Unhinged and On Call

Vets, Mead, and Bees; Crafting New Paths

From Equine Vet to Meadery and Bees: Dr. Ayla Guild’s Pivot and Boundaries Hosts Dr. Chelsea and vet tech Trish welcome equine veterinarian Dr. Ayla Guild, a longtime friend, who describes pivoting from a psychology major into vet school after a riding-related head injury and completing her training at the University of Pennsylvania/New Bolton. Isla discusses challenges in equine clinical training and practice, including sleep deprivation, perfectionism, anxiety, postpartum depression, and the inefficiency of extensive driving in ambulatory work. She explains how gluten sensitivity led her family to discover mead, begin fermenting raw honey-based mead without heating above hive temperature, and ultimately open The Hive Taproom with distribution, supported by their own honey production and expanding beekeeping efforts. The conversation also covers bee health pressures (nutrition and mites), practical beekeeping realities, work-life balance, boundaries in veterinary medicine, and Ayla's plan to return via equine emergency relief work.
00:00 Show Intro
00:30 Meet Dr Dr. Ayla Guild
02:03 From Psych To Vet
04:55 Vet School Reality Check
07:52 Practice Life And Caseloads
10:56 Burnout And Big Pivot
12:59 Discovering Mead Making
16:07 Beekeeping From Scratch
18:41 Hive Growth And Challenges
20:40 Bee Health And Forage
25:35 How Mead Is Made
26:27 Eco Friendly Mead
27:20 Raw Honey Fermentation
28:10 Flavoring And Style
29:12 Scaling Up Production
30:27 Shipping And Regulations
31:20 Allergies And Ingredients
33:07 Vet Career Boundaries
36:20 Horses And Riding Time
38:29 Work Life Balance Shift
41:22 Mental Health And Guilt
45:32 Social Media And Wrap Up
46:41 Podcast Outro And Call for Guests 

Would You Rather - Veterinary Edition

Would You Rather? Vet Med Edition with Dr. Chelsea and Trish Dr. Chelsea (veterinarian) and Trish (registered vet tech) host a chaotic, kid-inspired “Would You Rather?” game mixing veterinary and everyday dilemmas, and suggest adding the segment to future guest interviews while inviting listeners to share their own questions. They debate choices such as anal glands on the face vs being peed on, being trapped with a nervous Great Dane vs a furious chihuahua, cleaning kennels vs answering phones, surgery prep vs front desk work on no sleep, switching jobs vs switching phones, losing a phone vs losing caffeine, search history vs Amazon orders being leaked, cleaning puke vs attending a social school function, stepping on Legos vs sitting in mystery wet spots, losing sight vs losing memories, Hallmark Christmas movies vs horror movies, and never doing laundry vs never grocery shopping. They also discuss boundaries with phones, kids and social media, and close with guest and rating/subscription calls to action.
00:00 Show Intro
00:24 Game Setup
01:39 Gross Vet Dilemma
02:44 Big Dog Or Chihuahua
03:15 Kennels Vs Phones
04:30 No Sleep Choices
05:39 Switch Jobs Or Phones
06:49 Phone Detox Parenting
10:58 Search Vs Amazon Leak
13:01 School Function Survival
13:50 Barn Clothes Social Life
15:08 Trailer Tack Room Repairs
15:58 Legos vs Mystery Wet
16:46 Sight or Memories Debate
17:38 London and Badminton Trip
19:32 Hallmark or Horror Forever
20:24 Laundry vs Grocery Shopping
21:58 Kids Chores and Folding Hacks
24:19 Wrap Up and Guest Call

