Guten Tag, we’re Wolfried.
Our guardian-informed private consulting practice operates in the gap between clinical rigidity and "natural" superstition in canine health.
Wolfried.
Canine Health & Guardian-Informed Care Consulting
THE SUPPORTED DOG (GUARDIAN)
Canine Health & Guardian-Informed Care
Our work is centered on systems-aware, evidence-based canine nutrition, phyto- and mycotherapy, and targeted nutraceutical support, the disciplines we are trained in and continue to practice. Early on, however, it became clear that nutritional and adjunct support alone is rarely sufficient to improve outcomes, especially in complex or chronic cases.
The limiting factor is often not the dog, but the reality dog guardians must operate within: a fragmented canine health landscape marked by contradictory advice, ideological divides between conventional and holistic practitioners, and a lack of practical guidance for navigating it all.
Because we do not diagnose or treat disease, we require our clients to maintain an ongoing relationship with a veterinarian for diagnosis and appropriate testing. We do not work without this clinical foundation because without quantitative data, we cannot support the dog’s, and ultimately the client’s needs. Our role begins where veterinary care, nutritional strategy, adjunct support, as well as the online and offline marketplace of ideas must be integrated — and where the friction between those domains can no longer be ignored.
WHAT WE OFFER
Wolfried is a European-rooted consulting practice with core competencies in non-dogmatic canine health, nutrition, nutraceuticals, and the education of guardians as informed participants in their dog’s care.
Our services include:
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Our work is grounded in biologically-appropriate canine nutrition, used as a primary lever for canine health, not as a trend, belief system, or moral stance.
Raw and gently cooked feeding strategies, selected based on the individual dog and clinical context
Food-first approaches informed by physiology, not dogma
Adjustments guided by response, testing, and practicality — not rigid rules
Explicit rejection of trend-driven feeding models and anecdotal claims elevated to “truth”
We treat nutrition as a dynamic strategy, not a static plan.
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Where appropriate, we integrate primarily European, evidence-based phytotherapy and mycotherapy, with select global applications as adjunct support.
Grounded in empirical evidence, clinical tradition, and pharmacological understanding
Used with clear intent, dosing rationale, and a defined support role
Not “herbalism,” not symbolism, and not the assumption that “natural” is inherently safer or superior
Always considered in relation to the dog’s condition, medications, and diagnostic findings.
Adjunct support is applied with restraint, not simply enthusiasm.
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Navigation of Complex and Chronic Care
Because dogs with ongoing and complex conditions must still operate within veterinary medicine, our consulting does not stop at nutrition or adjunct support.
A significant part of our work is helping dog guardians navigate the realities and friction points that arise from ongoing (veterinary) care.
Navigating Your Veterinarian
We support clients in preparing for and evaluating veterinary care, including:
What questions to ask during veterinary visits
How to assess veterinary recommendations — including treatments proposed and treatments omitted
How to consider potential side effects, trade-offs, and downstream consequences of medications or interventions
How to weigh whether a second opinion or a change in veterinarian is appropriate
What information to provide, and what questions to ask, when seeking a new veterinarian
Our work is not about opposing veterinary medicine; it is about engaging with it competently and responsibly.
Navigating Conflicting Advice
We help clients develop a framework for evaluating the flood of information they encounter, including:
How to assess marketing claims from both conventional and holistic pet health companies
How to read and interpret scientific information without oversimplification
How to distinguish evidence, inference, and assumption
How to evaluate the quality and relevance of evidence
How to make decisions under uncertainty without freezing or overreacting
The goal is discernment, not certainty theater.
HOW OUR APPROACH MAKES US DIFFERENT
Apart from offering not only dog, but guardian-centered consulting, as well as teaching from a neither clinical nor holistically dogmatic position to navigate complex and ongoing care, Wolfried also works in another way that is atypical for the (canine) consulting industry:
Operational knowledge is not withheld to maintain dependency. Over time, clients leave our work with:
improved decision-making capacity
a clearer understanding of trade-offs and constraints in the health care for their canine companions
and the ability to further personalize care for the dog they love and live with every day
What we offer is consulting, not coaching.
The relationship between our clients and us does not rely on motivation, accountability structures, or ongoing supervision. We are not positioned as partners for compliance or follow-through.
Our greater role is to transfer usable frameworks, clinical reasoning, and judgment in a space where those tools, especially in their combination, are often absent. The work itself is collaborative, but responsibility is shared: effective outcomes depend as much on the client’s application of these tools as on the quality of the guidance that we provide.
Questions?
Wolfried.
In our canine health consulting, navigating and supporting your relationship with primary veterinary care is an integral part of the work—not an afterthought.
Client Voices
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![Golden retriever dog with a green toy in its mouth on a wooden floor.]()
Client: Goose with L. Nassen, PhD, Ed. Psych.
I cannot say enough positive things about the consultation and support we received from Wolfried, our canine nutrition consultant. When our dog was diagnosed with blastomycosis—a serious and potentially fatal fungal infection—we were terrified. It was already in his bone, and he was limping, and clearly in pain. The medication required to treat it is notoriously hard on a dog’s body, and we wanted to give our Goose every possible advantage.
