Tails of Truth: The Truth about Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Angie Krause, DVM CVA CCRT
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Alternative Health
  • Updated Weekly

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! 

  1. 3d ago

    Fleas, Ticks, Worms & Flies: Oh My

    Tell Us What You Think 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 with code TRUTHTAILS Key Takeaways 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.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.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.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.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.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.Mites come in two types — contagious (sarcoptic mange) and the kind dogs already carry in their skin (demodex). Lice are species-specific and intensely itchy.The Creepy Crawlers course at boulderholisticvet.com covers all of this in depth. 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.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, Facebook, TikTok and YouTubeSchedule your personalized one-on-one consultation with Dr. Angie Shop my favorite CBD.Please subscribe and review! xoxo Dr. Angie & JoJo

    25 min

  2. Jun 12

    Scratch That: A Vet Dermatologist on Why There's Real Hope for Itchy Pets

    Tell Us What You Think If your dog or cat has ever scratched incessantly and you're left feeling helpless, this one is for you. This week Dr. Angie and JoJo sat down with veterinary dermatologist Dr. Darin Dell of Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital, the specialist Dr. Angie emails almost every week with her toughest itchy cases. Dr. Dell has a gift for taking a frustrating, confusing topic and making it genuinely enjoyable, and he answers the questions pet parents often ask. Is Cytopoint safe? Does Cytopoint cause cancer? Are Apoquel and the newer drugs like Zenrelia and Numelvi something to fear? Do those at-home allergy tests for pets work? And what finally gets to the root of allergies instead of just covering them up? Whether you have an itchy dog, a cat that's itchy, or you are a vet professional filling in the dermatology gaps vet school skipped, you will leave with real hope and a clear path forward. KEY TAKEAWAYS Allergy is inflammation in the skin at its root. Itch is only one sign. It can also show up as hair loss, odor, a swollen foot, anal gland issues, or ear problems.Cytopoint is a monoclonal antibody, not a drug metabolized by the liver or kidneys, and Dr. Dell does not worry about it causing cancer. The real risk is that it can mask a symptom while the underlying allergy keeps going.Apoquel side effects are uncommon. Zenrelia is a strong option for dogs that have stopped responding to Apoquel, and the newer Numelvi is a more selective JAK inhibitor.The FDA removed the Zenrelia vaccine warning after follow-up studies showed dogs reached adequate vaccine titers, and Dr. Dell does not change vaccine or dosing protocols because of it.At-home hair and saliva allergy tests are not rooted in science. A dermatologist once submitted samples from stuffed animals and sterile saline and got positive allergy results.Skin testing is the gold standard in allergy testing. Blood testing is useful in specific cases and the lab you use matters.Immunotherapy treatment addresses the root cause and can slow the atopic march. It works best when started young. A year of testing and immunotherapy runs around two thousand dollars and is often covered if insurance was in place before symptoms began.The most allergic dog breeds Dr. Dell sees are English Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, and Bull Terriers. Breeds he rarely sees include English Springers, smooth Collies, and Border Collies.Cats are harder to treat because there are fewer options. Atopica is the only label-approved allergy drug for cats, Apoquel is used off label, and immunotherapy works very well, in Dr. Dell's experience even better than in dogs.A part two is coming, covering diet, supplementation, and Dr. Dell's approach to cats.SOUNDBITES "Allergy at its root is inflammation in the skin." ~Dr. Dell "I see itchy dogs every day. All year round, I have itchy patients." ~ Dr. Angie  "The test itself is really just to get us to immunotherapy, which is where the magic happens." ~ Dr. Dell "My dog's no longer itching, therefore problem solved." ~ JoJo "No matter what we need to rescue your dog from their itchy states." ~ Dr. Angie  "If you want a constant infant, bulldog is your thing." ~ Dr. Dell  "I see those test results every day and I have to just say, I'm so sorry that this isn't helpful."   ~ Dr. Angie  "If you think about the return on investment over a lifetime, if you broke that down over the next 10 years, that's actually not that much money." ~ JoJo Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTubeSchedule your personalized one-on-one consultation with Dr. Angie Shop my favorite CBD.Please subscribe and review! xoxo Dr. Angie & JoJo

