fear it affects the nervous system) misunderstands how the vaccine works. It's a fragment of virus prompting an antibody response, not an infection.
Dr. Angie uses Purevax (Boehringer Ingelheim) for cats, administered below the knee, elbow, or in the tail, per current best practice for injection site.
On this episode of Tails of Truth, Dr. Angie Krause and veterinary nurse, JoJo, dig into listener comments and questions, covering cat hyperthyroidism testing, Cytopoint and cancer risk, heartworm resistance to ivermectin, and the rabies vaccine recall. They also talk through saccharomyces boulardii for dogs on prednisone and the ongoing debate around gut health and allergies in dogs. Some comments are kind. Some are not. Dr. Angie and JoJo answer them anyway.
Key Takeaways
Cat hyperthyroidism testing is different from thyroid testing in dogs or people and a standard T4 is usually sufficient; free T3 panels are rarely needed.
Oral ulcers unrelated to kidney disease can drive up BUN and creatinine through dehydration alone, which can look like kidney failure on bloodwork without being kidney failure.
Saccharomyces boulardii is generally considered safe for dogs on prednisone and may ease gut side effects, though it has no known direct effect on lymphoma itself.
Long-term gut-healing protocols for allergic dogs are time- and resource-intensive and haven't shown consistently reliable results in Dr. Angie's experience.
Cytopoint is not linked to increased cancer risk. Cyclosporine, a different drug, does carry a small increased lymphoma risk in some patients.
As of recording, there were no confirmed reports of ivermectin-resistant heartworm in Colorado; informal discussion pointed to possible resistance in the Mississippi Delta/Louisiana region, not yet a verified nationwide trend.
Rabies vaccine cost and dosing intervals vary by manufacturer and formulation: a one-year and three-year version aren't automatically the same product.
Soundbites
"The majority of these messages are so disrespectful and unnecessarily mean." — Dr. Angie
Thorne, the supplement company millions of pet parents have trusted for over two decades, was just sold to Procter & Gamble for $3.8 billion. But the veterinary side of that business isn't part of the deal. It's now PetDomain, a fully family owned company built by the same people who ran ThorneVet for years.
In this episode, Dr. Angie and JoJo sit down with PetDomain owner and CEO Alex Pearson to talk about what happened, why his family chose independence over joining a corporate sale, and what family ownership means for the quality assurances behind every product on the shelf.
They cover how PetDomain sources and tests ingredients, why proprietary blends make it hard for pet parents to know what they're actually giving their pets, and what to look for when choosing a supplement brand you can trust.
If you've used ThorneVet products, or you're just trying to make sense of a pet product world full of company buyouts, this episode is for you.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
ThorneVet has rebranded to PetDomain following Thorne's $3.8 billion sale to Procter & Gamble, announced the same day as PetDomain's own brand launch.
PetDomain is fully family owned and operated, run by the Pearson family who took over the ThorneVet line in 2019.
Formulations, sourcing, and testing protocols have not changed with the split from Thorne.
Proprietary blends can hide exact ingredient amounts from pet parents. PetDomain discloses full amounts on every label.
NASC certification is one practical way pet parents can vet a supplement brand's manufacturing and testing standards.
More supplements isn't always better. Both Alex and Dr. Angie agree on this.
PetDomain randomly retests products already on shelves at six, twelve, and eighteen months to confirm they still deliver full potency and safety standards.
