Vital Animal News: November 30, 2025
Cows poisoned for climate control / Kennel cough injectable? / Alpha membership + Sale / Raw food safety helped by viruses / Kiddo dodges the surgeon's knife thanks to a $5 remedy and MORE
Cows, methane, and government overreach
New KC Vaccine?
Phages Eat Salmonella for Breakfast
Vital Animal Alpha Opening Soon
A Homeopathic Miracle Case
Along the Natural Path
Lawfare Against… Cows?
Who ever thought controlling cows’ methane production was a priority?
Well, Billy Gates, and the pharma bros did, obviously.
Yes, a drug called Bovaer appeared, developed to change the cows’ rumen function and lessen that gas production.
Peter Imanuelsen broke the story way before anyone was taking notice.
Now, anyone with even a modicum of bovine smarts would know that this ruminant, like goats, sheep, camels, and deer depends on normal rumen function to live, let alone produce milk.
The whole idea to tweak those rumen flora was ludicrous, especially to this vet, who spent his first seven years out of school deep in dairy practice in Wisconsin.
The Transformative Organ at Work
Our physiology teacher in vet school was a bit of a wag, but I think he wasn’t far off when he intoned,
What ever you feed a cow, what she digests is the millions and billions of bodies of the flora that’s been busy in her rumen. You could feed her a steak (seriously?) and she’d end up digesting those rumen bugs!”
That “first stomach” of her four is the vast fermentation vat with which Bossie turns forage into digestible food. There’s an entire ecosystem at work there!
When healthy, it churns its green stinky contents several times a minute, and it’s both audible with a stethoscope and palpable with hands laid over the left flank.
We got to view, smell, and stick a sleeved arm into a working rumen in school, as a clinic “teaching cow” had a surgical fistula made in her side. A plastic window in her flank could be screwed off and on without bothering her in the least.
She’s Off Her Feed, Doc…
The first thing a dairy vet checks is rumen function when a cow isn’t doing well.
It can be stopped or slowed from other sicknesses, but some cows were sick entirely due to their rumens falling out of balance.
When a major feed change takes place, often a big intake of corn for example, the rumen becomes too acidic and Bossie goes “off feed.”
I milked a couple of cows for several months in Texas and even saw a sudden change in weather stop a rumen dead. Luckily, by then I knew homeopathy, and a dose of homeopathic Nux vomica brought an immediate burppppp and a resumption of rumination.
And, interestingly, in conventional practice, we had a big pink pill that was given to cows with rumen trouble and that had physical Nux vomica in it.
But, The Climate…
I’m still on the fence about climate change, but I lean more to it being real than a hoax of the “globalists.” Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane are real and measurable. Apparently, of the two, methane is faster in its effects on heat trapping, but attacking the cows as a fix?
That’s pure BS (pun intended).
Wait: A Law to Drug Your Cows??
In recent news, it was revealed that Denmark made a law that mandated dairy farmers (maybe beef ranchers too?) to feed this to cows for 80 days.
And then, the reports came from farmers of sick and even dying cows:
And, of course the company (and probably MSM) will try to blame it on anything but the drug, but bottom line: cows depend on rumen function to live. Anyone thinking they could interfere with that was playing with fire to start with.
Methane Has Value!
Now, let me take you to a very different scenario of methane generation.
The mega dairies, those milking literally thousands of cows, often milking three times daily, have vast manure lagoons, as that amount of waste is beyond a normal farm’s capability to spread on crop land, as smaller farmers do regularly.
In addition to smelling up the air for miles in every direction (and often leaking into groundwater…), the fermentation in those manure ponds generates, you guessed it: methane.
It happens with other manures, too, but when in large animal practice, I learned this resource can be pretty easily captured and used as fuel.
A farmer on my route was raising pigs in addition to his dairy cattle. He was one of the few really forward thinking younger guys, and he learned he could cap the pig manure catchment and harvest methane to power his tractor!
Ending on a Positive Note
The Norwegian dairy industry, bless their souls, has put the “precautionary principle” to work and banned Bovaer use in their country!
