The Pet Parenting Reset - Train Positive Dogs!
Jessica Fisher once followed conventional veterinary advice without question—vaccines, dewormers, flea treatments, and prescription pet foods—until she saw the unintended harm these practices caused her pets. In 2013, she began adding fresh foods to her dogs' kibble, and when her dog Claire's seizures stopped after switching to home-cooked meals, she realized food was truly medicine. Now a Certified Pet Health Coach and Professional Canine Nutritionist, Jessica integrates Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine and customized nutrition plans to help pets thrive. In this interview with Delivery Rank, she shares her journey, the powerful link between diet and behavior, and why it's time to rethink pet health—back to real food, real medicine, and real well-being.
Your journey into holistic pet health and nutrition began with personal experiences. What was the turning point that made you question conventional veterinary practices and explore holistic alternatives?
I was once that person that did everything that my veterinarian told me to do and I spent pretty much my whole paycheck at the vets office too! I did all of the vaccines, the flea and tick meds, even multiple types of kibble, all sold in the office! I thought I was doing everything right for my pets, but I was so very wrong.
There were two "ah-ha" moments for me along my journey into a more holistic lifestyle for my pets and myself. The first was when I decided to cook food for my dogs. There wasn't a real reason, other than I wanted to do more for them than I was already doing. It started by just adding some cooked chicken and veggies to their kibble, but I knew I wanted to do more. I asked my veterinarian what I could do to make a balanced home cooked meal for my dogs and he couldn't help me. It was the first time I realized that my veterinarian didn't know something that I needed for my pets. It was an eye opener!
Not too long after that, the same veterinarian gave me a topical chemical flea and tick medication for a nasty ear infection in one of my cats ears. It gave him a chemical burn and when I called my vet to report it, he told me that my cat would still need another dose. Now I was mad! Not only was he unable to help me with nutrition, but now he was asking me to willingly harm my animal!
These two events sent me down a very long rabbit hole that has led me to a more natural way of raising my pets, as well as caring for myself. This path led me to become a Certified Holistic Pet Health Coach, a Certified Professional Canine Nutritionist, as well as Billinghurst Raw Nutrition Certified for both cats and dogs. Of course, I can't forget about the podcast - The Pet Parenting Reset - which has taught me so very much about caring for my pets and helping other peoples pets in a more natural way.
As a Certified Professional Canine Nutritionist, what are some of the biggest misconceptions pet owners have about commercial pet food, and how do you guide them toward healthier choices?
Some of the biggest misconceptions around pet food include a lack of understanding of ingredients, what "balance" really means, how balance is achieved using synthetic vitamins and minerals, and an overall understanding of what pet food is truly for . .. hint: it's not our pets.
It can be shocking to read this, but the pet food industry is set up to be a disposal system for human and industrial waste. Don't get me wrong, there are some really good companies making some really great products, but the majority of what you find on store shelves is a bag (or can) of rejected meat products, dead, diseased, and dying animals that could never make it into the human food supply, the likes of which make the factory workers sick just from being in the same environment with these ingredients. Throw in some high heat processing and extrusion, a bag of synthetic vitamins and minerals, and viola! you have pet food. It's a by-product of industrialization, which has been a nightmare for farm animals and now for our pets as well.
Veterinarians are the only medical professionals on the planet that recommend an entirely high-processed diet for their patients and the rates of cancer and disease speak for themselves. Our pets are suffering and their food is at the core of the problem.
Many pet parents struggle with chronic issues like allergies, IBD, and diabetes in their pets. Can you share a success story where holistic nutrition and alternative modalities made a significant difference?
I work with clients every day who see drastic improvements in their dogs and cats. While we do sometimes need additional support, so many pets see improvements from just changing their diets. Not only are we able to help them with symptoms, but often we can reduce and remove medications, in combination with veterinary professionals.
One success story that stands out is with a pitty named Jaxson who had such bad allergies and food sensitivities that he had patches of fur missing and was red and inflamed all over, especially his ears and paws. He was on a popular prescription immuno-suppressant which helped some but the side effects are too risky to use long term.
We started him on an elimination diet, tried cooked and then raw foods, and finally found the rotation that worked for him, along with some strategic supplementation. Today, he is off of the medication, eating a fully fresh food diet, and itch free! One of the coolest parts of this story is that he got his energy and zest for life back, which really paid off when his home caught on fire in the middle of the night and he woke his family up to get out of the house and to safety. Talk about man's best friend! Thank goodness he was feeling good enough to act!
Integrating holistic health with conventional veterinary medicine can be challenging. How do you bridge the gap between these two approaches to ensure the best care for pets?
You're right, it can be challenging, especially when your primary veterinarian is not open to alternative modalities. Of course we always want our veterinarians to work alongside us, but in some extreme cases, we have to fire our vets and find a new one who is at least open to agree to disagree. One of my responsibilities is to help pet parents understand that they are the head of their pets health care team. This means that they ultimately make every decision for their pets, using the guidance and recommendations from their trusted care team, which is why building your team is so important! At the end of the day, we have to be able to go to sleep at night knowing that we did the absolute best for our pets.
Holistic health extends beyond nutrition. What other modalities—such as herbal medicine, acupuncture, or energy healing—do you find most effective for supporting pet wellness?
Yes, a holistic approach to health does extend beyond nutrition, but the food we feed our bodies is the foundation for everything else, so it is of the utmost importance! Beyond proper nutrition, there are many modalities that can be beneficial and each one is considered for an individual animal, choosing the ones that will likely make the biggest impact for their situation. Herbalism, TCVM, PEMF, ozone therapy, hyperbarics, essential oils, energy work, color therapy, acupuncture, and massage are just a handful that I've used and recommended for various issues with great success! We have to remember that a holistic approach to wellness is not only if something we use is natural or not, but how everything impacts everything else. We look at the body, mind, and spirit as a whole in an environment that is also toxic and overwhelming and make decisions that are best suited for a true do no harm approach.
To read more about The Pet Parenting Reset, please visit https://www.trainpositivedogs.com/