How the “Dr. Poop Lady” Rethinks Pet Health

you have a dog with allergies, you get a pill, but that's not how it works, because

“there's like a missing piece, the question of why, why does a dog have allergies, why does”

enough chronic diarrhea, why is it limping, why, you know, so we have that to ask that question, and so... Dr. Odette Suter is a holistic veterinarian author and pet health educator known as the Dr. Pope Lady, through her working gut health, chronic disease, and holistic animal care, she helps pet parents understand what may be happening beneath the symptoms and how to support their animals from the inside out. Animals are helping us on our journey, so a lot of people

are switching how they think about things, because their animals had something that happened,

that then shifts how they start looking at things, so animals are such cowlies for change,

the gut is really where a lot of the things go wrong, because there's so much inflammation that can happen in the gut, so a lot of the inflammation that animals and humans are experiencing really originates in the gut, or should have a disruption there, then it just stimulates that immune system of the body, so strongly that then the inflammation goes everywhere, you know.

“That biggest goal is longevity, how do I make the dog live instead of 10 years, 15 years, for example?”

Well, research has shown now that... (inaudible) Hello and welcome back to another episode of Legacy Maker's sat with Dr. Dette today, and we have a shared passion for animals and dogs, and she is an expert veterinarian, specializing in gut health. She's created a pretty cool brand for herself, I'm not going to spoil it,

I'll let you see if you're on video and she'll tell you all about it, but we're going to dive into you know how business brand and what she's up to, so welcome to the show. Well, thank you so much for having me, Rudy, it's such a pleasure. For sure, so if they're not on video, because this podcast is already on video, obviously it's not on video, they already see, but tell everyone what you do, if they're not, if they're listening to this. Yeah, so I'm a holistic veterinarian, and I do well,

because they don't see it, I people call me Dr. Pope Lady. Dr. Pope Lady, that's quite the name you give yourself. Yeah, because a few years ago I started doing fecal transplants on animals with great success, and to kind of lighten the mood, because you know, the most, it's a little disgusting. So I, to lighten the mood, I would just put on my poop hat, so for those of you who are seeing me, there is a lot of great, and just to kind of get people into a bit more of a fun mood, because again,

if disgusting, and so I walk around with my poop hat and people started to call me all kinds of names. Dr. Pope Lady, you know, she'd hit head, and I don't think like that, and they would send me all sorts of things as well, you know, with the dog. When people are listening, what does it mean

“to specialise in dog poop or help for a dog? How's that, and why is that important for the dog?”

Well, research has shown now that the gut is really where a lot of the things go wrong, because there's so much inflammation that can happen in the gut, because if we have

faulty microbiome, you know, an imbalance microbiome, which is basically the community of

microbes that live in the gut. The bad bacteria versus the good. Well, yeah, I mean, I don't know that they're really bad, but it's more that if you have too many of one, then it becomes a problem. Yeah, yeah. If you have too many of, you know, too little of the others, but in any case, so a lot of the inflammation that animals and humans are experiencing really originates in the gut, because of the microbiome imbalance, and also leaky gut, which is basically a disruption

of the cell lining, and right on the other side of that cell lining, we have 80% of the immune system, so she'll have a disruption there, then it just stimulates that immune system of the body, so strongly that then the inflammation goes everywhere, you know. And a lot of it, you know, is hand in hand with humans too, right? Like so, you know, in a human, I was a sports scientist, so he used to do a lot of good stuff many years ago, and in the human, it's, you know, bad gut health

can be caused by chronic stress, process food, try two minutes, and make a sick, so all of these toxic environmental toxins, all these things, right? What causes it for the dog?

