March 26, 2025 • 49 mins
What if I took better care of my pet? Would they have lived longer, healthier, or happier? If you’ve ever asked yourself that question as one of more than 500 million pet parents around the world, you’re not alone. April 1st marks one year since my spicy, 19-year-old cat, Miss Eliza Doolittle crossed the Rainbow Bridge. To honor her, I decided to share what helped her live a long life but also, we explore what I could have done differently. That's where Holistic Veterinarian Dr Marlene Siegel comes in. A leader in holistic pet care, Dr. Siegel not only shares hardcore facts about what’s keeping our pets chronically sick but also provides tips on small changes you can make right now to help them live optimally beyond 20! Plus, a message from across the Rainbow Bridge that left me speechless. It will make you a believer that our fur babies never leave our side.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (00:00):
We, the consumers, we have to start waking
up and saying I am not willing to give you
my money if you are not going to give me
back a product that is going to support the
health and longevity of my pet.
Hilary Russo (00:16):
About 10 years ago.
During that time of my acting days, I
booked a pretty cool gig, but this time I
was just the prop.
I wasn't a lead, I wasn't even a backup.
I was basically sitting there providing
space for the star herself, miss Eliza
Doolittle, who happened to get a part to
(00:37):
star in this role in a pet food commercial,
and I'm like, okay, finally, this chick is
paying the rent.
Now you've heard me talk about Eliza
Doolittle.
If you've been part of the Holistically
Speaking community for quite some time, and
this is a really special time of year
because I'm about to experience that
(00:59):
anniversary, one of those, one of those
memories that we're not really looking
forward to.
And it's the one year since Miss Eliza has
passed, and many of you know her who have
been with me here.
She sat on the back of my chair, she's been
in a number of episodes.
You might have even heard her a few times
because, man, she was vocal, because she
was a diva.
But I will say this the reason for this
(01:19):
commercial was because they were promoting
this product was promoting a pet food
product that was holistic, and, of course,
the holistic health coach that I am was
like this is a perfect casting.
I'm totally gonna nail this.
Even though I thought Eliza was gonna be a
huge diva.
She was a saint on set because all she had
(01:41):
to do was sit in my lap.
But the reason why I'm telling you this
story is that Eliza was with me for close
to 19 years.
She was the longest heartbeat I ever had in
my space and I never shared time with
anything longer really More road trips,
everything like that.
But I thought when they asked me in that
(02:03):
casting call originally, why do you want to
do this commercial and why do you want to
bring your pet into this commercial?
It wasn't so much about the cash, although
that was nice.
(02:25):
It was about the fact that if I'm going to
live my life holistically, then anyone in
my home and environment should be
experiencing that too.
And when you think about the fact that
there are close to 500 million pet owners
around the globe and in the States alone 86
million that are pet owners and we use that
term loosely because it depends on what you
consider a pet indoor, outdoor, whatnot but
our fur babies are important, and even our
non-fur babies.
And I thought to myself what would Eliza's
(02:46):
life been like if I had learned more about
holistic pet health much earlier in her
journey.
But I'm so glad that I had her for 19 years
and she had the experience she had, because
I think she lived as long as she did
because I took that holistic approach,
HIListically Speaking.
So that got me thinking that I want to have
(03:08):
a professional come on the show, someone
who understands holistic veterinary care.
And all of a sudden I get an email Hi, I'm
a holistic pet vet and I would love to talk
about holistic care.
Again, it goes back to things do not happen
by accident.
And that brings us to Dr Marlene Siegel.
(03:30):
I am so happy to have you here today.
I've learned so much about you in the time
that I haven't even been in the space with
you but having the opportunity to research
the kind of vet you are, all I can say is I
wish you were the vet I had in my space for
the years that Eliza might've needed that
kind of care.
So thank you for being here.
(03:51):
It is such an honor to know that there are
people that see the value in holistic care
for their pets just as much as they do
themselves.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (03:59):
Welcome, Thank you, and thank you for
having me.
You know what you said was very profound,
because one of the most common comments I
hear I travel and I teach all over the
world is I wish I would have known sooner.
So the operative words I think everything
happens in divine timing, just as you said,
and I think this is the opportunity if
(04:20):
somebody's listening to this conversation,
this is the time that it's important for
you to start learning, expanding your
consciousness, expanding your belief
systems, which I abbreviate as BS.
And as we expand our BS, we were able to
let go of the old belief systems that may
(04:40):
not be serving us any longer, but it takes
us into a new paradigm.
Hilary Russo (04:44):
Definitely so.
For somebody who has been a vet for a
number of years and you're practicing
holistic care, I imagine that holistic
veterinary care hasn't been something that
has really been taught for as long as the
traditional medicine, much like with humans
as well.
I mean we've really come into the more
integrative space, the more holistic
(05:05):
approach to healing, probably in the last
20 years, even though that's really the
original way that medicine worked.
But what moved you from that traditional
kind of medicine and care into holistic?
Dr. Marlene Siegel (05:19):
So, like everybody, when we make a big life
change, it's because there's been some kind
of life altering experience either your own
health or the health of a family member, or
some crisis.
And so for me, it was a horse that my
daughter was showing.
They were in an accident and the horse
saved my daughter's life.
And in my quest to fix the horse is what
(05:41):
actually made me leave my traditional
training and expand into new horizons,
which back then.
There was no integrative medicine, there
was no bioregulatory medicine, there was
nobody for me to consult with.
But when I was told by equine veterinarians
I could either put the horse down or put
her to a pasture, that was an unacceptable
(06:03):
answer, and so that drove me to find
answers where they didn't exist.
So at that time, functional medicine was
just coming into the human realms.
So we're talking 25 years ago plus, and so
I was taking all of these webinars and
courses from functional medicine doctors as
they were learning their industry, and I
(06:24):
was taking that and applying it to my pet
parent my pets and figuring out how that
would work.
So it was an arduous process a lot of
learning, a lot of expense and very
rewarding.
Hilary Russo (06:38):
You know it's usually something that
happens in our own lives that opens opens
our minds to trying something different
From that experience, moving into a more
holistic space.
What have you found over that time that has
helped our animals live longer Because
that's something you really you spend time
on and you mention a lot is that you want
pets to live 20 years or more.
(07:00):
That's what got me to.
That's really pulled me in.
I'm like wow, wouldn't it be great if
people could actually have their pets with
them much longer?
Dr. Marlene Siegel (07:09):
and healthier.
So there's documentation of animals that
have lived into their thirties.
It's the toxic lifestyle that we are living
in, today's modern age, that is creating
the challenges.
So first I'm going to break down what
causes all these problems, because cancer
rates in dogs right now are almost a
(07:29):
hundred percent.
Statistically, they say one out of 1.65
dogs get cancer, and this is age irrelevant.
I'm seeing cancers in dogs under a year of
age, pats.
They say one out of three.
I think that's highly underreported.
And then when you add autoimmune disease,
obesity, arthritis, gi disorders, allergies,
skin disease, all of that, it's literally
(07:51):
100% of our animals are coming down with
some form of chronic illness.
So what is causing that?
And the real, simple answer is deficiencies
of essential nutrients.
And those are the essential nutrients are
the ones that our body cannot manufacture
in sufficient quantities.
We need to get them.
We have to get them from our diet.
(08:12):
So if the food is nutrient depleted which
we know most of our food growing
commercially is nutrient depleted because
the soils are nutrient depleted then the
individual eating that's going to be
nutrient depleted.
Then toxicities and we had probably over
100,000 toxins developed and released into
our food and the environment just since
(08:33):
World War II.
So we're talking 1942.
That combination of deficiency and toxicity
leads to mitochondrial dysfunction.
And the mitochondria have two major
purposes in our body.
One they produce energy.
We don't have energy, we're not going to be
on the planet.
But they also provide a communication
between themselves and the microorganisms
(08:54):
that live in and on our bodies,
predominantly the ones in our GI tract.
But they communicate and, based on what
information they're receiving from our
lifestyle and what we're perceiving, they
are in charge of uncovering gene expression.
So when people on the human side they go,
oh well, do you have a lot of your family
(09:15):
members?
Did they have cancer?
Because you're likely to get cancer?
Well, you're likely to get cancer because
you have the same lifestyle.
But if you change your lifestyle, the
epigenetics that help to determine what
turns on and turns off gene expression
changes dramatically.
Same thing happens for our pets.
So we look at the six-step system that I
(09:36):
use to help people understand.
How do we create a lifestyle that helps
support these animals in their highest and
best good?
It would be like taking a car.
When you buy a car, you're given a manual
that says what kind of oil to use, what
kind of gasoline you have to have, how
often you have to change the oil and do all
these maintenance things.
(09:58):
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we did that for
our pets and our own bodies?
We had a roadmap on what does health look
like, because at least in the US I don't
know if you broadcast everywhere, but in
the US we have a broke care system, not a
healthcare system.
Hilary Russo (10:13):
Well, you know what and it's not just in
the US I'm hearing that report from people
all over the world, in different countries,
that say it's sick care elsewhere.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (10:20):
Yeah, and it's the same.
What happens is we have been conditioned to
if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
We've all heard that expression and so we
go on with little expressions of illness or
dis ease.
There's another one.
I don't believe there's disease, I believe
there is dis ease.
(10:41):
When the body is not in balance, it
expresses itself in a symptom.
Well, in our society we have focused on
naming it, blaming it and then doing
symptom suppression, but that's not fixing
the root cause of the problem.
So when you suppress a symptom, the body
kind of metaphorically says oh you didn't
get my message, well, let me get a little
(11:02):
louder.
And so then it's a little bit of a worse.
It could be a relapse or it could be a new
problem.
And if you still suppress the symptom and
you still don't address the root cause,
then it keeps escalating until you get into
that chronic degenerative state.
Hilary Russo (11:17):
So are there ways to reverse that?
Just like there are with humans, can we do
that with our pets as well?
Because, as someone who works in holistic
care, I know that there are things that we
can do to fight the inflammation and
reverse certain effects that we have in our
body.
Some people have even gone so far as
reversing and cancer no more.
(11:39):
I mean, we hear so many wonderful stories
like that.
