Let the Adventure Begin!
#HealingNaturally
In early January, our team of pet experts came together from across the country on a mission to educate as many people as possible.
The Subject:
Medical Cannabis and Holistic Remedies for Pets!
For the next six weeks, we traveled far and wide in the coziest 21-foot mobile command unit you ever did see; meeting pet parents, veterinarians, store owners and preaching the #HealingNaturally gospel!
With holistic pet expert, Angela Ardolino at the helm, a couple of furry friends in tow and CBD Dog Health’s own Hernando Umana and Carter Easler, it was bound to be a wild ride!
On the road
first stop – THE CITY OF ANGELS!
California is at the cutting edge of the cannabis industry. It was one of the first states to legalize medical and then recreational cannabis. Cultivators, medical professionals and the people who know CBD the best can all be found here on the Pacific Coast. That’s why we chose to focus the Healing Naturally Tour here and in neighboring Nevada. Despite this being such a hub in the industry, pet parents are still unaware of how much this can help their furry friends. Before we hit the road, we touched down in Los Angeles for a star-studded weekend at The Golden Globes Luxury Experiences Event!
THE GOLDEN GLOBES
We spent the day with the Real Housewife, Lisa Vanderpump’s Rescue, Vanderpump Dogs while meeting stars like Fortune Feimster and Sex and The City’s, Gilles Marini. It’s amazing to meet the stars you’ve seen on the big screen and find out not only are they shorter in person, but their pets are dealing with the very same issues as the average kibble fed American dog.
A few days after we had left Los Angeles, we got an unexpected call from Gilles Marini. Angela had taken the time to advise him on how to treat his Frenchie Mila, who suffered from debilitating IVDD. This little cutie hadn’t walked in over a year and was almost completely immobile. After taking a single dose of our Heal tincture, she was up and walking, energetic and as happy as ever! Over the course of the next few months, her progress continued and she is doing better than ever. Stay tuned for Gilles episode of the podcast, “It’s a Dog’s Life!”, coming soon!
After hitting the ground running with an amazing weekend in Los Angeles, it was time to pack up and start cruising!
Time to get some new wheels!
After the amazing GOLDEN GLOBES, it was time to pick up our new wheels! Check out Angie picking up the new RV for the tour. We were so excited, as you can tell.
Tiny homes and #vanlife are super trendy nowadays, so what better way to embrace the times than to hit the road in our very own mobile healing naturally headquarters. Hernando and I have both lived in Manhattan and Brooklyn for the better part of our adult lives, so we’re well acquainted with making the most of a small space. Never underestimate what you can do with a few plants and a trip to Target. Once we retro-fitted the interior of our new home on wheels with plants, rugs and a set of matching doggy mugs, we were ready to officially embark on our journey.
Check out Angie enjoying the drive by the Sierra Nevada mountains!
We had a two day drive up to our first stop at Hair of the Dog Pet Concierge in Lake Tahoe, California. To get there, we crossed over into the deserts of Nevada and traveled along the wayward side of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.
Initially, when we started planning the trip, I was most excited for the ocean views of the California coast. Little did I know, the first thing we’d see would be the breathtaking views of the mountain ranges that California shares with Nevada. It was an incredible backdrop for our mobile office in those first few days!
Lake Tahoe!
A Great Event and a Surprise Meeting...
After driving through the Nevada desert for two whole days, we arrived in Lake Tahoe, California for an event with Hair of the Dog Pet Concierge. This adorable little shop functions not only as a retail location but as a daily boarding service for visitors to this gorgeous mountain tourist destination. We got to meet so many of their regular and seasonal boarders, as well as their go-to local veterinarian, Dr. Stacey Baker. She is an incredible emergency and critical care veterinarian licensed in California and Nevada, who practices using acupuncture and other effective integrative therapies. She came out specifically to speak to Angela and our team and learn more about how she can integrate cannabis into her practice. ”
I wish we could have stayed longer in this beautiful little town, but there we were only getting started and had to keep truckin’.
A Quick Stop in Fernley Nevada!
After our event in Tahoe, we hopped back int he RV and headed to Fernley, Nevada for a radio interview and a live event with a great local pet store! When we arrived at Three Happy Hounds, there were already people lined up to learn more about ways to help heal their pets naturally. Being only our second stop, it was so heartwarming to see that people were hungry for the information we had traveled across the country to speak about. Even though Nevada is one of the states that had already legalized recreational and medical cannabis, people’s understanding of the medicine for their pets was limited. We were able to tell them all about CBD oil for dogs and answer questions like, “Is CBD safe for dogs?“, “What is CBD oil for dogs good for?” and so much more!