Obviously, you know, that's one big thing. You can control this the persona, so what dog food causes it, what, what, what does it, what, how do you figure that out? I mean, it's the same as in humans, you know, if a human needs McDonald's junk food, highly processed, they're not going to live that well, unfortunately, in the animal field, I still don't understand why every veterinarian or most veterinarians will promote these highly ultra processed foods that cause disease, and they tell

“you, you need to feed that, the same thing, the same product, the same protein, they're all my”

tire life, that's like the, you know, so what do you recommend for a dog's diet, because that has a big impact on health and digestive and all that. Well, I mean, you mentioned something this morning, you know, that it's very simple, you have to sleep well, you have to eat well, and you have to exercise, right? And so with nutrition and animal health in general, it's the same thing, you know, the more I've learned, the more I'm like, well, we just need to mimic what nature provides. Yeah,

yeah. So if we can feed the closest to what nature would provide, they can be the healthiest, because that's what the physiology of the body is made for, you know, it hasn't changed in the last hundred years, you know, evolution takes moment and fall. So the closer you can go to what they would eat in the wild. So what would be an average day, just to break it down for everyone, an example, diet for a dog for a day? I would, you know, I would choose a raw food diet,

if the animal can handle it, and nowadays a lot of animals are really sick and they're got a sick soul. We'll thank you the little bit of a different approach, kind of moves towards what it's meant to be. My mom does all of her dog's raw food, yeah, yeah. But yeah, that would be the

perfect thing. And, you know, feeding once a day and not always at the same time, either,

because in the wild, they go out. I've noticed that most people, you know, I grew up with dogs and animals and we'd feed twice a day, but most people will leave food down just all day and let them great. Isn't it? You know, it's not a cow. Yeah, of course. They're animals, they're carnivores, because I mean, if you look at how they do it in the wild, they go out, they chase something, kill something, eat it, and then a day later, maybe kill another deer, or whatever. They don't

“kill anything. Yeah. Well, that's what I say sometimes with my wife, you know, we're traveling”

in a car journey. They're not at the four hours. And I always joke and I say, well, you know, in the wild, they might not eat it for a day. They're all the survival, you know, the fastens good for them on show. That's what people have a hard time. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. How many lox are you like? Well, my dogs will be all day every day if they could. Of course. I mean, you know, I would do that. I know it's so good, you know. Good. So what else affects the, you know,

the dogs longevity, right? I mean, everyone listening, if they have animals, cats, dogs, whatever, their biggest goal is longevity. How do I make the dog live? Instead of 10 years, 15 years, for example. What are some tips you have for that? Yeah, so food we mentioned and then obviously working on gut health, because that will take the inflammation and the entire body down. And you recommend probiotics, prebiotics, any of those for dogs? Well, I'm not a huge fan of probiotics,

because they're not really that native to the gut. Okay. You know, and when you give a probiotic, you give maybe 5, 6, 7 species. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The gut has between 300 and 1000 species or more,

so you're never really going to mimic. So you're basically putting monoculture into a gut

that's of course, do have diversity. Okay. Yeah. And so that can potentially make things worse. And probiotics is a billion dollar industry. Yes, yes, yes. And it's interesting, you know, as gut health issues have increased probiotic disease increase as well. So yeah. But if they were working, then the, technically, you know, the gut issues, the numbers would go down. Well, I mean, it's part part of them not strong enough to combat the bad diet and lifestyle too, right?

Like, you can't even McDonald's every day and take two probiotics to be okay, you know? But I mean, even nowadays, I, you know, I work with people who already have tried a lot of things, and they're already on the best diet that they can post, possibly do for their animals that they

“can tolerate. And they still have a lot of issues. So you have to also take into consideration”

that we have a lot of toxicity going on in this world. So even with the healthiest food nowadays,

It's never going to be as healthy as 100 years old because

go everywhere in your house from the candles you lie, the floor cleaners you're using, right? They all affect the dogs too. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,

Yeah, because it's extra, you know, frequency energy frequency that you're putting into the body and these microbes and the cells of the body too. They all communicate biological, you know, energy basically.

Like somebody, you know, being in a room where everybody's talking about, and you can't hear a thing, I mean, it's exhausting, right? And so that's a little bit what happens with the animals as well.

“And just back to that question, so we took a lot about food in terms of longevity. What about exercise?”

Oh, critically. Yes. Yeah, I was really happy. And America's pretty bad. I came to England and I grew up with, you know, between four and nine dogs. And we'd go to the fields and they'd go missing for 20 minutes and they'd come back with a squirrel. And America, you know, maybe you take them around the block and that's it, you know?

I take mine run in so they get some exercise, but yeah. What would you recommend for them? I mean, you know, similar. I'm from Switzerland. And so when I first came to the United States, I'm like, people are not exercising. And you have dog parks, you know, that's it, right? Yeah. Well, I'm in Chicago. What's too cold? I can't go wild. You know, it's like they have a winter break. I like I'm from Switzerland. It was freezing cold there.