    38 min

  3. Jun 5

    We Pressed Record on Our Weekly Check-In: Vaccine Reactions, Neurodivergent Dogs, & Puppy Fever

    Tell Us What You Think Some of the best Tails of Truth conversations happen before anything is planned, so this Friday Dr. Angie and JoJo just pressed record during their weekly check-in. Dr. Angie walks through a vaccine reaction she handled this week, the kind that looks fine in the room and then swells up an hour later, and the honest call she had to make about splitting vaccines. They get into whether dogs can be neurodivergent (there is real science behind it now), why a cat pulling its hair out might be a skin issue rather than stress, a bladder stone Dr. Angie had never seen in practice, and JoJo's brush with puppy fever over a foster dog that pulled at her heart strings. They also discuss what it's like to run a small business. It is warm, a little funny, and very real.  Dr. Angie and JoJo invite you into their personal and professional worlds in a way that makes veterinary medicine feel accessible.  Next week brings veterinary dermatologist Dr. Darin Dell and it's a guaranteed top 10 episode.  Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss any of the great content coming your way. KEY TAKEAWAYS Vaccine reactions in dogs are uncommon, and reporting them matters so we can build real data on breed risk and informed consent.A reaction can show up fast (vomiting, then facial swelling within the hour) and is treatable with anti-nausea meds, Benadryl, and steroids.When a dog has reacted before and you do not know which vaccine caused it, splitting future vaccines is the safer path.New research out of the UK suggests dogs can carry genetic and behavioral traits that look like human neurodivergence. It is not a diagnosis, but the science is catching up to what many pet parents already sense.Cats who pull their hair out may be dealing with a skin problem rather than stress. Dermatology is moving up the list of suspects.Even an experienced veterinarian feels behind, because medicine changes constantly. That honesty is what good care actually looks like.SOUNDBITES "I think it's really important so that we can give people informed consent about how often we see vaccine reactions, which it's really truly not very often." ~ Dr. Angie "I mean, I think we're just starting to name it in women. So we're not going to name it in cats and dogs for a while." ~ JoJo "I want every patient that I see to be getting like the latest and the greatest." ~ Dr. Angie "The thought on that, at least for cats right now, is that we're shifting, that it's rarely a behavioral problem, and it's more of a dermatological problem" ~ Dr. Angie "I'm amazed at how many clinics are not reporting vaccine reactions. I'm like, make sure your vet reports that." ~ JoJo "I'm gonna tell the truth about something. I started using CBD twice a day." ~ JoJo Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTubeSchedule your personalized one-on-one consultation with Dr. Angie Shop my favorite CBD.Please subscribe and review! xoxo Dr. Angie & JoJo