Is that the same with the makeup of an
animal or does it depend on the breed?
Dr. Marlene Siegel (11:48):
Does it depend on the it depends on a lot
of things, right, you have environmental
factors, you have the metaphysical.
You know what's the metaphysical story
behind that particular pet being in that
particular family's life with that
particular challenge.
You know, nothing happens by accident and I
everything has a divine message and we, um
(12:12):
her school plane, have to recognize what
that message may be and if everything
happens for our highest and best good.
So if we reach challenging, like you know,
thank God my daughter and the horse were
okay after the accident.
But that was a very traumatic experience.
I had PTSD for a long time, you know,
(12:33):
worried that she had not survived that
incident.
And yet that incident it was what drove me
into what I call bioregulatory medicine.
And I'm going to make that distinction
because in the veterinary world a lot of
pet parents hear the word holistic and they
think it's some kind of a woo-woo thing and
(12:53):
they don't realize there is a lot of
science, probably way more ancient than the
medicine that we practice today.
And then we got the term integrative
medicine, which in my opinion means that
you're taking the best of both worlds, the
best of the Eastern medicine, blending it
with the best of Western medicine, and then
you come together and you have a larger
(13:15):
toolkit which gives you more opportunity to
pick the right tool for the right situation
that has the best results with the least
side effects Even that term.
When I see a lot of my colleagues, they're
using their holistic approach or their
integrative approach to still name it,
blame it.
But now, instead of using a drug, they're
using an acupuncture needle or they're
(13:36):
using an herb or an essential oil, but
they're still naming, blaming and doing
symptom suppression.
So I like to distinguish what I do, and
there really is no bioregulatory field in
veterinary medicine except what I teach.
And that means that we're looking at the
biological pathways.
We're actually looking at the body as a
(13:57):
machine and we're seeing where have we
interrupted the normal biological pathways.
As an example, we have an innate immune
system.
That's the part of our immune system that
we don't consciously control.
Our body has these internal mechanisms,
turn it on and do what it needs to do.
But the two cofactors that run that
(14:19):
biological pathway are vitamin D and
magnesium.
So deficient in one or both of those
cofactors, then that system isn't able to
function Well.
Not surprisingly, 85% this was a university
study 85% of dogs eating a kibble diet will
(14:42):
be vitamin D deficient, and we know how
many people are magnesium deficient, so you
can imagine how that's translating into the
pets as well.
So it's those kinds of things that I look
at.
I test for deficiencies, I test for
toxicities, I test these biological
pathways to see where are we interrupting
(15:04):
them and how can we get them back online.
What do we need to do to help them to
function again and thrive and thrive?
Yeah, because we are designed to thrive.
Absolutely.
It's the fact that we have created this
massive amount of deficiency, mass amount
of toxicity.
We're overwhelming the body's ability to
(15:25):
detoxify and then we're surprised when we
have a problem.
Hilary Russo (15:30):
Yeah, I wonder how many people out there.
When something's in the let's take example
toxic mold in the house, right?
Well, that's a big one that we keep hearing
about this day and age.
If you are impacted by it as a human, I
would imagine it's going to impact
something that is smaller, living in your
home, that has a much, you know, a much
(15:54):
smaller little body.
It's going to affect it if there's the same
amount of mold.
But again, it's bio-individuality, right,
it's knowing what that animal needs.
That vehicle if we're going to use that as
an analogy that specific vehicle, where it
might be lacking certain things, that's
making it run effectively, right, yeah,
yeah.
(16:14):
The other thing I want to talk about,
because I did mention this earlier, is that
idea that an animal can live, like you said,
well beyond the 20, 30 years.
I take it this depends on what the breed
and what the animal is, because I mean,
I've known and I've had a horse that lived
over 30 years, but I've had a dog that's
lived 17 years years, but I've had a dog
(16:36):
that's lived 17 years.
So is it based on what the species is we're
talking about?
Or you're saying, like most animals, if not
all should pass that 20 year mark?
Dr. Marlene Siegel (16:41):
Let's keep it to horses, dogs and cats.
Okay, and they should.
They should pass that mark Absolutely.
Hilary Russo (16:48):
Yeah, okay, so can we go through some of
the other parts of your system?
I know that this is a really you, you.
I want to bring something else up too,
because I'm really listening to what you're
saying, and you mentioned words like divine,
metaphysical.
I even heard you mention something that
seemed very Louise Hay right, which is like
the all as well, and you seem to come from
(17:11):
a much more spiritual way of being, which I
think is beautiful.
Do you incorporate that into your practice?
Oh, 100%, yeah, one of the really important
things that you talk about is the
metaphysical and just helping a pet
transition and you know, with Eliza leaving
me about a year ago on April 1st, I'm
(17:32):
really curious what your experience might
be with that ago on April 1st.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (17:36):
I'm really curious what your experience
might be with that.
When I asked you, have you communicated
with her?
Has she given you signs?
And literally this is the second time, as I
said, that every hair on my body is
standing up.
So I know she is trying to send you
messages.
Whether or not she's been successful I
don't know, but the messages that they send
to us can be in so many different forms.
(17:58):
It could be in a thought, a dream,
something that shows up that you didn't
expect.
It could be a toy of theirs that suddenly
shows up and you didn't see anything before.
I was outside in my garden the other day
picking up acorns because I make medicine
out of them.
So I'm laying on my lounge chair and I had
just found all the acorns that were around
(18:19):
me and then every time I opened my eyes I
didn't move.
There was another acorn, and then another,
and then another, and it just kept
happening and I had to laugh and say who is
trying to get my attention?
That's dropping acorns.
So you know, that's interesting.
I helped a beautiful patient of mine
transition yesterday and I always ask my
(18:39):
pet to give me something that I could
relate to.
The pet parent a vision of something, so
that I can let them know that they have
truly transitioned and they are, in a way,
better space.
And this beautiful dog was doing zoomies.
And I said to the owner, was she the type
of dog that would do zoomies?
(19:01):
And he just the smile that we from the
tears to the smile.
And he said all the time that was her
favorite thing was to do zoomies in the
yard.
Now, I didn't know them before this, so how
I would not have been privy to that
information.
I had another dog that showed me jumping
(19:22):
off the front of a boat, like just golden
retriever, stretched out, if you can
imagine, full length out jumping off the
front of the boat, and I had never met
these people before.
I literally went to do a house call and I
said, did your dog like to jump into the
ocean off your boat?
And he looked at me and he went favorite
thing in the world.
And so they do communicate with us.
(19:45):
Sometimes we're in so much pain that we
can't hear it, we can't see it, but what I
help my pet parents to do is be open to
those little signs.
It doesn't have to be this booming sound in
your ear, it could be that serendipitous.
Oh my gosh, did I just hear that?
Did I just see that?
(20:05):
I had a lady once this is one of my
favorites she knew we were going to be
doing an exploratory surgery, so we were
going to do it after hours so she could
spend the day with her dog.
And then, when everything was quiet, if I
opened the dog up and it was something bad,
then we would say goodbye on the surgery
table.
And so everything transpired.
The dog had so advanced cancer so we said
goodbye on the table and I told her be open
(20:31):
to receiving a message from your pet.
She gets home, calls me back 10 minutes
later and she said you are not going to
believe this, try me.
And she had been singing to this dog all
day you are my sunshine.
You know there's a song you are my sunshine.
So she walks in the house, her TV is onto a
radio station and the song that she walked
(20:54):
into was you are my sunshine.
I don't know about you, Hilary, but I have
never heard that song on the radio.
Hilary Russo (21:01):
That's an old song.
I have had some moments myself when I, when
she first passed, probably within the first
month, I was at my boyfriend's house and
she used to love going there and she slept
underneath in the drawer in the trundle bed
in the guest room and it was emotional to
be there because it was the first time I'd
been there without her.
And I remember going down to the drawer and
(21:25):
just pulling it out just so I can, like put
my head there and rest there and like maybe
pick up a smell, even though she didn't
really smell, but you know your animal
scent and I swear to God, something brushed
my leg like a tail and I'm like what just
happened?
And I and I honestly had to take a look
back and I'm like looking for clothes and
(21:45):
anything that could be in the way.
Even my and I was wearing shorts and I'm
like that.
That that's high, high baby.
I've had a lot of moments like that, like
where I saw little footprints on top of my
bed.
So those moments happen.
I'm very open and receptive to it and I
know you asked me if I had any signs and
those were two of them and if I'm
(22:06):
connecting with her in some way, and I
actually have someone that is working on
doing some artwork with her some of her
remains in it and then trying to find
different ways to incorporate her still
into my life, because that's a big part of
my life 19 years but I love that.
That's the kind of that you are, but she
had a beautiful transition.
She really did so well.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (22:27):
I'm very happy that you guys, you
recognized her and and so like, where did
that conversation come out of Right?
All of a sudden we changed gears and saying
that, and again, when things come out of my
mouth, I just trust that there's a reason
why I'm going to say it and that one landed
(22:49):
for you, and then she lit me up going yes,
yes.
Hilary Russo (22:53):
That's very cool.
My hair is raising on me.
That's your attagirl.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (22:58):
That's my attagirl, that's the confirmation
that, yes, we're not alone.
I love doing mediumship work because it
really helps me to understand that we are
in this frequency, which is a very dense,
heavy dimension, but that doesn't mean
there aren't other frequencies, and so when
we can raise our frequency and they can
lower, we can find a common ground where we
(23:21):
can actually communicate.
Hilary Russo (23:24):
Yeah, I'm going to be paying a little more
attention to the signs in the next coming
days because I think it's going to be very
powerful.
I just have a feeling.
It's a gut feeling.
Yeah, thank you for that.
I appreciate that.
I appreciate that.
Third time, that's so cool she's never been
a quiet one.
I'll tell you that.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (23:44):
I can tell strong personality.
I could feel that, just like mama.
Oh, I love it.
Well, thank you so much, and I am really
excited because I think there's going to be
a lot of people out there that are going to
get that message and then be more open to
receiving for their loved ones, whether
they're two legged or four legged, they're
just on their side of the veil.