Marie created a fully customized nutrition plan for us, thoughtfully incorporating a range of raw foods that were realistic for our household to access and prepare. She also provided a clear, well-explained list of supplements, including why each one mattered and where to find them. As we adjusted to an entirely new way of feeding and caring for our dog, Wolfried supported us at every step with patience, expertise, and genuine care.
One of the most striking moments came when Wolfried recommended that we request an additional lab test to monitor our dog’s liver function. We'd shared all of our nutrition and supplement plans with our veterinarian, and they were onboard—but it was Wolfried’s suggestion that prompted us to request the extra test. Thank goodness she did: the results revealed a developing medication-related complication that we were able to address quickly. That test quite literally helped save our dog’s life, and what's more, Marie had already accurately anticipated this medication side effect as liver support was something she'd already included in the plan.
We are profoundly grateful for Wolfried’s guidance, compassion, and proactive approach. Thanks to her, our dog has had the best possible chance at surviving blastomycosis, and our family feels empowered and supported. Thank you, Wolfried, for everything.
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![White tri-pod puppy looking into the camera.]()
Act2Pups Senior Rescue with L. Hunt, Owner
As a rescuer Act2Pups has always strived to help senior dogs return to good health. Recently I met Marie Luise Smith, a nutritionist for animals that has changed the paradigm of how we achieve this good health. Single ingredient is the main stay of how Marie approaches achieving good health for our dogs. We have started with a single ingredient raw frozen dog food. Meat and organs plus bone is the food we’re using. We start by substituting raw food for canned, as a topper. She’s had us add a meat-based enzyme that allows the dogs to absorb the food without suffering tummy upset or diarrhea. Slowly we have transitioned some of the dogs to full raw. Marie has coached us through eye issues, skin issues, gut issues, joint issues and every issue in between.
Her approach has allowed us to help senior dogs return to good health. She knows there is no “silver bullet” to achieve this. Her commonsense approach of encouraging the body to heal itself through single ingredient intervention is making a big difference in our rescue dogs’ health already. It’s not instantaneous, but she gets to the root cause so the body can heal. If there is a senior dog to rescue, we will use Marie’s methods to bring them back to good health.
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![Close-up of a black and tan dog with long ears, resting its head on a dark surface inside a wooden frame]()
Client: Dirie with D. Schriefer
Working with Marie-Luise has been one of the greatest gifts I could have given my dog. My Slovenský Kopov lived to 18 years old with no disease, only the natural signs of aging, and I genuinely believe her guidance played a major role in that. She provided support that was comprehensive and thoughtfully personalized. She took my dog’s unique needs into account as she moved through each stage of senior life.
What sets Wolfried apart is the combination of extraordinary knowledge with a realistic, compassionate approach. Marie-Luise never pushed extremes or trends. Instead, she focused on what would genuinely help my old girl stay comfortable, mobile, and mentally bright. Her recommendations made sense, felt doable, and always aligned with what was best for her, not just what looks good on paper.
Because of Marie-Luise’s care and insight, my girl remained steady, content, and fully herself right up until the end. I am profoundly grateful. I cannot recommend her and Wolfried highly enough.
The Journal
Marie-Luise Smith.Founder
I founded Wolfried to address the widening gap between conventional and holistic approaches and the resulting dogmas in canine health.
In my work as a Certified Professional Canine Nutritionist, it became equally clear that dogs are rarely the limiting factor. The quality of care depends on the clarity, support, and guidance available to the people responsible for them. Without structure, even well-intentioned decisions tend to fragment.
Wolfried exists to help bring coherence to the canine health space — offering larger frameworks that support both the dog and the guardian, without ideology, oversimplification, or theatrics.
Meet Our Patron: The Philosopher King.
We are inspired by King Frederick the Great — the defining Prussian figure of the Enlightenment period. A head of state who governed through reason, discipline, and independent thought, and who rejected both blind tradition and intellectual fashion.
He was also known for his deep attachment to his dogs, choosing their company over courtly flattery and building Sanssouci as a retreat where they were always at his side.
That influence is not abstract. Wolfried’s founder also comes from Prussia. Historically German, rooted in what is now Berlin, shaped by the same emphasis on clarity, restraint, and responsibility.
Frederick valued discernment over ideology and reason over dogma. We apply that same Enlightenment rigor to canine health.
READY TO BEGIN?
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READY TO BEGIN? +
STEP ONE: Book Your Complimentary Consultation
At Wolfried, we believe in fully personalized care. We do not offer cookie-cutter protocols, because meaningful progress depends on understanding the individual dog and on guardians being actively involved in the process.
Before you commit to any personalized services, we invite you to a complimentary 30-minute consultation. This brief conversation is not about gauging how much we can sell to you. It is about getting a clear picture of your dog, your goals, and the resources you have available, while setting clear, mutual expectations for working together.
Consider it a deliberate first step. A well-designed plan that is grounded in clarity and follow-through is often far more effective than repeatedly addressing the same issues without a coherent strategy.
Let’s start with a conversation.