    25 min

  4. May 29

    You're Not to Blame: A Veterinary Oncologist Gets Honest About Cancer in Pets

    Tell Us What You Think Your pet just got a cancer diagnosis. Your first instinct is to wonder what you did wrong. Dr. Brooke Fowler, veterinary oncologist at Veterinary Cancer Services in Boulder, CO, is here for that conversation. The honest answer is: we don't fully know what causes cancer in pets. Genetics, aging, and biology are doing most of the work and the guilt most pet parents carry is rarely warranted. In this episode, Dr. Brooke joins Dr. Angie and JoJo for one of the most honest, grounded conversations we've had on this show. We talk about why dogs and cats get cancer, what you can actually control, and how to make treatment decisions without losing yourself in the process. We get into mast cell tumors, hemangiosarcoma, the real cost of chemo, newer treatment options, quality of life, financial limitations, and the question every pet parent dreads: would I actually do this for my own pet? Dr. Brooke also shares where integrative and conventional oncology work well together and when turkey tail mushroom and Yunnan Baiyao actually have the studies to back them up. Note: This episode leans heavily toward dogs and specific dog cancers. We love our cat people and we're bringing Dr. Brooke back for a dedicated feline oncology episode. Stay tuned. To reach Dr. Brooke Fowler: vetcancerservices.com | 720-414-0116 Key Takeaways Cancer in pets is multifactorial. Genetics, breed, and aging play a far larger role than food, vaccines, or environment though the honest answer is we don't fully know.Immunosenescence — the immune system's declining ability to catch and correct DNA errors as a pet ages — is a primary driver of cancer in older animals.Mast cell tumors are the most common skin tumor in dogs.Stelfonta injection resolves approximately 83% of mast cell tumors with a single injection, though it creates a significant wound during healing.Hemangiosarcoma remains one of the common cancers we treat, but splenectomy often restores quality of life and dogs frequently feel better post-surgery than they did in the weeks before.Chemo does not have to mean misery. Starting at the lower end of dosing ranges and adjusting is Dr. Fowler's approach.Metronomic chemotherapy is low-dose oral chemo combined with anti-inflammatories and is an accessible middle-ground option many people don't know exists.Turkey tail mushroom and Yunnan Baiyao have studies showing inhibition of hemangiosarcoma cell lines. This is where East and West medicine work well together.Your quality of life is part of your pet's care equation. Acknowledging that is not selfish. It's honest. Soundbites: "I'm saying this because a lot of people love to blame themselves. What did I not feed him? We live by power lines. And the truth is it's none of that." — Dr. Brooke "We're all gonna die. And I think it's okay to give our dogs and cats permission to die too. Which is a controversial thing to say." — Dr. Angie  "So often we are buying time for ourselves more than the animal." — JoJo "You get all of the joy from your pet in their life. You get that joy and then you pay for it in the end, right? Because we lose them before we want to." — Dr. Brooke "After doing integrative medicine and being hired by people that feed raw or home cook or do all the things I can't say that I see cancer rates in that population be any less." — Dr. Angie  "Your dog has no concept of what the future is or what the past is. Today's the day. That's all there is. And that is what we fundamentally love about them.  — Dr. Brooke "The difference between one kibble and the next is just not as much as you might think. It's really so small." — Dr. Angie Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTubeSchedule your personalized one-on-one consultation with Dr. Angie Shop my favorite CBD.Please subscribe and review! xoxo Dr. Angie & JoJo

    29 min

  5. May 22

    Thick Skin Required: Burned Out, Rude People, and Still Showing Up

    Tell Us What You Think This week's episode is an honest, unfiltered vent session from two people who had a rough week in veterinary medicine and decided to record it. Dr. Angie and JoJo — both sick, both on their second or third round of antibiotics — talk about the client who announced to the lobby that Dr. Angie was a terrible veterinarian, the YouTube commenter who said they need empathy training, the one-star review left on a Shopify product that hadn't been opened yet, and the person who called JoJo cold-hearted after JoJo spent over an hour trying to make their cat's care work financially. This episode is for anyone who's ever wondered what it's actually like to be on the receiving end of that. Veterinarians are people. Veterinary nurses are people. And this week was a heavy one. This episode is a raw and vulnerable look at what's happening with your veterinary team. KEY TAKEAWAYS One negative interaction can undo an entire day of positive ones. One-star reviews on small businesses have big impacts. They affect search ranking and long-term viability. Veterinary dark humor is a coping mechanism, not a character flaw.Financial pressure on clients is intensifying right now and that pressure is landing on vet teams.Reaching out before leaving a bad review costs nothing and gives the practice a chance to make it right.Two people run this entire operation. Every review and every comment lands directly on them.Empathy and professional boundaries are not opposites and holding both doesn't make someone greedy.Most veterinarians are not in it for the money.SOUNDBITES "I definitely went to my office and cried." — Dr. Angie  "I have severe empathy problems, like in terms of too much of it." — JoJo  "I have personally had to euthanize animals because they started growing resistant bacteria that we couldn't fix." — Dr. Angie  "We care about your animal and we care about you. Facts. Full stop." — JoJo  "No we only hire incompetent veterinarians here. Like what?" — JoJo  "I saw one client that was so unkind to me and I probably saw 16 that were extremely kind. And the one we're talking about today was the one that was unkind." — Dr. Angie  Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTubeSchedule your personalized one-on-one consultation with Dr. Angie Shop my favorite CBD.Please subscribe and review! xoxo Dr. Angie & JoJo