Hilary Russo (24:05):
Yeah, and that's just one, one way that we
can take care of them on this side of the
rainbow bridge or the other right, yes, and
honor them Absolutely.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (24:16):
You know, if you have the lens, that
everything happens for your highest best
good and that everything in I call it earth
school.
And if, if everything around us is a clue,
like you're on a treasure hunt and
everything is a clue, the way I interpret
my clues is through flow or resistance.
So when I feel a lot of resistance in a
(24:37):
particular direction, I'm trying to
accomplish something and nothing's going
right.
Everything seems to be blocking my way.
That, to me, is the divine clue that I'm a
little off track.
Maybe just a little bit, maybe a whole lot,
maybe you have to do a 180, but whatever
that is, I have to stop, take a step back,
take a deep breath and really evaluate the
(24:59):
situation and try to find out what am I
being guided to do?
When we are in flow, that is when we think
everything is serendipitous and it just
works out perfectly, just like you wanted
to have something to honor your baby.
And then, look, I show up.
Right, the timing is.
You always go wow, isn't that interesting.
(25:21):
So I use emotions as my determiner of flow
and resistance, and I think emotions are
another big clue.
I actually teach this to my pet parents
when they do my courses is because they are
the best way for us to recognize when we're
in flow versus resistance.
So everything in the emotional realm has an
(25:42):
equal and opposite.
So we have very low vibrations shame, anger,
guilt, frustration, hatred, betrayal you
know all of these that actually feel very
heavy when you even say them.
All of these that actually feel very heavy
when you even say them.
And then you have the other side of the
spectrum, which is love and gratitude and
compassion and kindness and joy, and as I
(26:04):
say those words, I literally can see more
light coming in.
So as people come with their pets to me,
I'm listening for those key words.
Are they feeling shame?
Are they feeling like this keeps happening
to them?
Are they victims, or are they really
positive and convinced that this is going
(26:25):
to work out and they have the trust and
faith that it's going to work out for
everybody's highest and best good?
Whatever that is, very different approaches
and very different energies associated with
that.
So I think it would be.
I mean, that's one piece of it.
That's actually number six in my process is
clearing trapped emotions.
(26:45):
I do believe that everything that happens
with our pets, whatever their challenges
are, has some kind of a reflection or a
message or something that we can benefit
from.
We may never know that.
What if that pet's challenge opened up a
pet parent to a whole new lifestyle where
(27:05):
they cleaned up their environment, they
changed their own diet in addition to the
pet's diet, and maybe they were able to
stop a trajectory that they were on that
they weren't even aware that they were on.
Hilary Russo (27:17):
That's a really good point, and I will use
myself as an example here.
I always said that Eliza was like my litmus
test for stress, and what I mean by that is
that she knew if she didn't want to be
around my attitude, right and animals are
so perceptive with that, you know, they
don't come with the ego, so I would know if
(27:39):
she would know when I'm sick, she would
nurture If, if I was stressed and I was
running around and just not centered, she
was like I don't have time for that, right.
And and it's so true what you say, because
it really I learned so much from her about
being present, right, and even in her
(28:01):
sickness, in that last six months to a year,
there was something about her that really
taught me about being present, being in the
now, loving every moment, because all she
knew how to do was love, you know.
So I completely agree with you on that and
I'm so glad that we're touching on that.
(28:22):
I do want to stop real quick and just say
that you do have a free ebook that you
share and that's the six keys to health,
and we're going to put that in the notes of
this podcast.
Is there anything you want to share about
that that folks that are tuning in will
know what they're receiving if they're
getting that ebook.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (28:39):
Oh, I'd love to.
So the first step is we have to stop doing
the things that are causing the problems.
And, as common sense as that sounds, how
many times do people go out to restaurants
for themselves and they never ask what the
food is cooked in?
What are the oils, is it organic, is it
(29:00):
conventional?
And they just order off the menu and they
eat whatever they make for you.
And so you're eating carcinogens, you're
eating toxins, and you don't ever question
what that's going to do to your body or
your children if they're eating with you.
(29:20):
So when I say it, I do say it very lovingly,
but at some point we all have to take
responsibility for our actions and for our
choices.
So I start with step number one.
We have to stop doing the things to our
pets that is actually causing their
problems.
So that means food is number one, and I go
into a lot more depth on food to feed a
species appropriate diet and I have lots of
information on that.
So if you look at what animals eat in the
(29:42):
wild and this is my litmus test for myself
and learning what is the right choice to
make you never see lions and tigers and
bears and wolves.
They don't eat processed food out in the
wild.
In fact, there's no mechanism for processed
foods in the wild, which tells me that
nature did not design them to eat this
(30:02):
manmade waste of the industrial revolution.
That's basically what we're doing.
We're taking all the waste product from our
food processing, from the industrial
revolution, and we're feeding it into our
pets.
And because it is so toxic, they have to
burn it.
And we're feeding it into our pets, and
because it is so toxic, they have to burn
it at high temperatures, make it into a dry
(30:24):
kibble, stick it together with a bunch of
carbohydrates, and then they have to add
nutrients back in to have some semblance of
nutrition.
But those nutrients are oftentimes
synthetic.
The body really doesn't recognize what
you're giving it, and dogs and cats are
both carnivores.
Dogs are scavenger carnivores because for
many years they've learned to live off a
man's waist, and cats are obligate
(30:46):
carnivores.
They have no dietary requirement for
carbohydrates, and yet all processed foods
are 40 to 60% carbohydrate.
It'd be like saying oh, I don't feel like
putting gas in my car today.
That's what it's supposed to run on.
I'm going to try air or I'm going to try
water.
(31:06):
Water, a different substrate, not going
anywhere.
Hilary Russo (31:10):
It's going to be energy.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (31:10):
Right your car doesn't have an ability to
adapt.
But the reason why our animals can live on
these inappropriate diets is because
they're trying to adapt and survive.
Maybe 500 years from now, if they've eaten
kibble long enough, maybe the body will
make changes and start to learn how to burn
that as a fuel appropriately.
But it isn't happening right now.
(31:31):
So in that, stop doing the things that are
causing diseases.
Learn what a species appropriate diet is.
Learn what healthy water looks like and
it's not the stuff coming out of the tap
that is loaded with hormones and chemicals
and glyphosate and all these toxins and
it's unstructured.
Then we look at the environment that
they're living in.
You and I get to leave our house
(31:52):
periodically, but for a lot of our indoor
pets they never leave.
So what are you cleaning the house with?
What are the chemicals you're putting on
your floor?
What are you doing in your counters?
What's the air quality that you have?
Do you have products that are off-gassing?
Formaldehyde?
These are all really important.
You mentioned mold.
Are your air ducts clean?
I live in Florida.
(32:18):
It is.
Mold is a huge problem.
We have rains and hurricanes and tornadoes
and leaks in our houses and sinks.
You know, look underneath your sink.
Do you have any leaks under there.
So these are really important areas to look
at.
And then, last but not least, are the ants
that live in our brain and these are the
automatic negative thoughts.
So you mentioned when you're stressed and
you're running around and think about how
many people have anger issues and they have
(32:40):
household emotional problems and they're
going through relationship issues and
there's a lot of negative energy.
What happens when we're experiencing these
negative thoughts and these negative
experiences?
We are creating neurochemicals.
Our body is literally creating these
chemicals to communicate to the microbiome,
(33:01):
to communicate to our mitochondria, which
then change our gene expression.
Because what we're saying is we don't live
in a safe environment, we have issues out
here in earth world, and so we need a
different genetic expression.
And so we start to see more pathogens come
up to the surface, and pathogens are simply
(33:23):
the normal guys that live in and on our
body, but they know that the mothership is
going down, or they sense that the
mothership is going down, so they produce
pathogens to survive the toxicity.
So it isn't that the bacteria and the
viruses and the parasites.
They're not the problem.
(33:44):
The problem is the terrain.
What is the environment that we're creating
for them that is causing them to have to
express kind of like weeds in your garden.
I live in a food forest and so when my soil
wasn't healthy, I had more weeds growing
than I had healthy plants.
Not that the weeds were bad.
They were trying to establish a terrain so
(34:08):
that good things could come behind them.
Same thing happens in our body.
So when we see pathogens, they're not our
enemy.
They're really the clue that we have a
terrain that is not hospitable for health
and survival.
Hilary Russo (34:23):
Yeah, and these are the kinds of things
that a lot of times we again we think of
some humans don't even think of themselves.
You know, we're not all living holistically,
we're not all even living with an
integrative approach or bioregulatory, Is
that the term you use.
I like that a lot and it's taking small
steps.
But I will say this, and this is really
(34:43):
good information I love that you're sharing
this, I love that you have the courses too,
and we'll put all that in the notes of this
podcast.
But there's more people that have pets than
not, Right?
So, but not everyone is going to think
about buying the best food there is.
I mean, I know that my mom gives her dog a
brand that is like raw meat and it's
(35:05):
supposed to be the best for the dog, and
I'm thinking is that the best?
I mean cause the pet industry has boomed
and we know there's a lot of products on
the market, and you mentioned the kibble.
You know talking about the kibble, but some
people can't afford that high end food
that's more like the primal animal they
were.
So where's the where's the happy medium
with that?
Cause they have to eat.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (35:26):
Yeah.
So it's interesting because the way you
couch that is, you go, wow, they, they,
yeah.
So it's interesting because the way you
couch that is, you go wow, they can't
afford it.
I will tell you a hundred percent that when
people's pets are ill and they love their
pets they will come up with a large amount
of money to try to save their pet.
That is true I want to do, yeah, but we're
trained that way and even in our world
(35:47):
right, we have I don't have insurance, but
most people have insurance so they do
egregious things to their body and then
they go to the doctor because it's covered
on their insurance, and then they get a
pill for the ill or a diet for the disease.
What we have to start doing is taking
ownership of our actions and start to
create a healthier lifestyle.
(36:08):
If that means living within those species
appropriate boundaries, then we need to
invest in healthcare so we don't spend the
money on bro care.
Really, that's the bottom line.
So when I have people, look at the cost
differences and if you have a Great Dane or
a Great Pyrenees, yes, they're big dogs,
(36:31):
but then you know if you're going to own a
big dog like that, then there's a
responsibility to be able to afford them.