Dr. Jyl Rubin
Sacramento, California
When we started planning our tour of California and Nevada, we kept hearing about Dr. Jyl’s Mobile Vet Connection. Dr. Jyl has been an authoritative voice in California and an amazing advocate for natural pet care for years. With regular spot on local cable news giving advice on holistic pet care, she was somebody we definitely wanted to talk to. One of the most exciting parts about working with these veterinarians in California is that so many of them already had a good understanding of the benefits of CBD for pets. Dr. Jyl was eager to learn more and invited us to come into her clinic and work with her staff to pass on what we knew.
With cutting edge technology like ozone and laser therapy Dr. Jyl obviously had a knack for finding the best therapies for her clients. We were so happy to be able to share out knowledge and learn more from her about other oolitic remedies that are an option to our ailing animals.
Dr. Neil Weiner
Have you ever met those people who you immediately trust? Dr. Neil Weiner was one of those people for me. When we went to visit his clinic in Redding, California we didn’t know what to expect aside from what we had heard in glowing reviews from our colleagues in the industry. Pet Care Naturally specializes in preventative care and help pet parents use diet and nutrition to give their pets the best chance possible to fight off disease and sickness. When we walked into Dr. Weiner’s clinic, it was clear that he was a vet with only the best intentions. His office was full from wall to wall with amazing food options for pet parents and no over-processed kibble. Not only that, we later found out that he was actually subsidizing the cost of expensive raw foods so that his clientele would be able to afford it for their sick pets.
In the clip above, you can see Dr. Weiner and Angela sitting down, talking about the science behind cannabis and CBD for pets. Dr. Weiner wanted to know everything and had some of the best questions I’ve ever heard about the way it works. We got to share stories from our rescue, Fire Flake Farm like those of the many dogs we have been able to take off prescription medications for allergies and other conditions. At that, Dr. Weiner stopped in his tracks and asked hopefully, “You mean, I never have to prescribe Apoquel again?”
That’s the goal!
Sofia's Garden
Biodynamic Farm
When we talk to pet parents about natural medicine, one essential piece we always focus on is sourcing. I was so excited to visit one of there farmers who grows some of the plants we use for essential oils in our products. Sofia’s Garden is an incredible biodynamic farm. The principal behind biodynamic farming is that all the elements of the farm function in symbiosis. That means they are all grown in relationship with one another. This results in long term sustainability and superior quality, in contrast to the aggressive and often damaging farming practices that are standard in the agriculture world. Monique, who owns and operates Sofia’s Garden toured us around the property and taught us all about how she grows the herbs and flowers that are healing so many of our furry friends!
Dr. Gary Richter
This next stop was one that I had been eagerly anticipating. Dr. Gary Richter is a holistic veterinarian, author of The Ultimate Pet Health Guide, owner and medical director of Montclair Veterinary Hospital. But the reason I was most excited to meet him is because Dr. Richter uses medical cannabis in his practice and even educated other veterinarians all around the world! He discovered CBD when his own dog Leo, began having seizures. He tried the pharmaceutical route with very little impact so he decided to try cannabis and almost immediately, his seizures decreased in frequency.
Veterinarians are not taught about cannabis or the endocannabanoid system which means Dr. Richter went out of his way to learn everything he can about this alternative treatment. That’s the kind of veterinarian I want to work with!
“Glamping”
Not everything about living in an RV is as glamorous and beautiful as the views along the pacific coast highway. I’m a fairly good sport when it comes to gross things; I work with animals on a rescue farm after all. Nothing however could prepare me for the first time I had to empty the grey and black water tanks. Luckily by this point in the trip I was an old pro at emptying the poop from our mobile command unit.
The Pet Collective
I love watching videos of cute animals online. Guilty! And lately, the majority of them have been coming from The Pet Collective, a YouTube channel that features joyful animals doing adorable things! This channel gets over 500 million views a month! So when we got the call to join them and help educate pet parents on how CBD can help with anxiety we were ready! First, we sat down with their host, Georgie to answer all of her questions.
Next, we sent our CALM tincture to her very anxious dog, MOPS! Mops has major car anxiety and Georgie was desperate to find something to help. She wanted to do an honest review of how the product worked and to no surprise, Mops was calm and happy in the next car ride! Check out the video to see for yourself!
Dr. Trina Hazzah
Trina Hazzah is a powerhouse. That’s the only way I can think to put it. From the first time I saw her speak at the 2019 AHVMA conference, an industry-leading holistic veterinary summit, I knew she was a force to be reckoned with. Dr. Hazzah is a widely respected veterinary oncologist working at the VCA animal hospital in Los Angeles. Born and raised in Washington D.C., she studies at Tuskegee Veterinary College and later moved out west to help dogs suffering from all sorts of problems but specializing in the treatment of cancer. What I love about Dr. Hazzah is how curious and feisty she is. During my first conversation with her, she spoke about her work studying Chinese herbal medicine. She said something like, “I felt like I had mastered Chinese herbs, for the most part, then I found cannabis and was like, whoa… now, THIS is a challenge!”