Vitamin E in Horses with Dr. Chelsea Luedke

Vitamin E in Horses: Deficiency Signs, Testing Targets, and Why Liquid Supplementation Matters Dr. Chelsea and vet tech Trish deliver an educational PSA on equine vitamin E, emphasizing that many horses—especially in dry regions like Colorado without lush pasture—are at risk because vitamin E is unstable and largely lost from sun-cured hay. They discuss testing differences (Cornell HPLC targets 300–600 µg/dL; higher targets like 600–800 for symptomatic horses) and suggest annual spring screening with rechecks in 1–2 months. Key conditions linked to deficiency include equine motor neuron disease (often irreversible; only 45% recovery after induced cases), vitamin E–responsive myopathy, and the ENAD/EDM spectrum in young horses with progressive, symmetric ataxia and frequent behavior changes; deficiency may also contribute to penile ataxia/paraphimosis and head shaking. They warn high doses may affect coagulation, advise avoiding injectables, and stress natural d-alpha tocopherol—using liquid (e.g., 5,000 IU/day for 60 days) because powders/pellets can take 8–10 weeks and may not raise levels or CSF vitamin E.
00:00 Podcast Welcome
00:29 Why Vitamin E Matters
03:19 Pasture Limits and Deficiency Risk
04:46 Testing Targets and Ranges
06:30 Hand Grazing Reality Check
08:41 Sponsor Break
09:15 Deficiency Signs and Safe Dosing
10:28 Equine Motor Neuron Disease
13:48 VEM and Screening Strategy
17:28 Case Study Paraphimosis Link
19:26 Liquid vs Powder Absorption
22:23 Practical Dosing Workarounds
23:07 Liquid vs Powder Dosing
23:42 Testing Surprises and CSF
24:47 Avoid Injectable Vitamin E
25:17 EDM and Vitamin E Link
27:08 EDM Signs and Differentials
28:42 Young Horses and eNAD
30:30 Lab Ranges and Natural Forms
32:30 New Omega Oil Pump
34:27 Barn Practicalities and Storage
36:20 Common Myths and Hay
38:10 Senior Horses and Headshaking
40:10 Wrap Up and Listener Call

$50 and a Loaded Syringe

From Journalism to Racetracks: Dr. Ashley Hamilton’s Unfiltered Equine Vet Stories
Hosts Dr. Chelsea and vet tech Trish welcome equine racetrack veterinarian Dr. Ashley Hamilton, an old internship friend, who now works with a large practice across Florida, New York (Saratoga), and Kentucky. Ashley explains she didn’t initially plan on veterinary medicine, starting college in journalism, majoring in Spanish, and nearly deferring vet school to consider law/politics before committing to horses. She describes training at Rood & Riddle and in Northern Virginia, then the major shift to rural South Carolina practice with limited budgets, frequent down-horse calls, and safety concerns during late-night farm visits. Stories include owners pouring Gatorade into a dead horse’s mouth, improvised treatments, a difficult rectal abscess diagnosis, challenging euthanasias (including sheep and cats), and encountering intoxicated clients with an injured yearling. The conversation highlights rural veterinary shortages, economic realities, and emotional toll.
00:00 Show Cold Open
0:24 Meet Dr Ashley Hamilton
01:25 From Journalism to Vet School
04:25 Internships and Early Career Turns
04:59 Rural Practice Reality Check
05:55 Racetrack Medicine Life
06:28 Weird Eye Cases and Consults
08:39 Favorite Cases Lameness and Airway
09:43 South Carolina Farm Call Stories
11:20 Down Horse and Gatorade Shock
14:42 DIY Treatments Gone Wrong
16:28 Rectal Fluids Colic Debate
17:52 Sponsor Break VetCS
18:26 The Rectal Abscess Nightmare
21:07 On Call Safety and Dorm Syringe
23:56 Sketchy Farm Call
24:16 Horse Sling Nightmare
25:29 When Clients Won’t Pay
26:51 Low Fees Rural Reality
28:09 Horses Tied to Trees
28:49 Rural Vet Shortage
29:39 Snakebite No Resources
31:02 Euthanasia Toll
33:11 Fancy Sheep Euthanasia
35:34 Cat Veins and Workarounds
37:41 Mud Hill Midnight Call
41:46 Better Place Now
42:38 Closing Thanks

Spicy Cats and House Calls

Spicy Cats, House Calls, and a Flying Feral: Vet Tech Liz Brockhouse on Unpredictable Feline Chaos
Dr. Chelsea and vet tech Trish welcome guest Liz Brockhouse, an Illinois vet tech who moved from equine interests into small animal practice, advanced from receptionist to practice manager, and now works remotely as a special projects manager for a corporation supporting 300+ practices; she encourages vet med professionals to explore varied career paths. Liz shares house-call stories highlighting unpredictable “spicy” cats, including chaotic attempts to restrain two Bengal cats in a massive bathroom, a client asking the clinic to sedate a Bengal stuck atop kitchen cabinets, and a recurring feral cat that repeatedly launches at people and escapes. The conversation also covers the unpredictability of in-home visits, firing a house-call client due to unsafe conditions, a cat with repeated bottle-cap foreign bodies, a St. Bernard with pica vomiting up a large toy, and Liz’s strong aversion to vomit. The episode includes a VetCS sponsor message and a call for guests, reviews, and YouTube subscriptions.
 
