Tails of Truth: The Truth about Veterinary Medicine

Hyperthyroidism in Cats: Pills, Iodine, or Diet?

Tell Us What You Think [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2450033/fan_mail/new] Hyperthyroidism is one of the most common diseases veterinarians see in senior cats, but most cat parents don't know they have real options once a diagnosis comes in. In this episode of Tails of Truth, Dr. Angie Krause and veterinary nurse JoJo walk through the full picture: the symptoms that should prompt a T4 blood test, why the test is so straightforward compared to human thyroid testing, and all four treatment paths available today, methimazole in pill, cream, or melt form, radioactive iodine therapy, a prescription iodine-restricted diet, and surgery. They also cover a conversation most cat parents aren't prepared for: why treating hyperthyroidism often uncovers underlying kidney disease, and why that's expected rather than a red flag. If your cat is losing weight, acting ravenous, or yowling at night, or if you're already managing a hyperthyroid diagnosis, this episode covers the questions to ask your vet next.  Key Takeaways * Hyperthyroidism is one of the top four most common diseases in senior cats. * Symptoms include weight loss, increased hunger, vomiting, night yowling, hyperactivity, and a greasy coat and it can mimic kidney disease, IBD, or diabetes. * Diagnosis is a single blood test (total T4), but not every senior wellness panel includes it automatically — ask your vet to add it if your cat is over 8. * There are four treatment paths: methimazole (pill, transdermal cream, or compounded melt), radioactive iodine therapy, a prescription iodine-restricted diet, and surgery (rarely performed anymore). * Radioactive iodine has roughly a 90% cure rate but requires a week-long hospital stay and two weeks of limited contact at home, and typically costs $2,000–$3,000. * Treating hyperthyroidism often reveals underlying kidney disease that was masked. This is expected, not a sign something went wrong. * Cats on methimazole need bloodwork rechecked every 4–6 weeks initially, then every 6 months, to confirm correct dosing and monitor liver and kidney values. * Dr. Angie doesn't always treat mild, asymptomatic elevations in T4. She monitors instead, due to past cases of methimazole causing negative side effects in cats that didn't need it yet. Soundbites "This is one place where Western medicine actually is pretty effective."                   — Dr. Angie  "Pilling your cat every day... it's a relationship breaker for some people." — JoJo "I could talk about hyperthyroidism in cats all day long, and in fact I do."                 — Dr. Angie  "Your vet is gonna want to recheck blood work in four to six weeks. This is not a money grab." — JoJo "You're going to get so much more radiation from that airplane than from a cat."   — Dr. Angie "It sounds terrifying. And if you're holistic in nature, make this make sense." — JoJo * Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/boulderholisticvet/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/DrAngieKrause], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@boulderholisticvet?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc]and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLB3aLrBUvteHeVfL93EdsA] * Schedule your personalized one-on-one consultation with Dr. Angie [https://boulderholisticvet.com/video-consultations-with-dr-angie/]  * Shop my favorite CBD [https://boulderholisticvet.com/product-category/cbd-for-pets/]. Please subscribe and review! xoxo Dr. Angie & JoJo

