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My Dog Is Better Than Your Dog

My Dog Is Better Than Your Dog

By: Dr. Lily Chen
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 Welcome to My Dog Is Better Than Your Dog — where science meets soul as we explore what's possible when we reimagine pet care. I'm Dr. Lily Chen, integrative veterinarian and believer that our animals deserve extraordinary medicine. Each week, I talk with leading experts, pioneering vets, and devoted pet parents pushing the boundaries of animal health. Microbiome restoration, energy medicine, cancer hope, nutrition, and the mind-body-pet connection. Real science. Deep stories. A little magic. ✨ Follow IG: @dr.lilychen | @integrativepet | @the.unicorn.vet 📧 mydog@integrativepet.comDr. Lily Chen
Episodes
  • Dog Rescue & Adoption: The Real Truth About Fostering & Shelter Work w/ Esa Van Dusen

    Dog Rescue & Adoption: The Real Truth About Fostering & Shelter Work w/ Esa Van Dusen
    Apr 5 2026
    Most of us can't imagine doing rescue work the way Esa Van Dusen does. This isn't about fostering a dog here and there. This is about finding a pit bull chained to a tree with no access to water. Getting a video of a terrified dog living in spray paint cans and bushes. Driving straight into a hurricane to pull animals out of abandoned boarding kennels.Esa has been rescuing animals for 15 years in Austin and LA. She's a digital writer, advertiser, energy healer, and someone who shows up for animals in ways most people never will. Her vision? A healing sanctuary ranch for animals and people. But this conversation isn't about feel-good adoption photos. It's about the real version of rescue. The version where you have to reconcile with the fact that you cannot save them all. The version where you sit in your car crying because the weight of it is too much. And the version where you learn to follow the energy of one.Esa found a blind and deaf Catahoula dog named Hula in an abandoned kennel during a hurricane. And somehow, impossibly, she found that dog a home. A magical home with two Australian Shepherd brothers where that dog is still thriving today. But here's what makes this conversation so important: we talked about the reality. Suffering is inevitable. We're not always in charge. We can't decide the outcome. The work isn't about saving them all. It's about showing up for the one right in front of you and trusting that something bigger might be running in the background.KEY INSIGHTS:✨ Follow the energy of one animal at a time. 100% of the time, a miracle happens when you do.✨ Suffering is inevitable. We're not in charge of the outcome, but we can show up for the animal right in front of us.✨ You can't be helpful if you're sitting in your car crying. Develop the strength to do this work without burning out.✨ Every single breed is represented in rescue right now. Wiener dogs, doodles, even "bulletproof" breeds that used to never end up in shelters.✨ The overbreeding crisis means perfectly good family dogs are being euthanized, not because they're difficult, but because there's no room.✨ Petfinder is still one of the best resources to find rescue dogs by breed, location, and specific traits.✨ Private rescues are foster-based and easier to volunteer with than municipal shelters. Look for breed-specific Facebook groups and Instagram communities.✨ You don't have to foster to help. Volunteer at adoption events, transport dogs, share posts on social media, donate supplies, or network for animals who need homes.✨ Not all rescues are created equal. Some run like businesses, some are emotionally charged. Find one that matches your energy and values.✨ Rehoming is the closest option to rescue. If you know a family rehoming their dog, help them network to find a new home before the shelter becomes the only option.✨ Saving one dog will not change the world, but for that one dog, the world has changed.RESOURCES:Adoption & Rescue Search:Petfinder: www.petfinder.com (search rescue dogs by breed)Rescue Organizations:Austin Pets Alive: www.austinpetsalive.org (incredible rescue organization)A Purposeful Rescue: www.apurposefulrescue.org (organization that needs volunteers)Hollywood Huskies: @hollywoodhuskies (Instagram)Community Resources:Nextdoor: Find local rescue activity, rehoming opportunities, and animal lovers in your communityFacebook & Instagram: Search breed-specific rescue groups (e.g., "Dachshund Rescue Southern California")CONTACT ESA:If you have questions about rescue, fostering, or need guidance on where to start, Esa is happy to help.Instagram: @esavandusenPhone: 512 775 6999Email: esa1010@gmail.comFOLLOW:Integrative Pet Wellness Center: https://integrativepet.comInstagram: @integrativepetDr. Lily Chen: @dr.lilychen @the.unicorn.vet👉 Sign up to our newsletter to get more holistic pet care tips 🐶🐈‍⬛
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    56 mins
  • Light as Medicine (and Why Your Pet Is Starving for It) - With Jackie Jolie

    Light as Medicine (and Why Your Pet Is Starving for It) - With Jackie Jolie
    Mar 29 2026

    What if the most powerful medicine for your pet isn't a supplement or a drug, but something as simple as light?

    Jackie Jolie, founder of AnimaSol, believes light is the foundation of health. Every cell in every mammal's body has a light sensor called a melanopsin, waiting to receive information from photons. And yet, we and our pets are spending 98% of our lives indoors, cut off from the very thing our DNA was built to run on.

    Jackie spent 15 years as an equine and canine bodyworker. But in 2018, after being diagnosed with Lyme disease, she rebuilt her health using natural treatments and something she calls a light life: reconnecting to sunlight, circadian rhythms, grounding, and red and near infrared light therapy. She says she runs better at 42 than she did in her twenties.