Hilary Russo (36:39):
I think that comes with the first.
That's, the first thing is the
responsibility.
What can you afford?
You're not going to buy a horse if you
can't afford a horse, and we know that
horses are much more expensive.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (36:48):
Yes, and I don't mean it as a an insult to
somebody, but because pets are a luxury and
we do have the responsibility to care for
them.
I think it's important that number one we
research the kind of animal that you want
to get.
Well, look, I wouldn't buy a BMW because
(37:10):
the maintenance care on those cars is
ridiculous.
My daughter wanted to buy a BMW for her
first car and I said you can't afford that
because the first time your car breaks down
you won't be able to afford the parts and
the maintenance.
Same deal, right.
But people get pets and they don't think
about the long-term consequences.
And you know, let's just call a spade a
(37:30):
spade, right?
We need to be responsible for the actions
that we make.
So step number one is learn about what is a
species appropriate diet and think about
what you would spend, or what you are
spending in bro care.
Like a standard veterinary visit these days
it can run anywhere from a hundred dollars
(37:50):
to a thousand dollars.
Well, for a thousand dollars you can feed
that animal really well for a long time.
Hilary Russo (37:56):
Yeah, and that's a really good point
because we actually have a saying in the
world of integrative nutrition, holistic
health, if it's made by people in white
coats you're going to see people in white
coats I love that because it's true.
It doesn't mean, look, we live in a world
(38:23):
that's convenient.
We can go to a store, we can buy things
that have been processed, but the less
processed and the less ingredients that we
consume, especially if we can't pronounce
them, the better.
That just looks like it might be good and
it has great labeling and it says the word
natural on it, which never means natural
anything.
And I don't wanna bring up specific food
brands, but the pet food industry is
definitely a billion dollar industry.
(38:46):
It's a trillion dollar industry.
Okay, I stand corrected, which is even more
reason to be very selective when you're
walking down the aisles or if you're
ordering online.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (38:58):
It all starts with education.
I can't make that any easier because, like
you said, there's a lot of labels, there's
a lot of misinformation and the companies
that are making these processed foods are
in the business to sell you their product
right, so they're selling us on fast, cheap
and convenient.
(39:19):
Look at average grocery store, right, we're
told, shop the perimeter because everything
in the center is processed foods.
Are we allowed to say Kellogg's and all the
attack that they're?
Hilary Russo (39:30):
under Right.
Well, they won't be sponsoring me anytime
soon, and that's okay.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (39:36):
Hey, I haven't bought their product for a
long time.
Which brings us to the next point.
We, as consumers, drive the businesses.
We don't buy something they won't keep
making it because no one's buying it.
Let me say that again it is our spending,
(39:56):
it is how we vote with our dollars that
determines what we are going to get for
those dollars.
If we continue to support companies that
are making processed foods, they're going
to continue to make processed foods.
If we demand something healthier, they will
start to ship.
(40:17):
And I will tell you that I already see some
of these big box companies.
I won't mention any names, but there is a
big box company that bought a boutique raw
pet food company and it's because they see
that there's a market share going in that
direction.
And that's what business is.
It's looking for market share.
(40:38):
It's bottom line.
Yeah, it's not a bad thing.
It's just that we, the consumers, we have
to start waking up and saying I am not
willing to give you my money if you are not
going to give me back a product that is
going to support the health and longevity
of my pet, right.
Hilary Russo (40:59):
And the best way to really think about that
is looking at it as currency.
Currency isn't only money.
Currency is your time, currency is your
health, currency is your well-being,
currency is your environment Everything is
part of that currency.
So if you're going to exchange the currency
of money for something, you better get
currency of good health and product back.
(41:21):
And that brings me to something that it
makes me think.
Like even sometimes really good products
Like I was at the store a week or so ago
for human products and one of my favorite
items that is was actually rather healthy,
with little of anything in it besides the
good earth was no, it was no longer there
and discontinued, and that just lends
(41:42):
itself to.
It makes me think I'm like not enough
people are finding value in a product like
that that can really be supportive of your
health.
Right, so it is.
It is up to us, because they told me they
said, oh, we discontinued them.
Finding value in a product like that that
can really be supportive of your health?
Yes, right, so it is.
It is up to us because they told me, they
said, oh, we discontinued them, you
discontinued that that product was awesome.
Where do I get it elsewhere, you know?
So, yeah, it's really up to us to be our
(42:04):
own healthcare advocates and I guess, in
that sense, it's really up to us to be the
healthcare advocates for those animals that
we bring into our home for, hopefully, 20
years or more.
Yes, right, yeah, absolutely Great.
This is such a wonderful conversation.
I do want to mention that Dr Siegel has
this wonderful ebook that is free.
(42:24):
It will be a download available on the
Holistically Speaking podcast page.
Of course, she has a number of courses as
well.
Before you go, I want to play a little game
with you that I do with my podcast guests,
just a little fun that we have here on
Holistically Speaking, and I call this the
brain candy game because I'm a nerdy
neuroscience person, and basically what
I've been doing is I'm writing down the
(42:45):
words that you've been saying and what I
would like you to do is just come back with
the first word that comes to mind.
A little word association.
Does that make sense?
All right?
Okay, here we go.
First word horse Lily.
Holistic Lifestyle, lifestyle that's my
next word.
Lifestyle Choices.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (43:06):
Metaphysical, the universe.
Toxins, harmful Ant universe.
Hilary Russo (43:13):
Toxins Harmful.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (43:14):
Ants, automatic negative thoughts, divine,
everything that there is God is everything
and everything is God.
So the universe, I feel that Flow, the
direction we're, so, oh, one word Flow.
Purpose that flow the direction we're.
Hilary Russo (43:35):
So, oh, one word flow, purpose.
That's even better than what you were about
to say, because you sat on it.
I love that.
Um, bioregulatory great word, true
understanding, veterinarian passion.
Yeah, yeah, I didn't ask you, and that's
something I'd like to ask you with closing
the brain candy game what made Dr Siegel
(43:59):
become?
Dr. Marlene Siegel (44:00):
a vet.
I incarnated knowing what I wanted to be.
No kidding.
I played with stuffed animals.
I captured lizards.
When I was a kid I lived in South Florida,
never played with dolls, so I always knew I
wanted to.
Was a kid, I lived in South Florida, never
played with dolls, so I always knew I
wanted to be a vet.
In elementary school, people would bring me
(44:20):
the sick gerbils and their little pets and
I would walk down to the local veterinarian
and he would give me the medicine, always
at no charge, and I would take that animal
home and I would make it better and then
send it back to its mommy.
Or, if it was a wildlife case, I would fix
it better and then send it back to its
mommy.
Or if it was a wildlife case, you know, I
would fix it up and to this day I still do
that.
Pay it forward.
I have students and volunteers that come
into my practice and I model for them.
(44:40):
What is that like?
To pay it forward, and so I always.
That's what I always wanted to be.
Even though I became a paramedic during
high school, it was still always it.
Never.
I never veered off course.
I always wanted to be a veterinarian and
I'm now rounding 40 years in actual
clinical practice 45, if you include all
(45:04):
the education and I am more passionate
today and I'm more energized and I'm more
excited about the opportunities that we
have to make such an impact.
It's why my baseline course for
veterinarians is called Transforming Vet
Medicine and I named it over 10 years ago.
(45:24):
I just knew that that was the path that I
was on.
If you would have asked me, would you ever
have expected to have that big of an impact
in your industry?
Would never, in fact.
I was so shy I couldn't talk in front of a
group of five people.
But when you step into your purpose, then
your world changes.
And so now I speak internationally and
(45:46):
truly am transforming vet medicine.
One person, one pet at a time.
Hilary Russo (45:53):
Love, that, that's so beautiful, and it
just came from the heart space.
So I want to ask you one more word, even
though we're out of the brain candy game.
What would be your word for purpose?
Dr. Marlene Siegel (46:04):
It's what you came here for.
Hilary Russo (46:06):
Yeah, isn't it?
Yeah, divine, absolutely, yeah, beautiful.
Thank you so much for sharing who you are
and being a part of this process and
joining me on Holistically Speaking.
This is a special episode, as you know, for
me, and I hope that those tuning in have
long loving relationships, like I had with
(46:26):
Eliza, and can find the best way to treat
them holistically so that they are right
there by your side for the long run.
Thank you, doctor, you're welcome.
Thank you everybody.
All right, my friends, if you are
interested in learning more about holistic
pet care and I know, because you're a
(46:46):
loving, compassionate human being, if you
have a pet, this is definitely the way you
want to treat your pet in their life as
well I want you to get in touch with Dr
Marlene Siegel and even grab a copy of her
free ebook, which is six keys to health and
healing pets holistically HIListically
Speaking.
You can check that out in the notes of this
podcast to find out more and listen.
(47:09):
This is a very special episode for me as I
get to share about Miss Eliza.
It is marking a year since she is no longer
with me in this space, but I know she's
with me every day, as Dr Siegel mentioned
in this episode in this conversation.
But there are a lot of pet parents out
there I know, like me, who went through the
(47:30):
loss, went through the grief, and it's a
process.
It really is.
If you know somebody who's going through
this or has gone through it or might be
facing that in the near future.
I have a beautiful line of pet grieving
cards that you might remember from an
earlier episode with Wolfie's Wish with
Erica Messer.
(47:51):
That you might remember from an earlier
episode with Wolfie's Wish with Erica
Messer.
She created a lovely line that lets you
tell somebody how much you care when it
comes to losing their pet and she's also an
incredible artist and I know that
personally because she's in the moment
working on a piece for me.
But she also has a beautiful line of 8x10
(48:11):
pet portraits on acrylic that she will
create for you, meaning that she is doing a
portrait of your pet, and if you use the
code ELIZADOOLITTLE for either the greeting
cards or for a personal pet portrait, you
will get 10% off your purchase.
So I'm going to share that in the notes of
this podcast.
(48:31):
For either the line of the grieving cards
or that pet portrait, use Eliza Doolittle,
so she's always out there helping you out
and you'll get 10% off your purchase from
Wolfie's Wish.