Dr. Hazzah is now one of the leading voices in the veterinary community, advocating for the advancement of veterinary board policy to include protections for veterinarians who want to treat patients using cannabis medicine. When we went to meet her, she told us about some of her most amazing cases, uses high levels of THC without negative side effects; something we had previously been told was impossible. Talk about a trail blazer!
Angie and Her Animals
Angie is one of those people that instantly makes friends with animals wherever she goes. Where most people would stay back and regard them with cautious skepticism, Angie confidently introduces herself and is quickly welcomed by creatures of all kinds!
In-Store Seminars
Wherever we went, there were so many amazing people and pets. Getting to work with retailers by speaking to their customers, their staff and other companies it was clear how important these businesses are to their communities. In many cases, these neighborhood pet stores not only stood as a place for people to buy toys and treat, they were just as often a meeting place, a classroom and a pharmacy for pets. Store owners have the mammoth task of choosing from so many brands in order to give their communities the best array of products and services. I’m so grateful to have been able to collaborate with them and give them further tools to help the pets they serve to get better and better with an all natural medicine like CBD.
Farewell California!
Before leaving California for our final leg of the journey in Las Vegas, we wanted to wrap things up by inviting some of our favorite people to a final dinner party at our house in the Hollywood Hills. We were happy to share a wonderful evening with a wide array of personalities from the big screen to the hemp industry and of course some of our favorite veterinarians from along the way. We laughed loud, talk about our pets and made some grand plans for the future of the holistic pet care industry. Watch out world, the people in this room mean business and they’re just getting started!
On the Road to Las Vegas
You know, after a while on the road, you sort of get sick of it. Sometimes literally. After driving hundreds of miles up and down the state of California and Nevada, we had seen so much and met so many people. On our way to Vegas, we took a little car sickness as a great opportunity to let Blanche get a few more glamour shots for her passionate social media following. I knew I would miss our life on the road, but we had a little bit more to go, and one final stop!
Vegas, Baby!
Las Vegas CBD Expo
Las Vegas is home to some of the biggest conventions and expos in the world. Our focus is typically centered around the holistic pet world, but this time around Angela was invited to lead a panel about CBD for pets at the Las Vegas CBD Expo. There is so much confusion in the world of CBD, so we were excited to get to do some real education for this audience. The other great thing that came out of this event was the opportunity to meet Dr. Zac Pilossoph! Dr. Zac is an amazing veterinarian with licenses in five different states. Check out this episode of ‘It’s a Dog’s Life’ with Dr. Zac!
The Two Crazy Cat Ladies
If you haven’t already started following The Two Crazy Cat Ladies on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tik Tok and whatever app the kids are on now, you are seriously missing out. We met these two at Superzoo in 2019. Superzoo is an enormous industry show with all the biggest people in the pet industry in attendance. Jae and Adrian are a total riot and were so much fun to hang out with. So often cats are forgotten bout in the conversations about holistic pet care. These ladies are making a concerted effort to rectify that. Creating fun, engaging and informative content at breakneck speed they have a huge following that hangs on their entry word. It’s easy to see why too! During our afternoon with them, I kept realizing how much my cheeks hurt from laughing.
I thought I knew quite a bit about cat health, but they taught me so much more. It was awesome to be able to share out knowledge of cannabis and CBD for cats with them and put our heads together on some really challenging issues that pertain specifically to cats. I recently put together a video with Jae and Adrian talking about the best ways to administer CBD, including for cats that will do anything but cooperate!
Final Thoughts
It would be impossible to include everything that happened during our nearly two month long journey. We embarked on this journey because we have seen such incredible changes in our own animals and those of the people we work with by dedicating ourselves to holistic remedies. I knew we would find others who were equally passionate, but I didn’t realize quite how quickly we would find them. The main takeaway for me was learning how hungry people are to know more about plant medicine and a more balanced approach to healing ourselves and our animals.
We often meet professionals in the veterinary field who are resistant to the use of cannabis in their practices. Before this tour, I was under the impression that they didn’t want to know more when the reality is much more complicated. Even in California, many of the leading experts in Cannabis medicine quite limited in what they are allowed to say and do. Even in this place, at the forefront of cannabis education, they can only cautiously discuss this amazing healing tool. That being said, many veterinarians are unwilling to go any longer without acknowledging this shift in consciousness and educating themselves about the natural remedies that can safely and effectively replace some of the damaging practices of conventional western veterinary medicine.
We started a lot of conversations that will go on even after we have left. People who just needed an opportunity to ask the first question will continue to pull those threads and hopefully embark on their own journey to heal their pets naturally. For now, we’re back at home, but I’m sure we will be back on the road soon, educating and meeting pet parents who want to take control of their pet’s health!