SOUNDBITES
"I tell ya, integrity's probably cost me money." — Alex Pearson
Even veterinary professionals aren't immune to chaos and medical errors. In this episode, Dr. Angie and JoJo get vulnerable about the mistakes, emergencies, and shame spirals that happened with their own pets, including a medication dosing error, an unexpected ER visit after a dog ate a pot cookie, and a cat dental emergency that came with major sticker shock. They talk through what it actually feels like to mess up in an industry where you're expected to know better, why full mouth dental x-rays under anesthesia matter, how ASPCA Animal Poison Control works, and what to do if your dog may have eaten THC. Vulnerable, honest, and possibly even relatable.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Even experienced veterinarians and vet techs can make dosing errors, and ASPCA Animal Poison Control is a resource available to any pet parent, not just veterinary professionals
Full mouth dental x-rays under anesthesia can catch problems like tooth resorption that aren't visible without them
Dog THC toxicity is rarely fatal but can cause serious discomfort, including body temperature swings, vomiting, and disorientation
CBD may help counteract THC toxicity in dogs by displacing it from cannabinoid receptors
Pet insurance (the hosts both use Lemonade) can reimburse emergency costs quickly
Veterinary professionals can feel shame asking their own colleagues questions, the same way pet parents sometimes do
Veterinary medicine is expensive even for veterinarians
Medical errors happen to even the best veterinarians and vet staff
Mistakes happen with pet parents. This is a judgement free zone for all of it
SOUNDBITES
"This is a scary episode." — JoJo
"I immediately felt sheepish and small." — Dr. Angie
"She's hella uncomfortable." — JoJo
"You've gotta let yourself be human." — Dr. Angie
"I think it makes us less judgmental, 'cause how can we judge?" — JoJo
Steroids get a bad reputation, especially among holistic pet parents, but Dr. Angie Krause and JoJo break down when cats actually need them and when it's okay to explore other options. They cover the difference between prednisone and prednisolone, the real risk of steroid-induced diabetes, budesonide as a gentler alternative, and how to safely taper a cat off long-term steroids. They also dig into steroids for IBD, asthma, and skin conditions, plus what the research does and doesn't say about steroids and cancer risk. They discuss benefits and risks and potential side effects. This conversation is for any cat parent who has felt nervous about starting their cat on steroids.
Key Takeaways
Prednisolone is generally preferred over prednisone for cats because some feline livers convert it less efficiently, though exact failure rates aren't well studied.
Steroid-induced diabetes in cats is rare (Dr. Angie has seen it twice in 20 years) and, caught early, is often reversible.
Diabetes risk is dose-dependent and shows up early, usually within the first few weeks, not after prolonged use.
Budesonide stays local to the GI tract and doesn't carry the same systemic risk as prednisone/prednisolone.
Cats tolerate steroids better than dogs, with fewer personality changes or physical side effects like muscle wasting.
Steroids don't have to mean a lifelong commitment, but tapering, not cold-turkey stopping, is essential after long-term use to avoid adrenal crisis.
Natural alternatives (diet, CBD, herbs, probiotics) work for maintenance situations but not during an active crisis like an asthma attack.
Steroids can still be appropriate for cats with kidney disease depending on severity of their disease, and current evidence doesn't support steroids causing cancer.
Soundbites
"Cats often need steroids. They need steroids for asthma, for inflammatory bowel disease, for their allergic disease, for all kinds of things." — Dr. Angie
"People in the holistic space really try to avoid steroids. They hear that word steroid and I feel like it's all out panic." — JoJo
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Please subscribe and review! xoxo Dr. Angie & JoJo
"We've had two in the last year of our patients be exposed to bats, one confirmed rabies, we're waiting on the second one." — Dr. Angie
"If your animal has been exposed to a rabid animal and they are not up to date on their vaccines, I mean they can try to force you to euthanize your animal." — Dr. Angie
"It's a peace of mind vaccine because rabies is fatal." — JoJo
"This is no shade to bats. Yes. Like they do so much." — Dr. Angie
"Well, I think there's like this trend right now to not vaccinate for rabies." — JoJo
Please subscribe and review! xoxo Dr. Angie & JoJo
"That's a very privileged place to sit, to be able to say I am gonna just really spend the next two to three years working on my dog's gut health." — Dr. Angie
"If somebody had one experience with their animal and it worked out well for them, they suddenly are the expert." — JoJo
Please subscribe and review! xoxo Dr. Angie & JoJo
"The first thing I think of is please don't become diabetic. It's happened to me twice in 20 years, but it feels bad." — Dr. Angie
"I know it can feel overwhelming to dose your cat a pill every day. Just know that this can be compounded into a formulation that works for you and your cat." — JoJo
"If your cat has asthma and is struggling to breathe, steroids are the best thing... in crisis, it's not the time to think about any kind of alternative." — Dr. Angie