00:00 Show Kickoff
00:29 Meet Liz Brockhouse
01:43 From Horses to Small Animal
03:29 Corporate Projects Career
04:39 Riding Comeback Story
05:58 Florida Adventures Kayaking
06:47 Unicorn Clinic Growth
09:12 Spicy Bengals House Call
13:11 Sedate the Cat Request
15:05 House Calls Gone Wrong
18:37 Curtain Climbing Cat Chaos
24:42 Flying Cat Escape
25:57 Sponsor Vetcs Break
26:55 Cat Bites Nail Trims
27:44 Bottle Cap Foreign Bodies
30:40 Mobile Vet Repeat Visits
32:31 Clinic Chaos Loose Cats
34:12 Vomit Nemesis Stories
35:55 French Toast Toy Pica
42:10 Wrap Up And Farewell
43:02 Podcast Guest Callout

The One Where We Move 24 Horses to Florida During a Hurricane

Horse Rehab, Cross-Country Chaos, and Florida Night Spiders with Ashley Carr.  Dr. Chelsea and vet tech Trish introduce Ashley Carr, a longtime horse rider and eventer who pursued vet medicine at CSU, worked as an equine ambulatory tech and later in surgery/anesthesia, then stepped away to focus on producing and rehabbing horses. Ashley discusses how her surgical background helps her rehab cases like kissing spine and other chronic issues by understanding structures, healing timelines, and how horses relearn pain-free movement. She shares the chaotic move from Colorado to Florida—transporting 24 horses plus multiple pets over nine trips, dealing with tire blowouts, roadside delays, and Hurricane Milton preparations in Ocala—and tells stories about Florida wolf spider “eye shine,” huge huntsman spiders, and discovering a hidden cache of rotten, exploding chicken eggs in a barn.
00:00 Show Intro
00:29 Meet Ashley Carr
01:16 Horses to Vet Med
02:23 Old School Farm Calls
04:26 Leaving Vet School Track
05:42 Rehab Philosophy
08:13 Sponsor VetCS
08:48 Colorado to Florida Move
12:16 Hauling Babies South
16:04 Hurricane Detour
23:45 Trailer Trouble Prep
26:28 Tire Blowout Lessons
27:18 Trailer Tire Chaos
28:10 Limping to Tire Shop
30:01 Roadside Assistance Reality
31:37 Wolf Spider Headlamp Horror
36:22 Black Widow Boot Surprise
37:46 Huntsman Spider Sighting
39:33 Chickens and Hidden Eggs
41:52 Exploding Rotten Egg Nest
46:38 Bean Boozled Rotten Egg Flashback
48:58 Wrap Up and Subscribe

From Vet Tech to Diver: Natalie's Story

From ER Chaos to Fossil Diving: Natalie Pedraja’s Vet Med Journey and Mental Health Advocacy.
Hosts Dr. Chelsea and vet tech Trish welcome licensed vet tech Natalie Pedraja of Virginia, who shares her 17-year path in veterinary medicine, from shadowing as a teen and vet science classes to emergency practice, tech school, and leadership roles. She recounts difficult workplaces, including being terminated for discussing wages, intense GP chaos, patient-care failures and retaliation in academia at WSU, and later conflicts in specialty practice and preclinical research, all contributing to burnout and outpatient mental health treatment supported by FMLA. Natalie describes hobbies that helped her heal, including pottery, foraging, and risky South Carolina river diving for fossils and artifacts, finding megalodon teeth and a mastodon molar. After returning to Virginia and briefly working security, she became an UrgentVet practice manager, improved clinic performance, advocated for staff wages, and built a supportive team culture.
00:00 Show Cold Open
01:27 Scuba Fears and Rivers
04:46 Reef Snorkel Stories
09:20 Early Vet Med Origins
14:23 Tech School and Undergrad
16:20 ER Burnout and Firing
17:25 GP Chaos and Cat Hoarders
24:03 Back to ER and Mentorship
29:17 ICU Culture Shock
31:55 Medical Errors in Academia
34:45 Car Wreck and Burnout
39:16 Securing Gear in Cars
40:38 Favorite Dive Spot
41:53 River Diving Dangers
43:06 Fossil Finds and Big Teeth
46:40 Artifacts and River History
49:49 Pottery and Moving West
52:49 Workplace Conflict and Reporting
55:55 FMLA and Healing Break
58:51 Mall Cop to Practice Manager
01:03:45 Building a Thriving Clinic
01:11:26 Advocacy Wages and Team Care
01:14:56 Wrap Up and Listener Call

