Cushing’s Disease, Cancer Scares & Learning to Advocate for Your Pet

This week on The Dr. Molly Says Podcast, I’m joined by neurosurgeon, dog mom, and one of my favorite internet friendships to come out of veterinary medicine… Dr. Betsy Grunch.We talk about everything from spinal cord injuries and pet vs human medicine, to the wild story of how we actually became friends (spoiler: it involved a dog, a scary medical situation, and a social media DM 😅).Dr. Grunch shares her incredible journey into medicine after her mother suffered a life-changing spinal cord injury when Betsy was a teenager, how becoming a caregiver shaped her career, and what it's been like opening her own independent neurosurgery practice in her hometown. Then we get into the dog story that brought us together.We ALSO get into:The surprising similarities between human and veterinary medicineWhy getting a second opinion can save livesCushing’s disease, Addisonian crises & diagnostic challengesNavigating cancer diagnoses in beloved petsVeterinary specialists, referral medicine & advocating for your animalsThe emotional reality of caring for pets with complex medical conditionsPLUS: Vizsla chaos, private investigator dog stories, rescue dog moms, Napoleon Dynamite references, dog bed mysteries, fast cars, parasocial friendships, and a very important discussion about what dog breed Betsy would be. 😂LOVE YOU GUYS 💛Timestamps00:00 Welcome back! Meet Dr. Betsy Grunch02:00 Why Betsy became a neurosurgeon05:20 Her mother's spinal cord injury changed everything08:33 Opening her own neurosurgery practice12:00 Human medicine vs veterinary medicine17:24 How Molly & Betsy became friends17:45 The chicken-stealing dog story 19:21 Cushing's disease diagnosis & Addisonian crisis20:20 The social media post that caught Molly's attention21:30 Why getting a second opinion mattered22:53 Finding liver cancer & life-saving surgery30:00 Navigating cancer treatment as a pet owner39:29 When the second dog had a medical emergency too 49:04 Talking dogs, breeding & pet ownership50:06 Meet Bobo, the legendary private investigator dog52:02 Vizsla stories & littermate updates53:17 What dog breed would Betsy be?01:06:50 LOVE YOU GUYS 💛---------------------------------------------------------------Listen to the pod on YouTube/Spotify/Apple:https://www.youtube.com/@drmollysayspod https://open.spotify.com/show/7xmKqrXGPJXpsbDbtCMgfe?si=17148ddc74604cb1 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dr-molly-says-podcast/id1800302028---------------------------------------------------------------Follow Dr. Molly:Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/drmollysaysTikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@drmollysaysFollow the podcast:Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/drmollysayspod/TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@drmollysayspod---------------------------------------------------------------