Mystic Dog Mama

What if one of the biggest problems in canine nutrition is that we’ve barely studied fresh food at all?
In this deep and thought-provoking conversation, I sit down with veterinarian and researcher Dr. Anna Hielm-Björkman from the University of Helsinki’s DogRisk research group - one of the only independent, university-connected teams in the world researching raw feeding and fresh food diets in dogs.
But this episode isn’t about telling you what you should feed your dog.
It’s about asking a much bigger question:
How do we actually know what we know about canine nutrition?
Together, we explore how pet food research is conducted, why so much of it focuses on ultra-processed diets, and what happens when fresh and raw food are finally brought into the scientific conversation.
Dr Anna shares her own journey from conventional veterinary medicine into a more integrative approach to canine health — including acupuncture, nutrition, and preventative care — and why she became passionate about researching the relationship between food and chronic disease.
We also dive into:
why there is still surprisingly little independent long-term research on canine nutrition,
how veterinary nutrition education is shaped,
what “complete and balanced” actually means,
why the form of a nutrient matters just as much as the nutrient itself,
how processing changes the way a dog’s body metabolizes and utilizes food,
and why fresh-fed dogs may require entirely different frameworks for feeding guidelines, lab reference ranges, and health evaluation.

This is a conversation about nuance, evidence, and curiosity beyond fear, marketing, and polarized internet debates.
Whether you feed raw, gently cooked, wet food, kibble, or somewhere in between, this episode invites us to think more deeply about what health really looks like for our dogs - and how science can evolve when we begin asking better questions.
And this is only part one.
In the next episode, Anna and I will dive into one of the most controversial aspects of this conversation: pathogens, risk, food safety, and the myths surrounding raw feeding.
If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a fellow dog guardian, leave a review, or tag us on Instagram @mysticdogmama with your biggest takeaway. These conversations matter because the future of canine health depends on the questions we’re willing to ask.
More about DogRisk:
https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/dogrisk-health-via-nutrition-epidemiology-and-disease-detection-dogs
Register for the DogRisk Seminar: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/health-via-nutrition-epidemiology-and-disease-detection-dogs/news-and-happenings/save-the-date-the-8th-dogrisk-seminar-2026

Connect with me!
Website: https://mysticdogmama.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mysticdogmama
Come join my free Facebook group, First Light. It’s my sanctuary where soulful dog mamas like you find clarity, confidence, and connection https://facebook.com/groups/fetchfirstlight

Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease, or replace medical guidance. Please speak with your veterinarian.

In today’s episode, we’re exploring one of the most misunderstood approaches to healing: homeopathy.
But beyond the debates, what is homeopathy, really? 
How does it differ from conventional medicine? Why does it view symptoms so differently? And what happens when we begin seeing symptoms not simply as problems to suppress, but as communication from the body itself?
Joining me for this conversation is holistic veterinarian and veterinary homeopath Dr. Lise Hansen. Together, we explore homeopathy as an entirely different model of healing - one rooted in the idea of supporting health, observing the individual as a whole being, and working with the body rather than against an ailment.
We discuss:
what homeopathy actually is (and isn’t)
the philosophy behind homeopathic healing
how homeopathy differs from allopathic medicine
why two dogs with the same diagnosis may receive different remedies
the meaning of symptoms through a homeopathic lens
Dr. Hansen’s suggestions for a basic homeopathic first aid kit
when homeopathy may not be appropriate and when conventional veterinary care is essential
This episode isn’t about telling you what to believe. It’s an invitation into a broader, deeper conversation about healing, vitality, and the ways we’ve been taught to think about the body - both our dogs’ and our own.
Whether you’re deeply familiar with homeopathy, a little bit curious, or even a little bit skeptical, I hope this conversation encourages greater curiosity, discernment, and reflection around what it truly means to support health.
If this episode resonated with you, share it with a fellow dog mama who might need to hear it 💛
And I’d love to hear your reflections. Come say hello on Instagram @mysticdogmama and let me know what landed for you.
Don’t forget to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes.

Learn more about Dr. Lise Hansen and her work: https://alternative-vet.co.uk
Resources mentioned:
The British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons https://bahvs.net/
Homeopathy Research Institute https://www.hri-research.org/
The film Introducing Homeopathy: https://introducinghomeopathy.com/
Connect with me!
Website: https://mysticdogmama.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mysticdogmama
Come join my free Facebook group, First Light. It’s my sanctuary where soulful dog mamas like you find clarity, confidence, and connection https://facebook.com/groups/fetchfirstlight
Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease, or replace medical guidance. Please speak with your veterinarian.

In this episode of the Mystic Dog Mama podcast, I’m joined by Shamanic Dog Trainer, Tamryn Fudge, for a deeply expansive conversation exploring what becomes possible when we move beyond behavior modification, and begin relating to dogs through connection, cooperation, nervous system awareness, and deeper listening.
Together, we explore the space where science and soul meet in our relationships with dogs. From modern dog culture and the limitations of compliance-based approaches, to intuition, regulation, energetic awareness, and ancient wisdom traditions - this conversation invites us to reconsider not only how we work with dogs… but how we live alongside them.
Tamryn shares how her path evolved from veterinary medicine into dog training, animal communication, and then into a more relational and shamanic approach. She shares what she has learned through her work with dogs, humans, and Peruvian shamanic lineage teachings. We discuss the difference between compliance and cooperation, what dogs may be communicating beneath behavior, and how our own nervous systems, emotional patterns, and presence shape the relationship far more than many of us realize.
We also dive into the realities of living with challenging dogs - reactivity, fear, sensitivity, overwhelm - and the profound ways these experiences can become portals into our own healing, self-awareness, and transformation.
This episode is not about abandoning science or practical support. It’s about widening the lens and asking deeper questions. It’s about remembering that dogs are not simply beings to manage, but conscious participants in relationship.
Inside this conversation, we explore:
What “shamanic dog training” actually means
The difference between compliance, cooperation, and connection
Why behavior is often communication, not simply something to stop or fix
How dogs respond to our nervous systems, emotional states, and presence
What modern humans may be missing in our relationships with dogs
How challenging dogs can become catalysts for growth and healing
Tamryn’s experience studying within a Peruvian shamanic lineage
What ancient wisdom traditions can teach us about relationship, healing, and interconnection
How to begin listening to your dog differently in everyday life
Why deep connection with dogs begins within ourselves
Whether you’re navigating challenges with your dog, longing for a deeper relationship, or simply curious about what dogs might be helping us remember in this moment in time, this conversation offers a grounded yet expansive perspective on living in partnership with our dogs.