Senior Dog Had One Seizure? Here's What to Do

Tell Us What You Think [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2450033/fan_mail/new] When a senior dog has a single seizure, most pet parents end up in the emergency room the same night, and many walk out with a prescription for anti-convulsants before anyone's confirmed what caused it. In this episode, Dr. Angie Krause and JoJo unpack why that reflexive approach concerns Dr. Angie after treating six or seven senior dogs with new-onset seizures in just the last few weeks. They walk through what actually qualifies a dog as "senior" for seizure purposes, what a seizure looks like versus fainting or a vasovagal episode, and why post-ictal confusion is the tell. Dr. Angie explains what ER bloodwork can and can't reveal, why a brain tumor becomes the leading concern in older dogs, and why some dogs who seize once never seize again. They also get into the specifics: phenobarbital versus Keppra and why the wrong anti-convulsant sometimes gets prescribed, the real risks of starting steroids preemptively, when cluster seizures change the treatment decision entirely, and where CBD and Chinese herbs fit into long-term management. The episode closes with practical guidance for what to do, and what not to do, if a senior dog seizes at home. Key Takeaways * One seizure in a senior dog doesn't automatically mean medication. * "Senior" for this purpose is roughly 9+, or 7+ in giant breeds. * Post-ictal confusion is what helps identify a seizure, not fainting. * First-seizure bloodwork rarely finds the cause — it mostly rules out things like severe hypothyroidism or electrolyte problems. * The real concern in seniors is a brain tumor, but many dogs never seize again after one episode. * Waiting for a second seizure gives useful information about timing and progression without meaningful added risk. * Anti-convulsants become the right call once seizures recur, especially if they cluster (more than one in 24 hours). * Steroids and anti-convulsants started reflexively at the ER can bring real side effects and complicate long-term management. * At home: give space, don't touch the mouth, don't feed right away, protect from falls. * CBD and Chinese herbs are for ongoing management once there's a pattern, not a treatment for one seizure. Sound Bites "After twenty years of practice, when I watch an animal seize, it still alarms something inside me."  — Dr. Angie  "It's one of my least favorite things to witness." — JoJo "Seizures beget seizures." — Dr. Angie "After one seizure, putting your dog on an anti-convulsant, in my opinion, is incorrect." — Dr. Angie  "Everybody wants to just pull them close and hold them, and your dog's just not in their normal state of being." — JoJo * Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/boulderholisticvet/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/DrAngieKrause], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@boulderholisticvet?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc]and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLB3aLrBUvteHeVfL93EdsA] * Schedule your personalized one-on-one consultation with Dr. Angie [https://boulderholisticvet.com/video-consultations-with-dr-angie/]  * Shop my favorite CBD [https://boulderholisticvet.com/product-category/cbd-for-pets/]. Please subscribe and review! xoxo Dr. Angie & JoJo

Does Woo-Woo Have a Place in Holistic Veterinary Medicine?

Tell Us What You Think [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2450033/fan_mail/new] Dr. Angie and JoJo take a detour from clinical topics to explore the space where holistic veterinary medicine meets the metaphysical. From animal communicators and crystals to soul contracts and pet reincarnation, this episode is a candid, funny, and surprisingly moving conversation about everything science hasn't caught up to yet. Dr. Angie opens up about growing up in a deeply metaphysical family, her parents meeting at an ashram in India, her early experiences with psychic readings after losing her mother, and why she's been quietly wondering how much of that belongs back in her exam room. She practices Chinese veterinary medicine, acknowledges it sits on the woo-woo spectrum, and draws a thoughtful line between staying open to energetic practices and making real medical decisions for suffering animals. JoJo brings her own perspective as someone who thought she'd be the grounded one in this conversation and slowly realizes she's further along the woo-woo scale than she thought. She shares a jaw-dropping family story about a psychic horse in Florida that helped Illinois police locate two missing children, and reflects on her last words to her soul dog Bodhi before he died. Together they get into pets mirroring their guardian's health conditions, whether our animals chose us before we incarnated, intuition in clinical practice, animal communicators, homeopathy, muscle testing, and what role listeners actually want their holistic vet to play in all of it. This episode ends with a question for you: what's your woo-woo, and what do you want from your veterinarian? Key Takeaways * Dr. Angie practices Chinese veterinary medicine, which she acknowledges sits on the woo-woo spectrum despite having growing scientific support * Pets and their guardians frequently share similar health conditions; Dr. Angie attributes this to "the frequency of the house" * Animal communicators are something Dr. Angie has personally used, though she and JoJo both hold healthy skepticism about how to vet them * JoJo's family has a documented story of a psychic horse that helped locate missing children, reported in the press * Both hosts believe in the concept of soul contract animals — pets we feel inexplicably and deeply bonded to * Dr. Angie draws a clear line: openness to metaphysical practices does not replace medical care when an animal is suffering * Dr. Angie feels constrained by her veterinary oath and governing body in how openly she can incorporate energetic practices into her clinical work * Food as energy is framed as one of the most accessible entry points into metaphysical thinking for pet guardians * Both hosts invite listeners to share their own woo-woo practices and what they want from their veterinarian Sound Bites Are we twin flames or are we just triggering the same childhood wound in each other? — Dr. Angie  I came from a very metaphysical family. My parents met at an ashram in India and my family has a guru. — Dr. Angie  I believe the way an animal was treated before its death impacts the way our bodies receive it. — JoJo My last words to Bodhi when he was dying was 'make sure we meet again'. — JoJo I can feel what they feel often. Like if my patient comes in with a fever, I feel the fever. — Dr. Angie * Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/boulderholisticvet/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/DrAngieKrause], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@boulderholisticvet?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc]and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLB3aLrBUvteHeVfL93EdsA] * Schedule your personalized one-on-one consultation with Dr. Angie [https://boulderholisticvet.com/video-consultations-with-dr-angie/]  * Shop my favorite CBD [https://boulderholisticvet.com/product-category/cbd-for-pets/]. Please subscribe and review! xoxo Dr. Angie & JoJo