    That personal transformation became AnimaSol, a company that creates battery-operated, full-body red and near infrared light therapy blankets for horses, dogs, and cats. This conversation goes deep into the science of light, the difference between lasers and LEDs, which wavelengths actually penetrate to bone and nerve, and how to choose a safe device in a market flooded with cheap knockoffs.


    KEY INSIGHTS:

    ✨ Every mammal cell has a melanopsin, a light sensor waiting to respond to photons. Light is foundational to health.

    ✨ Red wavelengths penetrate 5-10 mm into tissue for surface healing. Near infrared penetrates 50 mm down to nerve, bone, and bone marrow.

    ✨ The 810 nm wavelength penetrates the cranium and vertebrae, effective for cognitive issues, head trauma, IVDD, and paralysis.

    ✨ LEDs vs. lasers: LEDs deliver the same benefits with zero thermal effect, no burns, and no risk of harm.

    ✨ Contact method matters. Red light therapy is most effective when the device is in direct contact with the skin.

    ✨ Cancer and red light: After 40 years of use, no documented cases of LED therapy causing cancer or accelerating tumors.

    ✨ New studies show red and near infrared light therapy reduces IBS and IBD symptoms and increases beneficial gut bacteria.

    ✨ Light therapy activates acupuncture points in 30-45 seconds, ideal for needle-shy animals or at-home maintenance.


    RESOURCES:

    AnimaSol Website: www.animasol.life

    Instagram: @anima__sol

    Linktree: https://linktr.ee/animasol

    Email: info@animasol.life (Jackie personally answers all emails)


    PRODUCTS:

    • EquiSoul (red light therapy blanket for horses)
    • DogSoul (red light therapy blanket for dogs)
    • CatPad (red light therapy pad for cats and small animals)
    • Handheld Torch (activates acupuncture points in 30 seconds)
    • Human blanket launching April 2026


    SPECIAL DISCOUNT FOR LISTENERS:Use code IntegrativePetSol at www.animasol.life for 10% off


    FOLLOW:

    Integrative Pet Wellness Center: https://integrativepet.com Integrative Pet Wellness Center on Instagram: @integrativepet

    Dr. Lily Chen on Instagram: @dr.lilychen @the.unicorn.vet

    Sign up to our newsletter to get more holistic pet care tips 🐶🐈‍⬛
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    1 hr
  • The Pet Care Future We're Fighting For - With Dr. Judy Morgan

    The Pet Care Future We're Fighting For - With Dr. Judy Morgan
    Mar 22 2026
    In Part 1, we talked about the cases that changed us. In Part 2, we're talking about what needs to change in veterinary medicine.Dr. Judy Morgan doesn't hold back. We go deep into the drugs that concern us most, why prescription diets were only supposed to be temporary fixes, and how corporate medicine is reshaping the profession in ways that aren't always serving pets or their parents.We also talk about something I wasn't expecting to discuss: the system itself. Emergency hospitals diverting patients because they're too full. Specialists who only work eight to four, Monday through Friday. Bills that reach thousands of dollars for supportive care alone. And the uncomfortable reality that a corporate executive admitted to me over dinner that they wouldn't take their own dog to their own hospital because of the cost.But this conversation isn't just about what's broken. It's about what the future could look like when pet parents are educated, empowered, and asking better questions.KEY INSIGHTS:✨ Isoxazoline flea and tick preventatives are neurotoxins, and it took years to get that on the label.✨ Prescription diets were meant to be used for 30 days, not for life. They're a short-term fix while you address the root cause.✨ You can't outsupplement a bad diet. Food is the foundation of everything.✨ How to afford fresh food: Buy whole animals from local farmers, join co-ops, use base mixes and add your own meat, or feed nutrient-dense foods that require half as much.✨ The veterinary system is breaking: emergency hospitals diverting patients, specialists only working weekdays, and pricing so extreme that financial euthanasia is now a reality.✨ Corporate medicine is driving burnout: support staff cut, quotas imposed, relationships become transactional instead of trust-based.✨ Dr. Judy's mission: Educate and empower pet parents to make good decisions and stand up for the health of their pets.RESOURCES:Website: NaturallyHealthyPets.com Dr. Judy Morgan: www.drjudymorgan.comDr. Judy U (University): courses on holistic pet care, hospice, and palliative careFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/JudyMorganDVMInstagram: @drjudymorganYouTube: @DrJudyMorgan✨SPECIAL DISCOUNT FOR LISTENERS: Use code MYDOG10 at NaturallyHealthyPets.com for 10% offRECOMMENDED BOOKS (all 9 books available at DrJudyMorgan.com or Amazon):Keeping Your Pets Naturally HealthyFrom Needles to NaturalAnd 7 more books on holistic pet careRECOMMENDED RESOURCES: Susan Thixton's List: TruthAboutPetFood.comFOLLOW:Integrative Pet Wellness Center: https://integrativepet.comInstagram: @integrativepet Dr. Lily Chen: @dr.lilychen @the.unicorn.vetSign up to our newsletter to get more holistic pet care tips 🐶🐈‍⬛
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    1 hr and 11 mins
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