Connect with Tamryn:https://tamrynfudge.ca

Connect with me:
Website: https://mysticdogmama.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mysticdogmama
Come join my free Facebook group, First Light. It’s my sanctuary where soulful dog mamas like you find clarity, confidence, and connection https://facebook.com/groups/fetchfirstlight

Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease, or replace medical guidance. Please speak with your veterinarian.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re “too much,” too sensitive, or quietly carrying parts of yourself that long to be expressed - this conversation may feel like a remembering.
What if healing isn’t about fixing what’s wrong with you - but remembering what has always been true?
In this deeply soulful conversation, I’m joined by Nicole Barton - healer, archetypal guide, and founder of the Archetypal Apothecary - to explore the concept of Wellness 3.0 and what becomes possible when we stop seeing ourselves as broken.
Together, we journey into the world of archetypes, sensitivity, homeopathy, shadow work, and the symbolic power of the witch - not as a label, but as an invitation to reclaim the parts of ourselves we’ve learned to hide.
Nicole shares her own path through chronic fatigue, burnout, and healing, and how those experiences became a doorway into understanding that our wounds often hold the medicine we are here to offer.
This conversation explores what it means to come back into the body, to create safety within ourselves, and to reconnect with our own wildness - especially in a world that often teaches us to suppress it.
And because this is Mystic Dog Mama, we also explore the mirror our dogs provide: how they reflect the parts of ourselves that feel too sensitive, too emotional, too much - and how healing ourselves can deepen the way we relate to them.
In this episode, we explore:
What Wellness 3.0 really means - and why healing isn’t about being fixed
How sensitivity can become a gift rather than something to overcome
The archetype of the witch as a symbol of healing, intuition, and reclamation
Nicole’s personal journey through chronic fatigue, homeopathy, and archetypal healing
The connection between wounds, shadow work, and discovering your gifts
How our dogs often mirror the parts of us we’ve learned to suppress
What it means to reclaim your own inner medicine

Connect with Nicole Barton
Website: www.nicolebarton.co.uk
Secret Witch Show Podcast - www.secretwitch.co.uk 
Instagram: https:instagram.com/iamnicolebarton

Connect with me!
Website: https://mysticdogmama.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mysticdogmama
Come join my free Facebook group, First Light. It’s my sanctuary where soulful dog mamas like you find clarity, confidence, and connection https://facebook.com/groups/fetchfirstlight

Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease, or replace medical guidance. Please speak with your veterinarian.

What if illness wasn’t the enemy?
What if symptoms weren’t signs that the body had failed, but invitations into a deeper conversation?
In this deeply rich episode, I’m joined by Dr. Erin Hayford of Aurora Somatic Medicine and the host of the Sacred Illness podcast to explore a radically different understanding of disease, healing, and the intelligence of the body.
Drawing from her own experience with Crohn’s disease and her work in naturopathic and mind-body medicine, Dr Erin invites us into a new paradigm - one where illness is not simply something to fix or overcome, but something that holds meaning, wisdom, and even transformation.
Together, we explore what it means to listen to symptoms as messengers, to understand disease as part of a healing process, and to cultivate a relationship with the body rooted in curiosity rather than fear.
This conversation is both grounding and expansive. It is an invitation to consider that healing is not always about cure, but about becoming.
And because this is Mystic Dog Mama, we also explore how our dogs’ illnesses can become mirrors and initiations of their own -  inviting us into deeper awareness, responsibility, and relationship.
In This Episode, We Explore:
* Why illness may not be your body failing you - but your body trying to communicate
* The concept of “Sacred Illness” and how symptoms can hold meaning
* The innate healing intelligence of nature and the human body
* What dis-ease may be asking you to become
* Why healing is a verb - not a destination
* The paradox of not wanting illness, while also recognising its gifts
* How our dogs’ symptoms and illnesses can become invitations for our own growth
* What happens when healing doesn’t look the way we expected
* How curiosity, trust, and acceptance can change our relationship with illness

This Episode Is For You If…
* You’ve ever felt betrayed or confused by illness - your own or your dog’s
* You’re navigating chronic symptoms and longing for a deeper understanding
* You feel called toward a more holistic, mind-body-soul approach to healing
* You want to move beyond fear and into a more trusting relationship with the body
* You believe healing may be about more than symptom management
* You’re ready to explore what illness might be asking of you

Connect with Dr. Erin Hayford
Aurora Somatic Medicine: https://www.aurorasomatic.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/drerinhayford

Connect with me!
Website: https://mysticdogmama.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mysticdogmama
Come join my free Facebook group, First Light. It’s my sanctuary where soulful dog mamas like you find clarity, confidence, and connection https://facebook.com/groups/fetchfirstlight

Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease, or replace medical guidance. Please speak with your veterinarian.