    23 min

  6. May 15

    Gut to Butt: The Anal Gland Episode

    Tell Us What You Think Nobody puts "anal glands" on their list of things to learn about when they get a pet. Then your dog scoots across the carpet,licks incessently during the night, or your cat leaves a mystery smell on the couch cushion, and suddenly it's the only thing on your mind. In this episode, Dr. Angie and JoJo get into all of it: what anal glands actually are, why chronic anal gland problems are often a sign of food or environmental allergies most pet parents never connect, whether those fiber supplements flooding your social feed are worth it, and when a scooting situation turns into a needed vet appointment. Straightforward, a little gross, and genuinely useful.  KEY TAKEAWAYS  Anal glands are scent-marking sacs positioned at the 4 and 8 o'clock positions just inside the anus. They're meant to express naturally with each bowel movement.Scooting, excessive rear-end licking, and a persistent foul or fishy odor are the three main signs of a problem.Chronic anal gland problems are frequently a sign of food or environmental allergies. If your pet needs regular expression, the allergy is the thing worth investigating, not just the glands themselves.Groomers routinely expressing anal glands at every visit is not standard of care. If there is no problem, it is unnecessary and can cause irritation over time.Fiber supplements marketed for anal glands work by bulking stool to support natural expression during defecation. They will not clear an existing impaction on their own. Expression first, then support.You can express anal glands at home with gloves, water-based lubricant, and a willing assistant. Your veterinarian or veterinary nurse will show you how.An abscessed anal gland requires veterinary treatment. Antibiotics often need to be instilled directly into the sac.Anal gland removal surgery carries a risk of permanent fecal incontinence. In nearly 20 years of practice, Dr. Angie has not had a single patient require it.SOUNDBITES "I wouldn't ever touch them if I didn't need to. If there isn't a problem, why get in there and muck around?"  — Dr. Angie  "The marketing is butt to gut, but the product is actually gut to butt." — JoJo "If your dog is scooting a lot, has a lot of problems with their anal glands, they probably have a food allergy, or maybe an environmental allergy, but more commonly a food allergy."  — Dr. Angie  "If anybody has experience with them and you've smelled anal glands, you've never forgotten that." — JoJo "Even when you give systemic antibiotics, sometimes it's hard to actually make the antibiotic get into that anal sac. And so we like to instill the antibiotics right into the anal sac."  — Dr. Angie  Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTubeSchedule your personalized one-on-one consultation with Dr. Angie Shop my favorite CBD.Please subscribe and review! xoxo Dr. Angie & JoJo