Vet Tales: Riding Solo and Overcoming Roadblocks

Horse Hauling to Florida, Freak Weather, and a Last-Minute Dressage Test Surprise Dr. Chelsea and vet tech Trish share a horse-focused episode shaped by unusual Colorado warmth and concerns about low snowpack and fire season. Chelsea recounts hauling a group of horses 2,700 miles to Florida with minimal issues, then facing extreme cold, wind, frozen water lines, and a living-quarters heater failure during overnight stops, forcing dry camping and improvised sleeping. In Florida, she manages an 8-year-old Thoroughbred’s sudden lameness from a grapefruit-sized shoe boil that became infected, but still competes successfully at Rocking Horse and plans a move-up to Modified. She also describes arriving at a show unaware the dressage tests had changed, quickly memorizing the new test moments before riding. The episode ends with updates on solo trail riding progress, trail and trailer safety planning, and ways to follow and contact the podcast.
00:00 Welcome to the Show
00:47 Colorado Weather Whiplash
02:19 Caravan to Florida
05:08 Horse Motel Survival
07:26 Frozen Mississippi Night
11:37 Back Home and Kids
12:37 Florida Training and Shoe Boil
15:07 Hotspot Data Disaster
16:30 New Dressage Test Panic
24:17 Solo Showing Lessons
27:31 Photos and Fence Cameras
28:47 Palm Trees and Photos
29:09 Meta RayBan Upgrade Talk
31:48 Solo Trail Riding Breakthrough
35:14 Back Cinch and Tack Fit
37:13 Wildlife and Trail Safety
40:21 Rattlesnakes and Summer Risks
42:17 Lane the Forward Horse
47:25 Trailer Safety Course
48:46 Highway Tire Horror Story
52:19 Gooseneck Hitch Lessons
54:43 Wrap Up and Guest Call

Reactive Dogs & Mountain Goats: When Training Gets Wild

Guest: Rachel Harris- Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), Owner of A Good Feeling Dog Training
Episode Summary
Join Dr. Chelsea and Trish as they welcome Rachel Harris, a certified professional positive reinforcement dog trainer with 14 years of experience specializing in reactive and aggressive dog behavior. From her humble beginnings with Sonny, a terrified pit bull who became an agility champion, to wild adventures with her fearless American Staffordshire Terrier Waylon, Rachel shares honest stories about the joys and challenges of working with "spicy" dogs.
Key Topics Discussed
Rachel's journey into dog training and how reactive dogs "chose her"
The importance of collaboration between veterinarians, vet techs, and dog trainers
Virtual training programs and why they're often more effective than in-person sessions
Understanding that reactive dogs aren't "bad" - they're overwhelmed and struggling
Creative solutions for vet visits with anxious or reactive dogs
The spectrum of dog behavior and bite incidents
Unhinged Stories Featured
Frisco the Labrador's chocolate pretzel heist
A 20-minute chase around a training facility
Waylon breaks into a stranger's house
Through a cat door to chase their cat (while pit bulls were still banned in Denver!)
Mountain goat standoff at 14,000 feet
Waylon goes nose-to-nose with wildlife on a fourteener summit
Resources Mentioned
Website: AGFDogTraining.com
Instagram: @agoodfeelingdogtraininginc (74K+ followers)
Podcast: Disorderly Dogs (archive of episodes available)
Adventure Dog Academy
Follow Rachel's hiking adventures
Reactive Redefined
Virtual training program for reactive dogs
Key Takeaways
Dogs who react or growl are communicating discomfort, not being "bad"
Reactive dogs can live full, expansive lives with proper management
Virtual coaching can be highly effective because it trains the human-dog partnership
Most "aggressive" dogs are actually scared, overwhelmed, or struggling to self-regulate
Creative solutions and humility are essential when working with any animal
Connect With Rachel
Website: AGFDogTraining.com
Instagram: @agoodfeelingdogtraininginc
Podcast: Disorderly Dogs
Connect With Unhinged and On-Call
Website: unhingedandoncall.com
Email: chat@unhingedandoncall.com
YouTube: Watch full video episodes with visual content
Submit your story to be a guest via the website form
Rate & Review: Help us reach more veterinary professionals by leaving a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!
Remember: You're unhinged, but never alone.