I had to go walk my dog 365 years ago. We didn't see an England. Yeah.

Wouldn't ever, like, never would you not take your dog out, you know?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So definitely, they need to have exercise. And this is like, you know, obviously in the human body, there's different types of exercise. The steady state walking is high intensity. Do you think a dog should have a range of doing some more high intensity? Because it all creates adaptation and creates like,

Hormatic stress, which I know. So naturally in the wild, a dog wouldn't necessarily run for 20 hours. It would chase for two minutes, right? And then it would stop again, so yeah. And then they go sleep for like 10 hours.

“But yeah, and all they need to exercise is mental stimulation.”

And it also helps to keep the brain after. Yeah. Because a lot of dogs, you know, when they have inflammation, their brain starts to go to. Because in in humans, they have found that people with Alzheimer's, they already have brain changes like decades because they have the first symptoms.

Yeah, yeah. And so it's the same with animals. And if you don't move the animals, the brain doesn't, you know,

doesn't get input to do something.

Because there's a lot of neuroplasticity that happens. So the more they exercise. And there are, you know, cases of dogs that live a really long life, you know, up to the 30s, they were exercising every day like for miles and miles. Oh, really.

Yeah. And so, and just moving. Yeah, yeah. I've wanted to, you know, I do long runs. I've wanted to build my dogs up, but it's just so hot in Miami.

That's the big problem here, is it's almost, you know, where they overheat. Yeah. Yeah. So next question. Let's talk a bit about the business side as we finish today.

Tell us about the, you know, you built a brand and a business around it. Tell us about that. Yeah. It's been an interesting kind of evolution. We have a book as well.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

What's always been my goal is to provide people with basic foundational information.

And I'm not talking about simple or, you know, like one on one is too kind of the air. Yeah. Yeah. I'm talking about really having a foundation because we are so trained to use a pill for every ill. Right.

You have a headache. You take a pill. You have a dog with allergies. You get a pill. And then we have shifted from, okay, now we're using natural things.

Yeah. For the, you know, in the same thinking, so we have an allergy. What can I do? I use the herb or a supplement or a shampoo. And that's then supposed to show.

But that's not how it works because there's like a missing piece. The question of why? Why does it don't have allergy? Yeah. Why does it have chronic diarrhea?

Why is it limping? Well, why? You know, so we have that to ask that question. And so one of my big things is to really help to do some brain unclogging. Yeah.

Yeah. To help people really understand what it's going to take to really help heal their animals. And that they have to rethink how they approach things and go get away from that instant kind of fix. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because that's like using a piece of duct tape on your car engine light.

Yeah. You know. Good luck with that. Right. Yep.

I mean, a lot of, you know, vet. So, you know, I love the title of your book. We've had dogs that whole life and just like in the medical field or any industry. Some of that's a very passionate and great. And some are pretty useless where they go to school.

And they follow the textbook and that's it. Right.

“So, what should someone look for when they find a good vet?”

Well, certainly a vet who's open. Yeah. Because they're, I think the biggest issue that people or pet parents have these days is they go to a vet. They have their ideas and they want to feed raw for example. Yeah.

Yeah. A lot of events are like, oh, you know, they're getting their hazmat suits out. Yeah. Because their, that dog is raw fed and it's going to kill everybody because it's contaminating.

Which is insane. Because in the wild. That's what they do. Plus, I mean, have you ever seen a dog? I mean, they like the private parts of the dog knows what else.

And so, just a veterinarian who's open and willing to work with them. Same as a doctor. I would say. Yeah. And willing to to learn because I've learned so much from my clients.

“You know, that's that's how I really grow.”

And that's how, you know, they bring a new idea. And I'm like, well, I'm going to look into it. You know, and then I, my study that so that they help me grow. Yeah. So, you, you want a vet who's like that.

And it's a matter if they're conventional or holistic. You know, as long as you have a vet who's willing to support you and whatever you choose. And the pros and cons, because everything is a pros and cons. Exactly. Exactly.

