Have you ever wanted to make a change to your lifestyle to feel better about yourself and your health? Perhaps you started eating healthier, bought a spa package, or started a new physical activity. Have you ever wondered if your pet could possibly benefit from these same lifestyle changes? The answer may very well be in holistic remedies!
Holistic medicine is currently being practiced more and more by veterinarians everyday. Vets that are involved in holistic medicine look at an animal’s overall health and use various methods of therapies accordingly. While the traditional prescription drugs may help in some situations, acupuncture, herbal remedies, and other holistic therapies are used to keep pets in tiptop shape. Holistic vets also encourage that animals go on a healthy diet and get plenty of exercise, much like we do, in order to fight diabetes, obesity, and other diseases. Here is the breakdown:
Massage: Okay, you have to admit, everyone loves getting a nice massage every once in a while. Why not let your pet in on the relaxation? Massages can improve blood flow in the body and de-stre
ss an animal. However, you should take your animal to a professional so that someone trained knows the exact spots to hit!
Acupuncture: An acupuncturist inserts needles into points of the animal’s body to relieve pain that may stem from a limp, back pain, etc.
Chiropractic: Much like humans, the bones in the animal’s spine and other bones in the body are moved around in order to alleviate back and neck problems at a chiropractor. However, you will not hear a cracking sound because there is less force used on animals and it is a very gentle process.
Aromatherapy: Believe it or not, scents can help relieve pet anxiety as well. Who knew lavender could calm your pet like it does you? Animals have a very sensitive sense of smell so it is important that you ask a professional veterinarian before you start aromatherapy. The whole room does not need to have an overbearing smell because animals can smell over 20 times better than we can!
Herbal Remedies: The herbs chamomile, kava, and valerian can be used to relax animals along with the other suggestions. There are many recommended combinations of herbs that can be used to relieve stress, but it is very important to have a professional make the formula rather than just looking something up on the Internet.
If you have tried holistic pet care, let us know how it has helped your pet! We’d love to hear from you!