Why Is My Cat Peeing Outside the Litter Box?

Tell Us What You Think [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2450033/fan_mail/new] Dr. Angie Krause and JoJo break down one of the most common and most misread cat health complaints: peeing outside the litter box. Your cat isn't plotting revenge. They're probably miserable. Whether it's feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC), a stress response you never saw coming, or something more serious hiding underneath, Dr. Angie explains what's actually happening inside your cat's bladder and what feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) really looks like in practice versus what most people assume. They cover what helps, what doesn't, when to wait it out, and the one situation with male cats that is never a wait-and-see. Pain management, hydration, CBD, Chinese herbs, stress reduction, and yes sometimes Prozac. No judgment here. Key Takeaways * Cats peeing outside the box are communicating distress not acting out of spite or revenge * Feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC) is stress-driven bladder inflammation; it's real discomfort, not a behavioral quirk * In young cats, it's almost never a UTI and antibiotics are rarely the right treatment * Most cases resolve on their own, but treatment matters for comfort and preventing recurrence * Male cats straining to urinate with nothing coming out = same-day emergency, no exceptions * Stressors can be invisible: a cat outside the window, a moved couch, a new person in the home, a change in litter * Hydration is central to treatment and prevention — wet food and fountains over dry kibble * Holistic options Dr. Angie uses: HempRx Feline CBD [https://boulderholisticvet.com/products/hemprx-feline-15ml] (2 drops twice daily for a 10 lb cat), San Ren Tang, L-theanine/Composure Pro treats [https://boulderholisticvet.com/products/composure-pro], subcutaneous fluids * Some cats need Prozac or amitriptyline. That's a legitimate medical decision, not a last resort to be ashamed of * Some cats are not meant to be indoor-only; chronic peeing indoors can be a sign of that mismatch Sound Bites "If your cat, your boy cat, is going to the litter box and straining to pee and nothing's coming out, you are going to the clinic in that very moment. Right then and there, no waiting."  ~ Dr. Angie "Cats are just feelers with big emotions." ~ JoJo "99.9% of the time, if you have a young cat, it's not a urinary tract infection. It's urinary tract inflammation. So antibiotics aren't going to help." ~ Dr. Angie "Danger, danger. Red alert, everything on red alert." (on male cat blockage) ~ JoJo "The solution to pollution is dilution." ~ Dr. Angie "Some cats do require Prozac or amitriptyline, some kind of chemical way to feel better. And that's okay."  ~ Dr. Angie Be sure to sign up for our newsletter [https://boulderholisticvet.com/pages/signup-for-our-newsletter] and subscribe to catch all the new episodes.  * Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/boulderholisticvet/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/DrAngieKrause], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@boulderholisticvet?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc]and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLB3aLrBUvteHeVfL93EdsA] * Schedule your personalized one-on-one consultation with Dr. Angie [https://boulderholisticvet.com/video-consultations-with-dr-angie/]  * Shop my favorite CBD [https://boulderholisticvet.com/product-category/cbd-for-pets/]. Please subscribe and review! xoxo Dr. Angie & JoJo