That is our gift to you as pet parent to
pet parent.
We know how important they are.
All right.
With that being said, I just want you to
(48:51):
know that there are so many ways that you
can keep your pet happy and safe, and you
just being a good person and a loving,
compassionate human being is the first step.
So thank you for that.
I love you, I believe in you and I'm
sending hugs your way.
Be well.
We, the consumers, we have to start waking
up and saying I am not willing to give you
my money if you are not going to give me
back a product that is going to support the
health and longevity of my pet.
Hilary Russo (00:16):
About 10 years ago.
During that time of my acting days, I
booked a pretty cool gig, but this time I
was just the prop.
I wasn't a lead, I wasn't even a backup.
I was basically sitting there providing
space for the star herself, miss Eliza
Doolittle, who happened to get a part to
(00:37):
star in this role in a pet food commercial,
and I'm like, okay, finally, this chick is
paying the rent.
Now you've heard me talk about Eliza
Doolittle.
If you've been part of the Holistically
Speaking community for quite some time, and
this is a really special time of year
because I'm about to experience that
(00:59):
anniversary, one of those, one of those
memories that we're not really looking
forward to.
And it's the one year since Miss Eliza has
passed, and many of you know her who have
been with me here.
She sat on the back of my chair, she's been
in a number of episodes.
You might have even heard her a few times
because, man, she was vocal, because she
was a diva.
But I will say this the reason for this
(01:19):
commercial was because they were promoting
this product was promoting a pet food
product that was holistic, and, of course,
the holistic health coach that I am was
like this is a perfect casting.
I'm totally gonna nail this.
Even though I thought Eliza was gonna be a
huge diva.
She was a saint on set because all she had
(01:41):
to do was sit in my lap.
But the reason why I'm telling you this
story is that Eliza was with me for close
to 19 years.
She was the longest heartbeat I ever had in
my space and I never shared time with
anything longer really More road trips,
everything like that.
But I thought when they asked me in that
(02:03):
casting call originally, why do you want to
do this commercial and why do you want to
bring your pet into this commercial?
It wasn't so much about the cash, although
that was nice.
(02:25):
It was about the fact that if I'm going to
live my life holistically, then anyone in
my home and environment should be
experiencing that too.
And when you think about the fact that
there are close to 500 million pet owners
around the globe and in the States alone 86
million that are pet owners and we use that
term loosely because it depends on what you
consider a pet indoor, outdoor, whatnot but
our fur babies are important, and even our
non-fur babies.
And I thought to myself what would Eliza's
(02:46):
life been like if I had learned more about
holistic pet health much earlier in her
journey.
But I'm so glad that I had her for 19 years
and she had the experience she had, because
I think she lived as long as she did
because I took that holistic approach,
HIListically Speaking.
So that got me thinking that I want to have
(03:08):
a professional come on the show, someone
who understands holistic veterinary care.
And all of a sudden I get an email Hi, I'm
a holistic pet vet and I would love to talk
about holistic care.
Again, it goes back to things do not happen
by accident.
And that brings us to Dr Marlene Siegel.
(03:30):
I am so happy to have you here today.
I've learned so much about you in the time
that I haven't even been in the space with
you but having the opportunity to research
the kind of vet you are, all I can say is I
wish you were the vet I had in my space for
the years that Eliza might've needed that
kind of care.
So thank you for being here.
(03:51):
It is such an honor to know that there are
people that see the value in holistic care
for their pets just as much as they do
themselves.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (03:59):
Welcome, Thank you, and thank you for
having me.
You know what you said was very profound,
because one of the most common comments I
hear I travel and I teach all over the
world is I wish I would have known sooner.
So the operative words I think everything
happens in divine timing, just as you said,
and I think this is the opportunity if
(04:20):
somebody's listening to this conversation,
this is the time that it's important for
you to start learning, expanding your
consciousness, expanding your belief
systems, which I abbreviate as BS.
And as we expand our BS, we were able to
let go of the old belief systems that may
(04:40):
not be serving us any longer, but it takes
us into a new paradigm.
Hilary Russo (04:44):
Definitely so.
For somebody who has been a vet for a
number of years and you're practicing
holistic care, I imagine that holistic
veterinary care hasn't been something that
has really been taught for as long as the
traditional medicine, much like with humans
as well.
I mean we've really come into the more
integrative space, the more holistic
(05:05):
approach to healing, probably in the last
20 years, even though that's really the
original way that medicine worked.
But what moved you from that traditional
kind of medicine and care into holistic?
Dr. Marlene Siegel (05:19):
So, like everybody, when we make a big life
change, it's because there's been some kind
of life altering experience either your own
health or the health of a family member, or
some crisis.
And so for me, it was a horse that my
daughter was showing.
They were in an accident and the horse
saved my daughter's life.
And in my quest to fix the horse is what
(05:41):
actually made me leave my traditional
training and expand into new horizons,
which back then.
There was no integrative medicine, there
was no bioregulatory medicine, there was
nobody for me to consult with.
But when I was told by equine veterinarians
I could either put the horse down or put
her to a pasture, that was an unacceptable
(06:03):
answer, and so that drove me to find
answers where they didn't exist.
So at that time, functional medicine was
just coming into the human realms.
So we're talking 25 years ago plus, and so
I was taking all of these webinars and
courses from functional medicine doctors as
they were learning their industry, and I
(06:24):
was taking that and applying it to my pet
parent my pets and figuring out how that
would work.
So it was an arduous process a lot of
learning, a lot of expense and very
rewarding.
Hilary Russo (06:38):
You know it's usually something that
happens in our own lives that opens opens
our minds to trying something different
From that experience, moving into a more
holistic space.
What have you found over that time that has
helped our animals live longer Because
that's something you really you spend time
on and you mention a lot is that you want
pets to live 20 years or more.
(07:00):
That's what got me to.
That's really pulled me in.
I'm like wow, wouldn't it be great if
people could actually have their pets with
them much longer?
Dr. Marlene Siegel (07:09):
and healthier.
So there's documentation of animals that
have lived into their thirties.
It's the toxic lifestyle that we are living
in, today's modern age, that is creating
the challenges.
So first I'm going to break down what
causes all these problems, because cancer
rates in dogs right now are almost a
(07:29):
hundred percent.
Statistically, they say one out of 1.65
dogs get cancer, and this is age irrelevant.
I'm seeing cancers in dogs under a year of
age, pats.
They say one out of three.
I think that's highly underreported.
And then when you add autoimmune disease,
obesity, arthritis, gi disorders, allergies,
skin disease, all of that, it's literally
(07:51):
100% of our animals are coming down with
some form of chronic illness.
So what is causing that?
And the real, simple answer is deficiencies
of essential nutrients.
And those are the essential nutrients are
the ones that our body cannot manufacture
in sufficient quantities.
We need to get them.
We have to get them from our diet.
(08:12):
So if the food is nutrient depleted which
we know most of our food growing
commercially is nutrient depleted because
the soils are nutrient depleted then the
individual eating that's going to be
nutrient depleted.
Then toxicities and we had probably over
100,000 toxins developed and released into
our food and the environment just since
(08:33):
World War II.
So we're talking 1942.
That combination of deficiency and toxicity
leads to mitochondrial dysfunction.
And the mitochondria have two major
purposes in our body.
One they produce energy.
We don't have energy, we're not going to be
on the planet.
But they also provide a communication
between themselves and the microorganisms
(08:54):
that live in and on our bodies,
predominantly the ones in our GI tract.
But they communicate and, based on what
information they're receiving from our
lifestyle and what we're perceiving, they
are in charge of uncovering gene expression.
So when people on the human side they go,
oh well, do you have a lot of your family
(09:15):
members?
Did they have cancer?
Because you're likely to get cancer?
Well, you're likely to get cancer because
you have the same lifestyle.
But if you change your lifestyle, the
epigenetics that help to determine what
turns on and turns off gene expression
changes dramatically.
Same thing happens for our pets.
So we look at the six-step system that I
(09:36):
use to help people understand.
How do we create a lifestyle that helps
support these animals in their highest and
best good?
It would be like taking a car.
When you buy a car, you're given a manual
that says what kind of oil to use, what
kind of gasoline you have to have, how
often you have to change the oil and do all
these maintenance things.
(09:58):
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we did that for
our pets and our own bodies?
We had a roadmap on what does health look
like, because at least in the US I don't
know if you broadcast everywhere, but in
the US we have a broke care system, not a
healthcare system.
Hilary Russo (10:13):
Well, you know what and it's not just in
the US I'm hearing that report from people
all over the world, in different countries,
that say it's sick care elsewhere.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (10:20):
Yeah, and it's the same.
What happens is we have been conditioned to
if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
We've all heard that expression and so we
go on with little expressions of illness or
dis ease.
There's another one.
I don't believe there's disease, I believe
there is dis ease.
(10:41):
When the body is not in balance, it
expresses itself in a symptom.
Well, in our society we have focused on
naming it, blaming it and then doing
symptom suppression, but that's not fixing
the root cause of the problem.
So when you suppress a symptom, the body
kind of metaphorically says oh you didn't
get my message, well, let me get a little
(11:02):
louder.
And so then it's a little bit of a worse.
It could be a relapse or it could be a new
problem.
And if you still suppress the symptom and
you still don't address the root cause,
then it keeps escalating until you get into
that chronic degenerative state.
Hilary Russo (11:17):
So are there ways to reverse that?
Just like there are with humans, can we do
that with our pets as well?
Because, as someone who works in holistic
care, I know that there are things that we
can do to fight the inflammation and
reverse certain effects that we have in our
body.
Some people have even gone so far as
reversing and cancer no more.
(11:39):
I mean, we hear so many wonderful stories
like that.
Is that the same with the makeup of an
animal or does it depend on the breed?
Dr. Marlene Siegel (11:48):
Does it depend on the it depends on a lot
of things, right, you have environmental
factors, you have the metaphysical.
You know what's the metaphysical story
behind that particular pet being in that
particular family's life with that
particular challenge.
You know, nothing happens by accident and I
everything has a divine message and we, um
(12:12):
her school plane, have to recognize what
that message may be and if everything
happens for our highest and best good.
