Pets and Terrain: Fasting, Homeopathy, and the Role of the Owner with Dr. Maureen McMichael

Most veterinarians spend their careers learning how to diagnose disease. Dr. Maureen Ann McMichael became interested in a different question: why was the animal sick in the first place?

A board-certified veterinary critical care specialist and former veterinary school professor, Dr. McMichael has worked in emergency medicine, academia, and specialty practice for decades. Along the way, she began questioning some of the foundational assumptions of modern veterinary medicine, from nutrition and chronic disease to pharmaceuticals, injections, and the growing corporatization of pet healthcare.

In this episode, we explore the changing landscape of veterinary medicine, including the surprising role that corporations like Mars now play in the industry. We discuss species-appropriate diets for dogs and cats, fasting as a tool for healing, environmental toxins, glyphosate exposure, and why chronic itching, anxiety, and behavioral issues may be telling us something important about an animal's terrain.

The conversation also ventures into territory rarely discussed in veterinary circles: homeopathy, the placebo effect in animals, emotional trauma in pets, and the possibility that animals process stress, grief, fear, and even purpose in ways that directly influence their health. Dr. McMichael shares stories from her own practice, including working dogs that became ill when they lost their sense of purpose, animals whose symptoms appeared linked to past trauma, and research showing remarkable placebo responses in dogs with epilepsy.

Whether you're a pet owner, a homeopathy skeptic, or simply curious about what a terrain-based approach to animal health might look like, this conversation offers a perspective that challenges many of the assumptions we've come to accept about disease, healing, and the animals who share our lives.

Learn more about Maureen's work with the New Biology Clinic at https://newbiologyclinic.com/.

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Music by Chris Merenda

AfterParty music by Brendan Daniel