Variety Channel

December 14, 2012

Meet Your Pet\'s Real Needs: Lessons From the Wild

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How can you make sure your dog or cat is living the healthiest and happiest life possible? Surprisingly, the answer can be very simple and lies in what their wild heritage tells you. This can lead you to feed exactly the right foods to your pets, offer the most helpful vet care and provide what they really need from you (not that the cushy bedding and sparkly collar is not good.)


Susan\'s guest this week, is the renowned veterinarian Dr. Barbara Royal, author of the new book, The Royal Treatment: A Natural Approach to Wildly Healthy Pets. You won\'t want to miss the helpful tips and great advice she has learned in her career of working with both zoo animals and household pets!


Episode Segments

Wild About Pets: What to Feed Your Cat


In order for our pets to be healthy, you need to recognize the wild in them. Case in point is your cat. Their digestive systems aren\'t very different than that of a lion or a tiger. So do you ever see a lion or tiger eating kibble from a bag?

Wild About Pets: The Wolf in your Dog


Dogs and wolves are very similar genetically. So what does that mean when it comes to filling their needs? Then - how your pet\'s diet can prevent disease, and help strengthen their efficient immune systems.

Wild About Pets: The Royal Treatment


Traditional medicine and pharmaceuticals aren\'t always the answer when it comes to the health of your pet. Learn why treatments such as accupuncture,massage and accupressure may be better options.

Links to Related Websites

Look While You Listen!

Visit Wild About Pets.net to view the pictures Susan and Barbara are discussing and for other useful links.

Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode

Dr. Barbara Royal

Barbara Royal, DVM, founder and owner of The Royal Treatment Veterinary Center, is an internationally-renowned pioneer in complementary medicine and physical rehabilitation. A passionate advocate of commonsense and cutting-edge approaches to optimal animal health, Dr. Royal provides a bridge between Western and Eastern medicine.
Dr. Royal has extensive experience in veterinary care, including zoo, marine, and wildlife animals, emergency medicine, pathology, conventional practices, nutrition, herbal remedies, physical rehabilitation techniques, and alternative treatments. She is also an acupuncture expert for pets and exotic zoo creatures. She is the go-to veterinarian for Oprah Winfrey.
A nationally-published author in numerous magazines and an international lecturer in her field, Dr. Royal is often featured in the media for her successful treatments of animals and groundbreaking work in veterinary medicine. She lives in Wilmette, Illinois with her husband, two children, her cat, Flag, and her dog, Henry. Her first book will be published by Simon & Schuster in Spring 2012.
After graduating with high honors from the University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine (1995), Dr. Royal’s early career was exclusively devoted to cultivating her expertise in state-of-the-art, modern veterinary treatments. Her work with greyhounds, who are hypersensitive to many medications, led Dr. Royal to explore the most effective modalities in ancient traditions. She completed training in acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine from IVAS, Advanced Western & Chinese Herbal Medicine through Tufts University, and studied Animal Physical Therapy and Healing Techniques at the University of Tennessee.
Her uniquely practical and open-minded approach, skill as a diagnostician, and compassion for animals is much acclaimed: she operated on a room-sized grouper named Bubba at the Chicago Shedd Aquarium; she reconstructed a woodchuck’s de-gloved feet at the Woodstock Illinois Animal Hospital; and, at the Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo she became the first veterinarian in the world to perform acupuncture on a zebra.
With her multi-faceted knowledge and her individually-tailored practice, Dr. Royal provides comprehensive care for her many patients.



Dr. Royal on Facebook


Dr. Royal\'s Blog at the Huffington Post

The Royal Treatment Veterinary Center

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