So if we reach challenging, like you know,
thank God my daughter and the horse were
okay after the accident.
But that was a very traumatic experience.
I had PTSD for a long time, you know,
(12:33):
worried that she had not survived that
incident.
And yet that incident it was what drove me
into what I call bioregulatory medicine.
And I'm going to make that distinction
because in the veterinary world a lot of
pet parents hear the word holistic and they
think it's some kind of a woo-woo thing and
(12:53):
they don't realize there is a lot of
science, probably way more ancient than the
medicine that we practice today.
And then we got the term integrative
medicine, which in my opinion means that
you're taking the best of both worlds, the
best of the Eastern medicine, blending it
with the best of Western medicine, and then
you come together and you have a larger
(13:15):
toolkit which gives you more opportunity to
pick the right tool for the right situation
that has the best results with the least
side effects Even that term.
When I see a lot of my colleagues, they're
using their holistic approach or their
integrative approach to still name it,
blame it.
But now, instead of using a drug, they're
using an acupuncture needle or they're
(13:36):
using an herb or an essential oil, but
they're still naming, blaming and doing
symptom suppression.
So I like to distinguish what I do, and
there really is no bioregulatory field in
veterinary medicine except what I teach.
And that means that we're looking at the
biological pathways.
We're actually looking at the body as a
(13:57):
machine and we're seeing where have we
interrupted the normal biological pathways.
As an example, we have an innate immune
system.
That's the part of our immune system that
we don't consciously control.
Our body has these internal mechanisms,
turn it on and do what it needs to do.
But the two cofactors that run that
(14:19):
biological pathway are vitamin D and
magnesium.
So deficient in one or both of those
cofactors, then that system isn't able to
function Well.
Not surprisingly, 85% this was a university
study 85% of dogs eating a kibble diet will
(14:42):
be vitamin D deficient, and we know how
many people are magnesium deficient, so you
can imagine how that's translating into the
pets as well.
So it's those kinds of things that I look
at.
I test for deficiencies, I test for
toxicities, I test these biological
pathways to see where are we interrupting
(15:04):
them and how can we get them back online.
What do we need to do to help them to
function again and thrive and thrive?
Yeah, because we are designed to thrive.
Absolutely.
It's the fact that we have created this
massive amount of deficiency, mass amount
of toxicity.
We're overwhelming the body's ability to
(15:25):
detoxify and then we're surprised when we
have a problem.
Hilary Russo (15:30):
Yeah, I wonder how many people out there.
When something's in the let's take example
toxic mold in the house, right?
Well, that's a big one that we keep hearing
about this day and age.
If you are impacted by it as a human, I
would imagine it's going to impact
something that is smaller, living in your
home, that has a much, you know, a much
(15:54):
smaller little body.
It's going to affect it if there's the same
amount of mold.
But again, it's bio-individuality, right,
it's knowing what that animal needs.
That vehicle if we're going to use that as
an analogy that specific vehicle, where it
might be lacking certain things, that's
making it run effectively, right, yeah,
yeah.
(16:14):
The other thing I want to talk about,
because I did mention this earlier, is that
idea that an animal can live, like you said,
well beyond the 20, 30 years.
I take it this depends on what the breed
and what the animal is, because I mean,
I've known and I've had a horse that lived
over 30 years, but I've had a dog that's
lived 17 years years, but I've had a dog
(16:36):
that's lived 17 years.
So is it based on what the species is we're
talking about?
Or you're saying, like most animals, if not
all should pass that 20 year mark?
Dr. Marlene Siegel (16:41):
Let's keep it to horses, dogs and cats.
Okay, and they should.
They should pass that mark Absolutely.
Hilary Russo (16:48):
Yeah, okay, so can we go through some of
the other parts of your system?
I know that this is a really you, you.
I want to bring something else up too,
because I'm really listening to what you're
saying, and you mentioned words like divine,
metaphysical.
I even heard you mention something that
seemed very Louise Hay right, which is like
the all as well, and you seem to come from
(17:11):
a much more spiritual way of being, which I
think is beautiful.
Do you incorporate that into your practice?
Oh, 100%, yeah, one of the really important
things that you talk about is the
metaphysical and just helping a pet
transition and you know, with Eliza leaving
me about a year ago on April 1st, I'm
(17:32):
really curious what your experience might
be with that ago on April 1st.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (17:36):
I'm really curious what your experience
might be with that.
When I asked you, have you communicated
with her?
Has she given you signs?
And literally this is the second time, as I
said, that every hair on my body is
standing up.
So I know she is trying to send you
messages.
Whether or not she's been successful I
don't know, but the messages that they send
to us can be in so many different forms.
(17:58):
It could be in a thought, a dream,
something that shows up that you didn't
expect.
It could be a toy of theirs that suddenly
shows up and you didn't see anything before.
I was outside in my garden the other day
picking up acorns because I make medicine
out of them.
So I'm laying on my lounge chair and I had
just found all the acorns that were around
(18:19):
me and then every time I opened my eyes I
didn't move.
There was another acorn, and then another,
and then another, and it just kept
happening and I had to laugh and say who is
trying to get my attention?
That's dropping acorns.
So you know, that's interesting.
I helped a beautiful patient of mine
transition yesterday and I always ask my
(18:39):
pet to give me something that I could
relate to.
The pet parent a vision of something, so
that I can let them know that they have
truly transitioned and they are, in a way,
better space.
And this beautiful dog was doing zoomies.
And I said to the owner, was she the type
of dog that would do zoomies?
(19:01):
And he just the smile that we from the
tears to the smile.
And he said all the time that was her
favorite thing was to do zoomies in the
yard.
Now, I didn't know them before this, so how
I would not have been privy to that
information.
I had another dog that showed me jumping
(19:22):
off the front of a boat, like just golden
retriever, stretched out, if you can
imagine, full length out jumping off the
front of the boat, and I had never met
these people before.
I literally went to do a house call and I
said, did your dog like to jump into the
ocean off your boat?
And he looked at me and he went favorite
thing in the world.
And so they do communicate with us.
(19:45):
Sometimes we're in so much pain that we
can't hear it, we can't see it, but what I
help my pet parents to do is be open to
those little signs.
It doesn't have to be this booming sound in
your ear, it could be that serendipitous.
Oh my gosh, did I just hear that?
Did I just see that?
(20:05):
I had a lady once this is one of my
favorites she knew we were going to be
doing an exploratory surgery, so we were
going to do it after hours so she could
spend the day with her dog.
And then, when everything was quiet, if I
opened the dog up and it was something bad,
then we would say goodbye on the surgery
table.
And so everything transpired.
The dog had so advanced cancer so we said
goodbye on the table and I told her be open
(20:31):
to receiving a message from your pet.
She gets home, calls me back 10 minutes
later and she said you are not going to
believe this, try me.
And she had been singing to this dog all
day you are my sunshine.
You know there's a song you are my sunshine.
So she walks in the house, her TV is onto a
radio station and the song that she walked
(20:54):
into was you are my sunshine.
I don't know about you, Hilary, but I have
never heard that song on the radio.
Hilary Russo (21:01):
That's an old song.
I have had some moments myself when I, when
she first passed, probably within the first
month, I was at my boyfriend's house and
she used to love going there and she slept
underneath in the drawer in the trundle bed
in the guest room and it was emotional to
be there because it was the first time I'd
been there without her.
And I remember going down to the drawer and
(21:25):
just pulling it out just so I can, like put
my head there and rest there and like maybe
pick up a smell, even though she didn't
really smell, but you know your animal
scent and I swear to God, something brushed
my leg like a tail and I'm like what just
happened?
And I and I honestly had to take a look
back and I'm like looking for clothes and
(21:45):
anything that could be in the way.
Even my and I was wearing shorts and I'm
like that.
That that's high, high baby.
I've had a lot of moments like that, like
where I saw little footprints on top of my
bed.
So those moments happen.
I'm very open and receptive to it and I
know you asked me if I had any signs and
those were two of them and if I'm
(22:06):
connecting with her in some way, and I
actually have someone that is working on
doing some artwork with her some of her
remains in it and then trying to find
different ways to incorporate her still
into my life, because that's a big part of
my life 19 years but I love that.
That's the kind of that you are, but she
had a beautiful transition.
She really did so well.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (22:27):
I'm very happy that you guys, you
recognized her and and so like, where did
that conversation come out of Right?
All of a sudden we changed gears and saying
that, and again, when things come out of my
mouth, I just trust that there's a reason
why I'm going to say it and that one landed
(22:49):
for you, and then she lit me up going yes,
yes.
Hilary Russo (22:53):
That's very cool.
My hair is raising on me.
That's your attagirl.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (22:58):
That's my attagirl, that's the confirmation
that, yes, we're not alone.
I love doing mediumship work because it
really helps me to understand that we are
in this frequency, which is a very dense,
heavy dimension, but that doesn't mean
there aren't other frequencies, and so when
we can raise our frequency and they can
lower, we can find a common ground where we
(23:21):
can actually communicate.
Hilary Russo (23:24):
Yeah, I'm going to be paying a little more
attention to the signs in the next coming
days because I think it's going to be very
powerful.
I just have a feeling.
It's a gut feeling.
Yeah, thank you for that.
I appreciate that.
I appreciate that.
Third time, that's so cool she's never been
a quiet one.
I'll tell you that.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (23:44):
I can tell strong personality.
I could feel that, just like mama.
Oh, I love it.
Well, thank you so much, and I am really
excited because I think there's going to be
a lot of people out there that are going to
get that message and then be more open to
receiving for their loved ones, whether
they're two legged or four legged, they're
just on their side of the veil.
Hilary Russo (24:05):
Yeah, and that's just one, one way that we
can take care of them on this side of the
rainbow bridge or the other right, yes, and
honor them Absolutely.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (24:16):
You know, if you have the lens, that
everything happens for your highest best
good and that everything in I call it earth
school.
And if, if everything around us is a clue,
like you're on a treasure hunt and
everything is a clue, the way I interpret
my clues is through flow or resistance.
