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 medicine
- Why getting a second opinion can save lives
- Cushing’s disease, Addisonian crises & diagnostic challenges
- Navigating cancer diagnoses in beloved pets
- Veterinary specialists, referral medicine & advocating for your animals
- The emotional reality of caring for pets with complex medical conditions
PLUS: 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 💛
Timestamps
00:00 Welcome back! Meet Dr. Betsy Grunch
02:00 Why Betsy became a neurosurgeon
05:20 Her mother's spinal cord injury changed everything
08:33 Opening her own neurosurgery practice
12:00 Human medicine vs veterinary medicine
17:24 How Molly & Betsy became friends
17:45 The chicken-stealing dog story
19:21 Cushing's disease diagnosis & Addisonian crisis
20:20 The social media post that caught Molly's attention
21:30 Why getting a second opinion mattered
22:53 Finding liver cancer & life-saving surgery
30:00 Navigating cancer treatment as a pet owner
39:29 When the second dog had a medical emergency too
49:04 Talking dogs, breeding & pet ownership
50:06 Meet Bobo, the legendary private investigator dog
52:02 Vizsla stories & littermate updates
53:17 What dog breed would Betsy be?
01:06:50 LOVE YOU GUYS 💛
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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
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Follow the podcast:
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/drmollysayspod/
TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@drmollysayspod
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