Dr. Richard Pitcairn, DVM, PhD

Here is your chance to hear from a legend of the holistic veterinary industry, Dr. Richard Pitcairn, DVM, PhD. Dr. Pitcairn and his wife, Susan, wrote the first edition of the classic book, “Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats” in 1981. Sales exceeded 230,000 copies! In the book’s latest (4th) edition, he and Susan make a strong case that plant-based diets offer a far more humane, eco-friendly and less toxic way to feed companion animals, a courageous act in a field dominated by advocates of raw meat diets.

In this episode of The Plant-Powered Dog Podcast, Dr. Pitcairn and I dive deep into the topic of environmental and dietary toxins, and how these toxins bioaccumulate in food animals, eventually ending up in those at the top of the food chain who consume them - including our canine companions.

After earning his DVM from UC Davis (1965) and PhD from Washington State (veterinary immunology,1972), Dr. Pitcairn’s rich career has spanned decades of clinical practice, teaching and lecturing devoted to nutrition and homeopathy, as well as university research and teaching, SPCA work and even a college job at a factory farm. In 1990 he began teaching colleagues a careful and systematic approach to classical homeopathy and wise nutrition, with over 500 graduates, now continuing as The Pitcairn Institute of Veterinary Homeopathy. In 1995, Dr. Pitcairn co-founded The Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy, the first professional organization of its kind in the U.S. In 2013, he published a major reference text, The New World Veterinary Repertory (2013), with Wendy Jensen, DVM. Now retired from clinical practice, he continues teaching and writing in nutrition, homeopathy and the ethical treatment of animals. An ethical vegetarian since 1976 and vegan since 2014, Dr. Pitcairn promotes treating all animals with the kindness we often reserve for just the few.