So when I feel a lot of resistance in a
(24:37):
particular direction, I'm trying to
accomplish something and nothing's going
right.
Everything seems to be blocking my way.
That, to me, is the divine clue that I'm a
little off track.
Maybe just a little bit, maybe a whole lot,
maybe you have to do a 180, but whatever
that is, I have to stop, take a step back,
take a deep breath and really evaluate the
(24:59):
situation and try to find out what am I
being guided to do?
When we are in flow, that is when we think
everything is serendipitous and it just
works out perfectly, just like you wanted
to have something to honor your baby.
And then, look, I show up.
Right, the timing is.
You always go wow, isn't that interesting.
(25:21):
So I use emotions as my determiner of flow
and resistance, and I think emotions are
another big clue.
I actually teach this to my pet parents
when they do my courses is because they are
the best way for us to recognize when we're
in flow versus resistance.
So everything in the emotional realm has an
(25:42):
equal and opposite.
So we have very low vibrations shame, anger,
guilt, frustration, hatred, betrayal you
know all of these that actually feel very
heavy when you even say them.
All of these that actually feel very heavy
when you even say them.
And then you have the other side of the
spectrum, which is love and gratitude and
compassion and kindness and joy, and as I
(26:04):
say those words, I literally can see more
light coming in.
So as people come with their pets to me,
I'm listening for those key words.
Are they feeling shame?
Are they feeling like this keeps happening
to them?
Are they victims, or are they really
positive and convinced that this is going
(26:25):
to work out and they have the trust and
faith that it's going to work out for
everybody's highest and best good?
Whatever that is, very different approaches
and very different energies associated with
that.
So I think it would be.
I mean, that's one piece of it.
That's actually number six in my process is
clearing trapped emotions.
(26:45):
I do believe that everything that happens
with our pets, whatever their challenges
are, has some kind of a reflection or a
message or something that we can benefit
from.
We may never know that.
What if that pet's challenge opened up a
pet parent to a whole new lifestyle where
(27:05):
they cleaned up their environment, they
changed their own diet in addition to the
pet's diet, and maybe they were able to
stop a trajectory that they were on that
they weren't even aware that they were on.
Hilary Russo (27:17):
That's a really good point, and I will use
myself as an example here.
I always said that Eliza was like my litmus
test for stress, and what I mean by that is
that she knew if she didn't want to be
around my attitude, right and animals are
so perceptive with that, you know, they
don't come with the ego, so I would know if
(27:39):
she would know when I'm sick, she would
nurture If, if I was stressed and I was
running around and just not centered, she
was like I don't have time for that, right.
And and it's so true what you say, because
it really I learned so much from her about
being present, right, and even in her
(28:01):
sickness, in that last six months to a year,
there was something about her that really
taught me about being present, being in the
now, loving every moment, because all she
knew how to do was love, you know.
So I completely agree with you on that and
I'm so glad that we're touching on that.
(28:22):
I do want to stop real quick and just say
that you do have a free ebook that you
share and that's the six keys to health,
and we're going to put that in the notes of
this podcast.
Is there anything you want to share about
that that folks that are tuning in will
know what they're receiving if they're
getting that ebook.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (28:39):
Oh, I'd love to.
So the first step is we have to stop doing
the things that are causing the problems.
And, as common sense as that sounds, how
many times do people go out to restaurants
for themselves and they never ask what the
food is cooked in?
What are the oils, is it organic, is it
(29:00):
conventional?
And they just order off the menu and they
eat whatever they make for you.
And so you're eating carcinogens, you're
eating toxins, and you don't ever question
what that's going to do to your body or
your children if they're eating with you.
(29:20):
So when I say it, I do say it very lovingly,
but at some point we all have to take
responsibility for our actions and for our
choices.
So I start with step number one.
We have to stop doing the things to our
pets that is actually causing their
problems.
So that means food is number one, and I go
into a lot more depth on food to feed a
species appropriate diet and I have lots of
information on that.
So if you look at what animals eat in the
(29:42):
wild and this is my litmus test for myself
and learning what is the right choice to
make you never see lions and tigers and
bears and wolves.
They don't eat processed food out in the
wild.
In fact, there's no mechanism for processed
foods in the wild, which tells me that
nature did not design them to eat this
(30:02):
manmade waste of the industrial revolution.
That's basically what we're doing.
We're taking all the waste product from our
food processing, from the industrial
revolution, and we're feeding it into our
pets.
And because it is so toxic, they have to
burn it.
And we're feeding it into our pets, and
because it is so toxic, they have to burn
it at high temperatures, make it into a dry
(30:24):
kibble, stick it together with a bunch of
carbohydrates, and then they have to add
nutrients back in to have some semblance of
nutrition.
But those nutrients are oftentimes
synthetic.
The body really doesn't recognize what
you're giving it, and dogs and cats are
both carnivores.
Dogs are scavenger carnivores because for
many years they've learned to live off a
man's waist, and cats are obligate
(30:46):
carnivores.
They have no dietary requirement for
carbohydrates, and yet all processed foods
are 40 to 60% carbohydrate.
It'd be like saying oh, I don't feel like
putting gas in my car today.
That's what it's supposed to run on.
I'm going to try air or I'm going to try
water.
(31:06):
Water, a different substrate, not going
anywhere.
Hilary Russo (31:10):
It's going to be energy.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (31:10):
Right your car doesn't have an ability to
adapt.
But the reason why our animals can live on
these inappropriate diets is because
they're trying to adapt and survive.
Maybe 500 years from now, if they've eaten
kibble long enough, maybe the body will
make changes and start to learn how to burn
that as a fuel appropriately.
But it isn't happening right now.
(31:31):
So in that, stop doing the things that are
causing diseases.
Learn what a species appropriate diet is.
Learn what healthy water looks like and
it's not the stuff coming out of the tap
that is loaded with hormones and chemicals
and glyphosate and all these toxins and
it's unstructured.
Then we look at the environment that
they're living in.
You and I get to leave our house
(31:52):
periodically, but for a lot of our indoor
pets they never leave.
So what are you cleaning the house with?
What are the chemicals you're putting on
your floor?
What are you doing in your counters?
What's the air quality that you have?
Do you have products that are off-gassing?
Formaldehyde?
These are all really important.
You mentioned mold.
Are your air ducts clean?
I live in Florida.
(32:18):
It is.
Mold is a huge problem.
We have rains and hurricanes and tornadoes
and leaks in our houses and sinks.
You know, look underneath your sink.
Do you have any leaks under there.
So these are really important areas to look
at.
And then, last but not least, are the ants
that live in our brain and these are the
automatic negative thoughts.
So you mentioned when you're stressed and
you're running around and think about how
many people have anger issues and they have
(32:40):
household emotional problems and they're
going through relationship issues and
there's a lot of negative energy.
What happens when we're experiencing these
negative thoughts and these negative
experiences?
We are creating neurochemicals.
Our body is literally creating these
chemicals to communicate to the microbiome,
(33:01):
to communicate to our mitochondria, which
then change our gene expression.
Because what we're saying is we don't live
in a safe environment, we have issues out
here in earth world, and so we need a
different genetic expression.
And so we start to see more pathogens come
up to the surface, and pathogens are simply
(33:23):
the normal guys that live in and on our
body, but they know that the mothership is
going down, or they sense that the
mothership is going down, so they produce
pathogens to survive the toxicity.
So it isn't that the bacteria and the
viruses and the parasites.
They're not the problem.
(33:44):
The problem is the terrain.
What is the environment that we're creating
for them that is causing them to have to
express kind of like weeds in your garden.
I live in a food forest and so when my soil
wasn't healthy, I had more weeds growing
than I had healthy plants.
Not that the weeds were bad.
They were trying to establish a terrain so
(34:08):
that good things could come behind them.
Same thing happens in our body.
So when we see pathogens, they're not our
enemy.
They're really the clue that we have a
terrain that is not hospitable for health
and survival.
Hilary Russo (34:23):
Yeah, and these are the kinds of things
that a lot of times we again we think of
some humans don't even think of themselves.
You know, we're not all living holistically,
we're not all even living with an
integrative approach or bioregulatory, Is
that the term you use.
I like that a lot and it's taking small
steps.
But I will say this, and this is really
(34:43):
good information I love that you're sharing
this, I love that you have the courses too,
and we'll put all that in the notes of this
podcast.
But there's more people that have pets than
not, Right?
So, but not everyone is going to think
about buying the best food there is.
I mean, I know that my mom gives her dog a
brand that is like raw meat and it's
(35:05):
supposed to be the best for the dog, and
I'm thinking is that the best?
I mean cause the pet industry has boomed
and we know there's a lot of products on
the market, and you mentioned the kibble.
You know talking about the kibble, but some
people can't afford that high end food
that's more like the primal animal they
were.
So where's the where's the happy medium
with that?
Cause they have to eat.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (35:26):
Yeah.
So it's interesting because the way you
couch that is, you go, wow, they, they,
yeah.
So it's interesting because the way you
couch that is, you go wow, they can't
afford it.
I will tell you a hundred percent that when
people's pets are ill and they love their
pets they will come up with a large amount
of money to try to save their pet.
That is true I want to do, yeah, but we're
trained that way and even in our world
(35:47):
right, we have I don't have insurance, but
most people have insurance so they do
egregious things to their body and then
they go to the doctor because it's covered
on their insurance, and then they get a
pill for the ill or a diet for the disease.
What we have to start doing is taking
ownership of our actions and start to
create a healthier lifestyle.
(36:08):
If that means living within those species
appropriate boundaries, then we need to
invest in healthcare so we don't spend the
money on bro care.
Really, that's the bottom line.
So when I have people, look at the cost
differences and if you have a Great Dane or
a Great Pyrenees, yes, they're big dogs,
(36:31):
but then you know if you're going to own a
big dog like that, then there's a
responsibility to be able to afford them.
Hilary Russo (36:39):
I think that comes with the first.
That's, the first thing is the
responsibility.
What can you afford?
You're not going to buy a horse if you
can't afford a horse, and we know that
horses are much more expensive.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (36:48):
Yes, and I don't mean it as a an insult to
somebody, but because pets are a luxury and
we do have the responsibility to care for
them.