Love Triangle and Scary Emergency Calls....For the Veterinarian!

Love Triangles and On-Call Chaos with Equine Vet Dr. Holly McMinn Hosts Dr. Chelsea and vet tech Trish welcome equine veterinarian Dr. Holly McMinn from Lebanon Equine in Ohio. Dr. McMinn shares her non-traditional path into veterinary medicine: growing up in California, leaving a training barn, shadowing an equine vet, gaining hands-on skills as an assistant at West Coast Equine, completing her undergrad at Cal Lutheran, and attending Ohio State for vet school. She describes meeting her husband in vet school, joining Lebanon Equine without a formal internship, and working there for six and a half years through a transition to corporate ownership. Dr. McMinn also discusses her farm life with four horses, a miniature mule, and young children. Dr. McMinn tells an on-call emergency story involving a poorly described “down, bleeding” horse (Trevor) at an unfamiliar barn, conflicting accounts of an attack by another horse, unclear ownership and relationships among the people involved, and a public make-out session that led to the barn becoming known as the “love triangle barn.” The case culminates in a planned euthanasia that is later canceled, and the bill not being paid. The group discusses how non-client emergencies can become unsafe, unpredictable, and often unpaid, and Dr. McMinn recounts another after-hours euthanasia call that felt potentially dangerous while walking into a dark pasture. Dr. Chelsea shares her own non-client emergency experience with a severe nail-in-the-foot case complicated by delayed reporting, a girlfriend searching snowbanks for a lost taser, concerns about a possibly stolen trailer, a declined credit card, and a later complaint filed by the horse’s attorney-owner who had felony assault charges on record—reinforcing why they stopped taking non-client emergencies. Dr. McMinn plugs her social media accounts (@HorseDocHolly on Instagram and TikTok), describing a mix of educational and humorous content created late at night. The episode ends with a call for listeners to apply to be guests via unhingedandoncall.com or chat@unhingedandoncall.com, request ratings/reviews on podcast platforms, and subscribe on YouTube.
0:00 Welcome to Unhinged & On-Call (Meet the Hosts)
00:24 Introducing Dr. Holly McMinn from Lebanon Equine
00:51 From Malibu Barn Drama to Shadowing an Equine Vet
02:36 Learning the Ropes: West Coast Equine + Undergrad Years
04:05 Vet School Leap: Ohio State, New Life, and Landing in Ohio
05:24 Lebanon Equine Today: Corporate Transition & Practice Growth
07:43 Farm Life & Mom Mode: Horses in the Backyard, Kids in the Trenches
10:26 Story Time Setup: The On-Call ‘Love Triangle’ Emergency Begins
11:28 Down Horse Chaos: Missing History, Mystery Barn Owners, and Rising Drama
15:22 The Plot Thickens: Brunch Boots, Bucket-Washing ‘Bill,’ and a Makeout Mid-Discharge
18:00 Who Owns Trevor? The Vet Call That Raises More Questions
18:46 Euthanasia Scheduled… Then the Twist: “That’s Not Deb’s Husband”
20:02 Love Triangle Barn Fallout: Awkward PDA, No Answers, No Payment
21:22 Why We Stopped Taking Non‑Client Emergencies
22:00 After‑Hours Down Horse: Walking Into a Crime Podcast Scenario
24:08 Self‑Defense Talk: “I Have Enough Drugs to Drop You”
24:58 Nail-in-the-Foot Nightmare: Taser, Missing Hay, and a Maybe-Stolen Trailer
27:46 Collections & Felony Charges: The Bill That Backfired
29:46 Wrap-Up: Pink Cowboy Boots, Social Media Plug, and Final Goodbyes
32:33 Podcast Outro: Guest Submissions, Ratings, and YouTube Subscribe