And I think that's where a parent's also need to take on more responsibility and not just do what the doctor says. Yeah. Really do the research. Yeah. Because otherwise, you run into the risk that, you know, you end up with a dog or cat.

Yeah. We had one dog. We had one dog that had cancer. Final stages. It's given a month to live.

And this was back when I was a sports scientist. One of my friends were a ketogenic diet researchers. We had learned in my master's degree about ketogenic diets and rodents and rats and extended life. So I said to my mom, like, just put it on a keto diet. Let's try it, right?

Nothing to lose. And the dog was given less than a month and it lived a year and a half on a ketogenic diet. Yeah. So, and again, a vet, you know, wouldn't have a clue about that. Most wouldn't.

Right.

“So, you have to do the research yourself.”

And the thing is, you know, to kind of continue the defense of my colleagues as well, is we have so much in the show. Well, a vet job is the vet. The legs broken, you know, in those things. But when you go out, like a doctor, most doctors know zero about nutrition.

They're to diagnose a cold or a flu or send off blood tests and read labs, right? So, you have to bring in these other people and experts like you that have specialized to really understand that. Yeah.

And I always tell people, you know, if you have a plumbing issue,

don't get the electrician. Yeah. So, if you have a surgical issue, go to a surgeon. If you have a chronic ill animal. Yeah.

Really, you've tried everything. Maybe find a holistic vet. Yeah. You know, it's a normal vet. The person who knows how to deal with it.

Yeah. A normal vet's job is to give them taplers to stop the problem a bit, right? I stopped the diet. Yeah. You can't get angry with them.

That's just what they're doing. Yeah. It's a vet.

“I always say that job is to know a little about a lot, right?”

And then you get specialists that know a lot about a little, you know, it's a good way to look at it. Yeah. And I specialize in chronic disease. You know, to really help rebuild all the cells of the body.

Yeah.

Because I always say that any disease is basically a malfunctioning of cells.

Yeah. And so we have to restore cells. And that takes a little bit of... Yeah. Yeah.

It takes time. It takes patient. Testing. Yeah. And you know, the other thing is to that animals are helping us on our journey.

So a lot of people are switching how they think about things. Because their animals had something that happened. But then shifts how they start looking at things. So animals are such catalysts for change. Yeah.

And you know, they used to be a bit more of... They're just giving us all that unconditional love. Yeah. So they were kind of fueling us. Yeah.

But now I feel like it's shifted because they are basically mirroring what's happening in the world with all the disease and the chaos and all of that.

And so they're basically now showing us, you know, putting up the mirror of what we need to look at.

And they're bringing out everybody's, you know, all the parents' deepest fears. And that's, you know, obviously I wish everybody had a great life and all the moment anything. But on the other hand, I'm also very excited about this. Because there are such catalysts for change in this planet. I love this.

It just fuels my heart because I... Yeah. And I can help, you know, and... Yeah. And talking to the health part.

This is where we wrap, where do people find the book? Tell us, where do they find you? How do they learn more? Yeah. So my book is on Amazon.

It's available on Amazon. And then they can find me on my website. And I do have a program in the Pet Health Accelerator. That's where I basically do deep dive with people, or, you know, they come with their chronically ill animals.

And I really guide them all. And that's online and awesome. It's online. Yeah. So it's available worldwide, basically.

And that's where they get that very individualized support. Yeah. To be moved, you know, it kind of feels a little bit of the gap between what they're doing with their vet. And I just kind of... Yeah.

Yeah. That's fulfilling.

“It's celebrated because I myself was really sick for a long time,”

chronic illness. Mm-hmm.

Until I found a strategy that really turned things around for me.

I was just stumbling around. Yeah, yeah. And the animals don't have that time. Yeah, they rely on us. Yeah.

Yeah. Good. Good.

“Well, guys, if you're listening, you have a pet dog,”

or know someone that does. And you want to optimize the health. Yeah. And then before it's a problem, right?

And optimization is a great first step.

“Of course, check her out, check out the book, everything she offers.”

Super awesome what you're doing. And, you know, like I said, something we're both super passionate about. So also an episode, and I hope you guys were inspired by that. Learn some stuff that you can apply to your furry friends.

And as always, keep working hard.

Build a legacy. I'll see you soon. Take care. [MUSIC]