If you are finding it difficult to get information on your dog’s health issues or whether to go with conventional regular medicine or not, you are not alone. Today there is a need to understand some basic principals and terminology of Holistic Medicine for Pets.

The “Holistic” word is used on products and advertisements as if it was a new buzz word but the word is not used correctly in most cases. Holistic health has been around for centuries and basically it encompasses a whole process of health applications.

A Holistic Veterinarian will use techniques to assess your dog’s behavior, diet history, emotional stress, environmental concerns and other factors in a comprehensive total exam. The words body, mind and spirit are often used to describe a holistic approach to illness that is to treat the whole body of the patient. When you use a natural dog care approach it will change your viewpoint on nutrition, feeding, therapies, diet and the wellness of your whole dog or cat.

You will be amazed at how natural and humane the whole process becomes as you see how gently your vet can reduce your pet’s anxiety levels. Holistic Medicine treatments can include Herbal Medicine, Homeopathy, Acupuncture, Nutritional Health Therapy, Massage, Chiropractic, Chinese Medicines, Behavior Modification, Acupressure, and many others.

Unfortunately people tend to try holistic therapies only after conventional vet medicine has failed and it becomes a crisis management situation. At that point you are emotionally drained at the thought of losing your faithful companion and decisions are made in haste and out of desperation. This doesn’t have to happen to your pet and one fact needs to be understood and that is, there is no holistic therapy that can hurt or harm your dog if given in the proper circumstances under the care of a Holistic Veterinarian.

I have heard some people say through fear “can this hurt my dog?” It is more a rarity to have a dog or cat hurt by holistic healing therapies than the numbers who have been damaged by regular pharmaceutical medical treatments.

I have witnessed many dogs and cats that have been completely healed from deadly diseases, and have become healthy champions which just give you such a boost of faith in the strength of the immune system of an animal. In the last twenty years there were no drugs and vaccines as they are available today and the cats we had in our home had a lifespan of twenty years. Of course the cat foods of that era did not contain all the additives they do today either.

I have a friend who raises her five dogs totally without vaccines and gives them a range of homeopathy and herbal supplements. The dogs roam free on the farm and are in extremely good health. This just goes to show you that your pets can not only survive but actually thrive with holistic health applications.

What is Allopathic Medicine? In simple terms allopathic medicine treats only the symptoms usually just using surgery and/or drugs but seldom do they treat the causes of pet diseases. It is the only type of medicine authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration and what is practiced by doctors and veterinarians. This is your basic conventional medicine practiced by the majority of veterinarians in the country and pretty much holds a monopoly on health treatments for pets but there are other methods.

Not only does Holistic Pet medicine treat the symptoms, but the whole animal whether human or animal. This type of health treatment searches for causes before the symptoms occurred and using the body and mind in improving overall good health. Whether you call it: Alternative, Holistic, Complementary or any other words, these treatments involve the whole being of the patient, not just the symptoms but the underlying causes of diseases.

Holistic health does not have to be difficult nor is finding a local holistic veterinarian or practitioner in your area.

You can contact the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association at:

www.ahvma.org and find a local Holistic Vet for all your pet’s needs and continued good health.

Teri Salvador is a freelance writer with a site concentrating primarily on dog health issues that offers frequently updated articles on natural remedies, pet product reviews and current articles on pet foods. Also added sections on Horses, Cats and Reptiles. Visit: http://www.DogHealth1.com