Fleas, Ticks, Worms & Flies: Oh My

Tell Us What You Think [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2450033/fan_mail/new] Turns out there's a lot of ick in tick and in flea, worm, and whatever a screwworm fly is doing, which is frankly worse than the name suggests. Dr. Angie and JoJo recorded this episode six weeks before New World Screwworm was confirmed in dogs in the US, but it seems more timely now than ever. In this episode they cover the parasites they see in practice, where pets pick them up, and why parasite prevention looks completely different depending on where you live. It's equal parts educational and "ew" — JoJo's favorite word in this episode!  There is also a story about a microbiology professor's personal tapeworm that arrives without warning and cannot be unseen. 🎓 Dr. Angie's full course — A Holistic Approach to the Creepy Crawlers — goes much deeper on prevention and treatment for every major parasite. Free at boulderholisticvet.com [https://boulderholisticvet.com/products/a-holistic-approach-to-the-creepy-crawlers-preventing-fleas-ticks-heartworms-more]with code TRUTHTAILS Key Takeaways 1. Location determines your prevention strategy. What works in dry, high-altitude Colorado may be completely inadequate on the coasts or in the South where humidity and bug populations are year-round. 2. New World Screwworm is now confirmed in US dogs. This episode was recorded before it crossed the border. It's caused by a fly larva, not a worm, and it's a serious emerging threat. 3. Heartworm comes from mosquitoes not contact with other dogs. No mosquitoes means no heartworm transmission. Skipping prevention in winter in low-risk areas doesn't make you a bad pet parent. 4. NexGard doesn't repel ticks it kills them after they bite. Your dog can still bring ticks into your home on NexGard. It prevents disease transmission, not tick hitchhiking. 5. Tea tree oil undiluted is toxic to pets, especially cats. Products containing it are typically heavily diluted, but that doesn't mean tea tree oil itself is safe to use at home without care. 6. Fleas lead to tapeworms. If your pet hunts or catches small animals, tapeworm exposure is likely. You'll recognize them as rice-like segments in their stool. 7. Mites come in two types — contagious (sarcoptic mange) and the kind dogs already carry in their skin (demodex).  8. Lice are species-specific and intensely itchy. 9. The Creepy Crawlers course at boulderholisticvet.com [https://boulderholisticvet.com/products/a-holistic-approach-to-the-creepy-crawlers-preventing-fleas-ticks-heartworms-more] covers all of this in depth.  10. Even holistic vets on the coasts are recommending pharmaceuticals for flea and tick prevention where natural options simply can't keep up with year-round bug pressure. 11. Bravecto's one-year injectable — Dr. Angie's position is wait-and-see. Useful in high-tick regions, but she won't use it in Boulder where tick season is short. Soundbites Essential oils are always a little risky with cats. I'm not a huge fan of them for cats.  — Dr. Angie I am neurotypical and very type A and I can still forget heartworm prevention.       — JoJo This is the number one reason people visit our website according to our Google Analytics — to find out how to holistically prevent parasites. — JoJo 20 years ago when I first started practicing in the front range, I hardly ever saw any bugs, ever. And now I see more because global warming. — Dr. Angie This is why we should fund science. Just gonna say that. — Dr. Angie You're going to know if your pet has tapeworms, most likely. It looks like little rice in their stool. That moves. — JoJo * Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/boulderholisticvet/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/DrAngieKrause], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@boulderholisticvet?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc]and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLB3aLrBUvteHeVfL93EdsA] * Schedule your personalized one-on-one consultation with Dr. Angie [https://boulderholisticvet.com/video-consultations-with-dr-angie/]  * Shop my favorite CBD [https://boulderholisticvet.com/product-category/cbd-for-pets/]. Please subscribe and review! xoxo Dr. Angie & JoJo