pureANIMAL Collective

Sue qualified from Cambridge Veterinary School, England in 1984 and worked first in Oxford and then in a partnership in Leeds for 12 years. In 2003 she set up Balanced Being, an alternative veterinary and human medicine practice and in 2016 she established a new human clinic in Boroughbridge.  Sue was a founding member of the British Holistic Veterinary Medicine Association and has written an...

Dr Matthew Muir obtained a degree in Veterinary Science and Veterinary Biology in 2010 with first class honours from Charles Sturt University. He began work as a mixed animal general practitioner in Griffith Australia before moving to the United Kingdom and commencing out of hours, emergency and critical care work at a royal veterinary college top tier hospital before consulting in wellness and in...

Dr Rusty Muse is a registered specialist in veterinary dermatology working both in Perth, in Western Australia, and California, in America. He is an owner and the medical director of the Animal Dermatology Group, a collection of specialist dermatology clinics across the world. He is a diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology, a member of the American Academy of Veterinary Dermato...

Dr Meng Siak is a board-certified veterinary dermatologist with the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists. He studied at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia, then did an internship in veterinary dermatology, before completing his residency at Murdoch. Meng has extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of complicated skin and ear diseases including allergi...

Nela Graham is a veterinarian with over 10 years experience in pratices all over the world. She has always had a strong interest in brain function, emotions, behaviour and neuroplasticity. Nela has been working with veterinary behaviour specialists and senior mentors to become more knowledgeable in the field of animal behaviour and now proudly runs her own behaviour and training business called Ca...

Dr Sarah Brett is a holistic veterinarian from Kununurra in northern WA with a passion for natural and complementary therapies. She has been inspired by personal experiences of seeing how eastern therapies and body work can lead to enhanced healing compared to conventional medicine alone. Sarah and I discuss her approach to managing dermatological cases and how nutrition can form such an important...

Dr Kathy Cornack is an integrative practitioner with a special interest in behaviour. Kathy believes that our focus should be on educating pet owners and the wider community about the importance of mental health in pets in order to reduce the rate of relinquishment and euthanasia due to unwanted behaviours. Kathy and I talk about her beliefs around why anxiety is increasingly seen in dogs today, i...

Dr Kate Lindsey is a veterinarian who has had a lifelong fascination with animals and their behaviour. After feeling confused and uncomfortable with the high rates of euthanasia due to behavioural reasons seen in veterinary practice, Kate pursued further studies in this field and founded Kalmpets in Perth, WA. Kate and I discuss emerging research in the field of behavioural medicine and the crosso...

Dr Geraldine Blanchard has had a passion for animal nutrition from when she graduated as a vet in 1994. Geraldine believes that nutrition is a way of life for both humans and animals and quotes Hippocrates: "Nutrition is your first medicine". We discuss using nutrition as part of preventative medicine, taking a personalised approach to nutrition, and using nutrition in a clinical setting for commo...

Dr Renee O'Duhring is a holistic veterinarian with a passion for nutrition. She is the co-founder of a holistic veterinary practice; The Natural Vets, on the Sunshine Coast in QLD. Renee and I discuss her opinion on the best diet for dogs and cats according to their anatomy, physiology and evolutionary development. For Renee, this looks like a natural, wholefoods diet that reflects what the animal...

Dr Trepheena Hunter is a behavioural veterinarian with a special interest in the mental health and well-being of shelter animals. She worked for several years as the principal behaviourist in the Lost Dogs Home in Melbourne, Victoria, before branching into private practice. Trepheena and I discuss her experiences working in this shelter, and the passion she developed for preparing dogs mentally fo...

Robert ("Robby") Porter fell in love with veterinary medicine from a young age, giving up most of his waking hours to the profession. However he noticed there was an obvious lack of physical therapy in clinical practice and set about to change this. He was one of the first people in the world to obtain his Certification in Canine Rehabilitation. In this episode, we talk about Robby's unique approa...

Dr Alister Webster was born to be in the veterinary industry and has an impressive resume including working in clinical practice and veterinary education, before starting the first of what would end up being an array of successful animal and human health businesses. In this exciting episode, we discuss Al's thoughts and insights on the integrative veterinary medicine world, before jumping into the...

Dr Karen Goldrick is an integrative veterinarian with an impressive array of experience and education in the fields of acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Western herbal medicine and integrative oncology. In this very interesting episode, we discuss Karen's approach to treating cancer from the moment she sets eyes on a patient, including implementing targeted anti-cancer therapies, su...

Dr Linda Vogelnest is one of Sydney's most recognised veterinary dermatologists, having taught and practiced at Sydney University for many years before moving to the Small Animal Specialist Hospital (SASH). In this episode, we discuss Linda's approach to the cases she sees in practice; focusing on otitis externa. Linda is a firm believer in the power of patience and persistence when managing derma...

Dr Barbara Fougere has been at the forefront of integrative veterinary medicine for many years and is part of the fight to have this field recognised as a international recognised specialty. In this episode, we enjoy discussing her thoughts on the education of veterinarians who show an interest in holistic medicine, before jumping into her approach to managing cases of chronic liver disease in vet...

Atopic dermatitis is a prevalent allergic skin disease seen in companion animal practice. In this first episode of the Pure Animal Podcast, Dr Sharon Bryden and I discuss her unique approach to working as a veterinary dermatologist, including some of the challenges associated with this speciality. We then explore the strategies she employs when managing cases of atopic dermatitis; focusing on the...