    15 min

  7. May 8

    One Year, 57 Episodes, and What We've Learned Along the Way

    Tell Us What You Think It's been one full year and 57 episodes of Tails of Truth, and Dr. Angie and JoJo are taking a minute to sit in it. In this episode, they look back at their favorite moments, the episodes that hit hardest, and a few things they've genuinely changed their minds about along the way. From pet insurance skepticism to the Lepto vaccine, from raw food hand washing habits to processing grief in this public space, this is what it looks like to learn out loud in front of an audience that keeps showing up. They also revisit the grief episode that moved so many listeners, and give a nod to Euthabag, a company creating beautiful, meaningful options for pet body care after passing. If you're in an end of life season with your pet, they are worth looking up. On the insurance front, JoJo shares why she finally put her dog Sage on a Lemonade pet insurance policy despite being highly skeptical of the industry, and what she's watching for. Coming up in year two: a dermatologist, an oncologist, a cat behaviorist, and more episodes that make complicated veterinary medicine feel like a conversation with a friend.  If you've been here since the beginning, thank you. If you're just finding them, welcome. This is a podcast that tells the truth about veterinary medicine, and they're just getting started. KEY TAKEAWAYS It's okay, even good, to change your mind when new information or lived experience shifts your perspective. JoJo opted for the Lepto vaccine and pet insurance. Dr. Angie is finally addressing Fritz's weight. Both took time and that's okay.Veterinary professionals carry shame too. The shame episode resonated deeply because naming it is the first step to doing something about it.No question is ridiculous. If you have a question, it means it hasn't been answered well enough yet.Cat episodes consistently perform because cats are underserved in veterinary content.Community matters. The Bodhi grief episode showed how powerful it is to feel held by a group of people who understand.Lifting the curtain on what it's like to be a veterinary professional is part of the mission and it's rare.Veterinary humor is a coping mechanism and it's real. The giggles stay.SOUNDBITES "I like that we're making veterinary medicine accessible and that there's information out there that is valid, truthful, safe, and free."  — JoJo "Allowing myself to feel ashamed about it and settle into it has actually now given me the space to do something about it." — Dr. Angie   "It's okay to change your mind when you learn new information and when you have life experience that shows you something different." — JoJo "Anytime we're talking about cats, I love it because they are so underserved."       — Dr. Angie  "The podcast is teaching me, it's kind of shining a light on my own stuff, which is so therapeutic. And it's reminding me that I can be open to change." — JoJo "We deliver great content, but we're also giving you an inside look that a lot of veterinarians probably aren't focused on." — Dr. Angie  Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTubeSchedule your personalized one-on-one consultation with Dr. Angie Shop my favorite CBD.Please subscribe and review! xoxo Dr. Angie & JoJo

    25 min

  8. May 1

    We Asked AI About a Sick Cat. Here's What It Got Wrong (and Right)

    Tell Us What You Think We're not here to shame you for Googling your pet's symptoms, or researching with AI, at 2 a.m. We've done it too. This week, Dr. Angie and JoJo get real about AI and pet health advice and what it gets right, where it dangerously misses, and why no algorithm can replace 20 years of hands-on clinical practice. They test two popular AI tools live (ChatGPT and Claude) on the show using a real clinical scenario (a 12-year-old cat not eating and losing weight), compare the responses side-by-side, and break down exactly what was missing from both answers. The conversation also touches on AI hallucinations in veterinary research, the difference between a search engine and a conversational AI tool, and why the 2 a.m. symptom spiral is completely understandable as long as you know what to do next. Bottom line: use the tools. Understand their limits. Always follow-up with your vet. Book a consultation with Dr. Angie at boulderholisticvet.com. Key Takeaways:  AI tools can and do hallucinate including fabricating veterinary research studies with real-sounding citations that don't exist.There is a meaningful difference between using a search engine and using a conversational AI tool. Search returns sources you choose to trust. AI returns a single answer without always disclosing where it came from.When AI was tested live with a real clinical scenario (senior cat, weight loss, not eating), one tool missed inflammatory bowel disease entirely which is one of the most common diagnoses in that presentation.A 3-pound weight loss in a senior cat equals roughly 20 to 30 percent of total body weight. That is not a "wait and see" situation. Googling pet symptoms at 2 a.m. is not something to be ashamed of. It's what people do. The goal is knowing how to use what you find.No AI tool can replicate 20 years of clinical practice or hands-on physical examination.Use AI as a starting point. Then bring it to your vet and have the conversation.Sound Bites:  "AI just can't replace practitioners. It can't replace 20 years of clinical practice."     — Dr. Angie "You're going to use your AIs and you're going to Google, but they are not the end all, be all." — JoJo "When we tell people not to Google their pet's symptoms, that's so unrealistic."    — Dr. Angie "Chat GPT seems very generalized. Claude is a little bit more mature." — JoJo "This is a great reason for a consultation. If you've Googled or AI'd something that scared you in the middle of the night." — JoJo "It pulled in some really random disease that we'll often in medicine call zebras — something that's so rare. That's so unlikely." — Dr. Angie  Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTubeSchedule your personalized one-on-one consultation with Dr. Angie Shop my favorite CBD.Please subscribe and review! xoxo Dr. Angie & JoJo

    19 min
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About

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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