Dr. Shawn’s Blog

Why SkeptVet Might Be Skeptical

January 20, 2010 on 1:42 pm | In General Posts | No Comments

I recently wrote an article for USA Today online. In the article I discussed the new vaccine protocols established by all of the major veterinary organizations and veterinary schools. Basically these new recommendations confirm that pets do not need and should not receive annual vaccinations.

One of the comments I received was from someone who calls himself skeptvet. This anonymous person disagreed with the facts in my article and believes that holistic doctors like myself are misleading the public, as, in his opinion, there is no ”proof” that any of our therapies work. I’m not sure what his argument has to do with the fact that pets no longer need vaccines, but it’s obvious this anonymous person has some sort of grudge against alternative medicine and alternative doctors.

I decided to check out skeptvet’s website. It was no surprise to find this person still does not identify himself on his website, which automatically raises a red flag for me. If you have a difference of opinion I respect that, but least don’t hide behind some anonymous moniker. In order to judge anyone’s credibility, it’s important we know who is making the statements. So from the outset skeptvet has one strike against him.

I also noticed that skeptvet does not agree with ANY alternative therapy. For example, he does not believe that joint supplements help people or pets with arthritis, despite years of research and clinical experience proving otherwise.
Skeptvet also has no faith in clinical experience, the cornerstone of medicine. Instead he places all of his faith in double-blind placebo-controlled research studies. While those are important, we can’t discount clinical experience and what it teaches us.

For example, many serious side effects of approved drugs do not become apparent until they are on the market for several years and the side effects are discovered during clinical experience on real-life patients. Additionally, many recommendations by both conventional and holistic doctors are based upon clinical experience and non research studies.

For example, it was discovered several years ago that a very rare number of dogs who ate grapes or raisins became poisoned, with some ultimately dying of kidney failure. There is no research that proves this new poisoning (research actually disproves it.) Does this mean that veterinarians shouldn’t advise their clients against feeding grapes and raisins to their dogs? Of course not. If we see signs of toxicity in even a few pets based upon our clinical experiences, it would be malpractice not to make recommendations based upon this clinical experience, regardless of what the research may or may not show.

Ultimately like many other skeptics, skeptvet will never be convinced that various therapies with which he does not agree may be helpful for people and pets. For those with an open mind, and the willingness to accept the time-honored tradition of clinical experience, a new world of healing awaits where true health can be obtained. An open mind is needed for change, and with change comes endless possibilities!