I think it's important that number one we
research the kind of animal that you want
to get.
Well, look, I wouldn't buy a BMW because
(37:10):
the maintenance care on those cars is
ridiculous.
My daughter wanted to buy a BMW for her
first car and I said you can't afford that
because the first time your car breaks down
you won't be able to afford the parts and
the maintenance.
Same deal, right.
But people get pets and they don't think
about the long-term consequences.
And you know, let's just call a spade a
(37:30):
spade, right?
We need to be responsible for the actions
that we make.
So step number one is learn about what is a
species appropriate diet and think about
what you would spend, or what you are
spending in bro care.
Like a standard veterinary visit these days
it can run anywhere from a hundred dollars
(37:50):
to a thousand dollars.
Well, for a thousand dollars you can feed
that animal really well for a long time.
Hilary Russo (37:56):
Yeah, and that's a really good point
because we actually have a saying in the
world of integrative nutrition, holistic
health, if it's made by people in white
coats you're going to see people in white
coats I love that because it's true.
It doesn't mean, look, we live in a world
(38:23):
that's convenient.
We can go to a store, we can buy things
that have been processed, but the less
processed and the less ingredients that we
consume, especially if we can't pronounce
them, the better.
That just looks like it might be good and
it has great labeling and it says the word
natural on it, which never means natural
anything.
And I don't wanna bring up specific food
brands, but the pet food industry is
definitely a billion dollar industry.
(38:46):
It's a trillion dollar industry.
Okay, I stand corrected, which is even more
reason to be very selective when you're
walking down the aisles or if you're
ordering online.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (38:58):
It all starts with education.
I can't make that any easier because, like
you said, there's a lot of labels, there's
a lot of misinformation and the companies
that are making these processed foods are
in the business to sell you their product
right, so they're selling us on fast, cheap
and convenient.
(39:19):
Look at average grocery store, right, we're
told, shop the perimeter because everything
in the center is processed foods.
Are we allowed to say Kellogg's and all the
attack that they're?
Hilary Russo (39:30):
under Right.
Well, they won't be sponsoring me anytime
soon, and that's okay.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (39:36):
Hey, I haven't bought their product for a
long time.
Which brings us to the next point.
We, as consumers, drive the businesses.
We don't buy something they won't keep
making it because no one's buying it.
Let me say that again it is our spending,
(39:56):
it is how we vote with our dollars that
determines what we are going to get for
those dollars.
If we continue to support companies that
are making processed foods, they're going
to continue to make processed foods.
If we demand something healthier, they will
start to ship.
(40:17):
And I will tell you that I already see some
of these big box companies.
I won't mention any names, but there is a
big box company that bought a boutique raw
pet food company and it's because they see
that there's a market share going in that
direction.
And that's what business is.
It's looking for market share.
(40:38):
It's bottom line.
Yeah, it's not a bad thing.
It's just that we, the consumers, we have
to start waking up and saying I am not
willing to give you my money if you are not
going to give me back a product that is
going to support the health and longevity
of my pet, right.
Hilary Russo (40:59):
And the best way to really think about that
is looking at it as currency.
Currency isn't only money.
Currency is your time, currency is your
health, currency is your well-being,
currency is your environment Everything is
part of that currency.
So if you're going to exchange the currency
of money for something, you better get
currency of good health and product back.
(41:21):
And that brings me to something that it
makes me think.
Like even sometimes really good products
Like I was at the store a week or so ago
for human products and one of my favorite
items that is was actually rather healthy,
with little of anything in it besides the
good earth was no, it was no longer there
and discontinued, and that just lends
(41:42):
itself to.
It makes me think I'm like not enough
people are finding value in a product like
that that can really be supportive of your
health.
Right, so it is.
It is up to us, because they told me they
said, oh, we discontinued them.
Finding value in a product like that that
can really be supportive of your health?
Yes, right, so it is.
It is up to us because they told me, they
said, oh, we discontinued them, you
discontinued that that product was awesome.
Where do I get it elsewhere, you know?
So, yeah, it's really up to us to be our
(42:04):
own healthcare advocates and I guess, in
that sense, it's really up to us to be the
healthcare advocates for those animals that
we bring into our home for, hopefully, 20
years or more.
Yes, right, yeah, absolutely Great.
This is such a wonderful conversation.
I do want to mention that Dr Siegel has
this wonderful ebook that is free.
(42:24):
It will be a download available on the
Holistically Speaking podcast page.
Of course, she has a number of courses as
well.
Before you go, I want to play a little game
with you that I do with my podcast guests,
just a little fun that we have here on
Holistically Speaking, and I call this the
brain candy game because I'm a nerdy
neuroscience person, and basically what
I've been doing is I'm writing down the
(42:45):
words that you've been saying and what I
would like you to do is just come back with
the first word that comes to mind.
A little word association.
Does that make sense?
All right?
Okay, here we go.
First word horse Lily.
Holistic Lifestyle, lifestyle that's my
next word.
Lifestyle Choices.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (43:06):
Metaphysical, the universe.
Toxins, harmful Ant universe.
Hilary Russo (43:13):
Toxins Harmful.
Dr. Marlene Siegel (43:14):
Ants, automatic negative thoughts, divine,
everything that there is God is everything
and everything is God.
So the universe, I feel that Flow, the
direction we're, so, oh, one word Flow.
Purpose that flow the direction we're.
Hilary Russo (43:35):
So, oh, one word flow, purpose.
That's even better than what you were about
to say, because you sat on it.
I love that.
Um, bioregulatory great word, true
understanding, veterinarian passion.
Yeah, yeah, I didn't ask you, and that's
something I'd like to ask you with closing
the brain candy game what made Dr Siegel
(43:59):
become?
Dr. Marlene Siegel (44:00):
a vet.
I incarnated knowing what I wanted to be.
No kidding.
I played with stuffed animals.
I captured lizards.
When I was a kid I lived in South Florida,
never played with dolls, so I always knew I
wanted to.
Was a kid, I lived in South Florida, never
played with dolls, so I always knew I
wanted to be a vet.
In elementary school, people would bring me
(44:20):
the sick gerbils and their little pets and
I would walk down to the local veterinarian
and he would give me the medicine, always
at no charge, and I would take that animal
home and I would make it better and then
send it back to its mommy.
Or, if it was a wildlife case, I would fix
it better and then send it back to its
mommy.
Or if it was a wildlife case, you know, I
would fix it up and to this day I still do
that.
Pay it forward.
I have students and volunteers that come
into my practice and I model for them.
(44:40):
What is that like?
To pay it forward, and so I always.
That's what I always wanted to be.
Even though I became a paramedic during
high school, it was still always it.
Never.
I never veered off course.
I always wanted to be a veterinarian and
I'm now rounding 40 years in actual
clinical practice 45, if you include all
(45:04):
the education and I am more passionate
today and I'm more energized and I'm more
excited about the opportunities that we
have to make such an impact.
It's why my baseline course for
veterinarians is called Transforming Vet
Medicine and I named it over 10 years ago.
(45:24):
I just knew that that was the path that I
was on.
If you would have asked me, would you ever
have expected to have that big of an impact
in your industry?
Would never, in fact.
I was so shy I couldn't talk in front of a
group of five people.
But when you step into your purpose, then
your world changes.
And so now I speak internationally and
(45:46):
truly am transforming vet medicine.
One person, one pet at a time.
Hilary Russo (45:53):
Love, that, that's so beautiful, and it
just came from the heart space.
So I want to ask you one more word, even
though we're out of the brain candy game.
What would be your word for purpose?
Dr. Marlene Siegel (46:04):
It's what you came here for.
Hilary Russo (46:06):
Yeah, isn't it?
Yeah, divine, absolutely, yeah, beautiful.
Thank you so much for sharing who you are
and being a part of this process and
joining me on Holistically Speaking.
This is a special episode, as you know, for
me, and I hope that those tuning in have
long loving relationships, like I had with
(46:26):
Eliza, and can find the best way to treat
them holistically so that they are right
there by your side for the long run.
Thank you, doctor, you're welcome.
Thank you everybody.
All right, my friends, if you are
interested in learning more about holistic
pet care and I know, because you're a
(46:46):
loving, compassionate human being, if you
have a pet, this is definitely the way you
want to treat your pet in their life as
well I want you to get in touch with Dr
Marlene Siegel and even grab a copy of her
free ebook, which is six keys to health and
healing pets holistically HIListically
Speaking.
You can check that out in the notes of this
podcast to find out more and listen.
(47:09):
This is a very special episode for me as I
get to share about Miss Eliza.
It is marking a year since she is no longer
with me in this space, but I know she's
with me every day, as Dr Siegel mentioned
in this episode in this conversation.
But there are a lot of pet parents out
there I know, like me, who went through the
(47:30):
loss, went through the grief, and it's a
process.
It really is.
If you know somebody who's going through
this or has gone through it or might be
facing that in the near future.
I have a beautiful line of pet grieving
cards that you might remember from an
earlier episode with Wolfie's Wish with
Erica Messer.
(47:51):
That you might remember from an earlier
episode with Wolfie's Wish with Erica
Messer.
She created a lovely line that lets you
tell somebody how much you care when it
comes to losing their pet and she's also an
incredible artist and I know that
personally because she's in the moment
working on a piece for me.
But she also has a beautiful line of 8x10
(48:11):
pet portraits on acrylic that she will
create for you, meaning that she is doing a
portrait of your pet, and if you use the
code ELIZADOOLITTLE for either the greeting
cards or for a personal pet portrait, you
will get 10% off your purchase.
So I'm going to share that in the notes of
this podcast.
(48:31):
For either the line of the grieving cards
or that pet portrait, use Eliza Doolittle,
so she's always out there helping you out
and you'll get 10% off your purchase from
Wolfie's Wish.
That is our gift to you as pet parent to
pet parent.
We know how important they are.
All right.
With that being said, I just want you to
(48:51):
know that there are so many ways that you
can keep your pet happy and safe, and you
just being a good person and a loving,
compassionate human being is the first step.
So thank you for that.
I love you, I believe in you and I'm
sending hugs your way.
Be well.
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