Pet Health Advice

What is alternative medicine for pets?

Herbal medicine has existed for thousands of years and can be traced through many different cultures. It has helped to heal countless numbers of people throughout the ages. Today, herbal medicine still has much to teach us.

Modern veterinary science has an over reliance on medicating and vaccinating our animals. Pharmaceutical companies benefit and vet bills rocket, but this approach is not helping our animals. In fact, pets today are more likely to be ill in spite of this widespread vaccination and medication!

We feed them with over-processed, nutritionally lacking pet food. They live in an environment that is far more polluted and toxic than ever before. The lack of exercise that plagues us as people, also has a detrimental impact on the health of our pets. Is it any wonder that our pets have become more prone to disease and illness?

How can we address this imbalance?

Holistically. Conventional veterinary treatment has its place for severe conditions and illnesses, but there are many common complaints that we, as pet owners, can treat ourselves. Avoid over-vaccination and over-medication and save trips to the vet for when they are really needed.

Holistic pet treatments take the animal's whole life into account. We look at our pet's nutrition, exercise, emotional and physical well being in order to ensure that their lives are as long, healthy and happy as possible.

Homeopathy allows the creation of specific remedies for that can treat common pet health complaints. For example, common conditions such as diarrhea, constipation, ear mites and aggression can all be treated with specifically formulated homeopathic remedies.

Each of these remedies will contain a number of herbal and/or homeopathic ingredients which have been carefully selected, prepared and successfully tested in order to alleviate the condition.

These remedies can be used in isolation as quick fixes to specific problems. However, holistic pet treatments go deeper than just applying temporary sticking plasters to underlying problems.

The long term health, happiness and longevity of your pet depends on him or her being well fed, well exercised and well loved. As a responsible pet owner you need to take these factors into account.

Alternative medicine for pets is here to stay. Boost your pet's immune system and treat common minor health complaints at home.

Holistic pet care: food and drink

• Make sure that your pet has access to clean, fresh water. Filtered water is preferable to chlorinated tap water. Change this every day. 
• Feed puppies and kittens on small amounts of soft food 3 to 5 times a day until their teeth are strong enough for dried food. 
• Dogs and cats should eat a high quality diet that contains as much raw unprocessed food as possible. Where food is manufactured, ensure that it is of the highest quality possible.
• If you are wondering what is a premium pet food, then click here to see a selection where everything for sale is top quality.

Holistic pet care: exercise and play

• Dogs need to be exercised every day without fail. Ideally twice a day. Letting him run round the back yard on his own doesn't count. Enjoy the time that you spend walking with your pet and it's good exercise for you too!
• Cats kept indoors at any time need a litter tray and this needs to be changed daily. Cats will exercise themselves sufficiently if you let them outside each day. Better still, fit a cat flap and allow them to choose when they go out. But keep them inside from dusk till dawn. This makes them less likely to be run over and they pose less danger to other small animals.
• Keep an eye on your pet's weight and attitude to food. If he's getting overweight, then you need to cut down on the food a little and get him some more exercise. If he's off his food entirely, then there may be an underlying health problem that needs attention.
• Make sure that your pet has a few toys to play with. Dogs love rubber bones or balls to chew and squeaky toys too. Cats love scratching towers, toy mice and string.
• Take time to get to know your pet. When you really get to know your pet's character and physical appearance, you will find that you can quickly spot any injuries and illnesses that are developing.

Holistic pet care: grooming

• Grooming is important for all dogs and cats. Long haired cats need to be groomed more often than short haired breeds, but you should groom shorter haired ones too. Dogs and cats both like to be stroked. It is a good bonding exercise that also lets you examine your pet's hair and skin for any problems. 
• Dogs need to be bathed periodically and use a special dog shampoo for this purpose as many human shampoos or shower gels will irritate. Once every two months is about right. Their skin can become irritated with bathing too often. Cats clean themselves so don't try to bathe your cat!

Holistic pet care: training your pet

• It is critical to train your dog. Obedient dogs won't soil your house, bite, jump up on guests, chew your shoes and ruin the couch. They are more hygienic and less likely to be involved in fights and accidents. Once trained, you can give your dog much greater freedom as you know that he/she can be trusted. If you need help with dog training, this program is excellent. 
• Cats should be toilet trained as soon as possible and taught that a scratching post is the only allowed place for them to sharpen their claws.

Holistic pet care: treatments

If you are following all the steps above, you should be reducing the chances that your pet is going to get sick. A happy, well-fed, well-exercised, well-loved pet is usually a healthy pet.

However, there are a number of health concerns that we need to be proactive about as responsible pet owners. So please read through the following sections to make yourself aware of these issues. Or alternatively, please sign up for our mailing list and we'll send you details on common pet health concerns by email. You can sign up at the bottom of the home page.

• Pet Constipation
• Pet Diarrhea
• Pet Ear Infection
• Pet Fleas
• Pet Heartworm
• Pet Ringworm
• Dog Mange