Norsk Melkeråvare, the largest dairy outfit in Norway has now SUSPENDED all use of Bovaer in cows. That’s very recent news and a wise move after Denmark’s experience.
That’s the thing with dairy farmers: they know their animals, and they value them for milk and progeny, which can be a nearly annual renewable resource. And, with rare exception, they’ve got good hearts as well as good minds.
Let’s hope the States follow Norway’s experience and leave the girls alone.
And Billy Boy? Stand down on the vaccines, dude! Stay in your lane!
New Kennel Cough Vaccine?
Zoetis has come out with a new injectable kennel cough vaccine.
But why did they bother?
Kennel cough is a canine cold, zero mortality, just a bothersome hacking cough that can, admittedly, last a few weeks instead of just a few days.
As it’s caused by a stew pot full of pathogens (vs a single agent, like parvo, distemper, or rabies for example), it’s long been heralded as “un-vaccinatable” a verb the spell checkers of the world don’t know what to do with.
But, as it came from long time veterinary immunologist, Dr. Ronald Schultz, you can take that word to the bank.
Dr. Schultz also reminded us that, contrary to the fear marketing Zoetis is likely to push, dogs who don’t visit kennels or really, big groups of dogs anywhere, are not likely to ever get kennel cough.
For those who run kennels, or doggie day cares, I can tell you the kennel cough homeopathic nosode has worked wonders over the years for people in your biz.
How do I know?
It’s largely based on the reports from owners of the kennels, and their reorders of the nosode when ever they ran low.
The nosode has both rapidly aborted existing KC disease and very effectively prevented it in those joining the enclave for a few days or weeks of group bark.
We made that nosode available for both the kennel owners and you, if a regular visit to gangs of dogs is part of your life.
Here’s where it can be ordered.
As with all homeopathic remedies, this is both super safe and it’s worked well, both in my hands and those of my colleagues.
I get it. The existing kennel cough vaccines have been anything but effective, either by the nasal route or past injectable versions.
But, I don’t think people are going to be lining up for a new shot.
Especially if they’ve heard about how well the homeopathic nosode protects and even treats those dogs affected.
Sorry, Zoetis (not sorry).
Quick Take: Phages in Pet Food
Phage: an eater that kills it’s food source. Scary word?
Nah, it’s a virus, but a really helpful one in this case.
These are bacteria killers, and when phages are used to keep your raw food free of nasties like Salmonella? E.coli?
Win win.
No potentially dangerous bacteria AND no toxic preservatives, no HPP (high pressure pasteurization), and still intact raw proteins.
Here’s a paper (for those who want to nerd out a bit more) that shows some of the many advantages of phages, both in food products and in our bodies.
Highlights:
Those sneaky Salmonella often hide out in biofilms in the gut, so they’re out of reach of antibiotics. Phages? No problem, they dive right through it and kill the bad guys.
Antibiotic resistance is a huge issue today. Phages avoid creating new resistant strains entirely.
Phages kill “MDR” (multi-drug resistant) pathogens with ease.
And, more good news: several raw food companies are now using phages to keep the bad bacteria potential in their products under control.
Want to know which ones?
Grab Susan Thixton’s 2025 “The List” where she goes into more detail than anyone I’ve seen before, vetting things like GMOs, organic vs not, country of origin for all ingredients, human grade meats, HPP and phage use.
And, just so you know what HPP really does to your food, here’s a free report, now a bit outdated as to food names, but still striking as to what this process really involves.
Enjoy, and hey: Let’s be careful out there in the pet food aisle.
Alpha Opening Soon
But First: a Sweet Sale
We’re getting ready to open our exclusive monthly membership group for enrollment in a couple weeks.
Yes: Vital Animal Alpha.
It’s where students learn acute veterinary homeopathic prescribing and homeopathic principles. From a homeopathic vet of 30+ years.
We are a very engaged group and I’m more interactive there on a daily basis with members than anywhere else these days.
To get the ball rolling, starting tomorrow early, I’m putting my intro Homeopathy Short Course on sale for you.
This is a great course to deepen your understanding of what homeopathy is (and isn’t), how remedies are made and where they work, and some great acute remedies and cases to get you started appreciating this 200+ year old safe, effective medical system.
Normally, HSC enrollment is $39, but starting tomorrow (Monday, 1 Dec), it’ll be reduced to just $20.
Keep an eye on your inbox, as this sale will start early morning Monday and have a limited run before the Alpha doors open on 10 December.
So counterintuitive for those of us (all!) raised with Western view of medicine. Fascinating and so well written...interesting and understandable! -- Jan Elmendorf from HSC/What’s the Remedy for X?
Acute Homeopathy Miracle
I’d only been in homeopathic practice for a few years when this amazing “homeopathic honeymoon” case presented itself.
Honeymoon?
That’s my name for the magical period that comes after one commits to using homeopathic medicines fully and properly. During this phase, it seems impossible cases get cured, much to the joy of the homeopath.
I’d graduated from the first Professional Course in Veterinary Homeopathy in ’93, and by the time this distraught mom called from the ER, I’d fallen so deeply for homeopathy I’d tossed my remaining drugs in the trash.
Sarah was a classmate of my daughter and she was suffering from one of the most painful of GI diseases: acute appendicitis.
The surgeon had her on his short list to remove the offending organ, but fate and a common homeopathic remedy had other plans…
Along the Natural Path
As we move into winter here in No. India, fog and chill make bike riding both a bit more dangerous and uncomfortable, so my morning exercise is shifting to walks. That’s likely to mean fewer photos for a few months.
It also means fires are commonplace.
And smoke + dry weather dust means weather apps start to crow about how bad the air quality is. Nowhere close to how bad Delhi air is, but still, noticeable when you take deep breaths.
I call these birds shrikes, but that’s likely wrong. I lazily named them that solely because of their over exaggerated shrieking once or twice a year when they must have nests busy incubating young.
They fly far from those nests, even swooping and diving near my second floor room, warning all beings in earshot to watch the hell OUT! Don’t even think about coming any closer to these eggs, they’re MINE, they’re CRITICAL, and even if you’re just moving about your business, YOU LOOK DANGEROUS! SHREEEEK!
If you know their real name, drop it in the comments. They could also be Jerk Birds, I dunno.
The rice crop is in now, and the land gets almost no rest in India. Fields don’t lie fallow that I’ve ever seen.
As the tractor turns and levels the ground and the egrets eagerly grab any insects that activity turns up, the man in the foreground is either tossing fertilizer or wheat seeds. No time to waste.
Second only to wheat, there’ll be smaller plantings of potatoes, all in geometrically precise rectangular raised mounds.
Did I mention I call India “The Land of Carbs?” Yessir, and as a guy with 20 years of insulin resistance attempting to hold it at bay, it’s more than a bit challenging. Rice and wheat in so many variations, and sugar at every celebration or dedication or “just ‘cuz.”
A Season of Giving
Every Fall, another round of distributions takes place, across the three ashrams that make up our organization.
First, in Vrindavan, the sadhus are welcomed, given winter necessities, a boxed lunch, and a 500 rupee note:
That’s followed by the widows the following day, who are some of the poorest yet sweetest people we get to serve. They live a hard life, abandoned by their families, yet are ever so grateful and gracious.
And they are followed by students the next day, who are fitted with warm hoodies and given blankets, snacks, and other helpful winter goods.
It takes days of prep, mountains of bags or backpacks, and a day for each group to filter through, and that’s repeated x3 different villages where we have ashrams.
And you’re part of this goodness, if you’ve ever purchased a course or ebook from me or chosen to be a paid subscriber on Substack. Thank you kindly.
I hope you’re getting out into Nature’s goodness on the regular, with fur family in tow. That’s especially important when the news seems to dominate our lives and spread divisiveness and even lies. Nature ignores all that, and persists in her renewal of us all.
We all need to nurture each other, those animals in our care, and our surroundings, be they urban, rural, or wild.
Until next time, keep on making wise decisions for those in your care,
Will Falconer, DVM
Climate change is real because that is what climate does…IT CHANGES. To think that human modification is a good thing is ridiculous. Bill Gates is a criminal.
As always, Dr. Falconer, thank you for your extremely meaningful doses of insight and wisdom.