Dr. Mahaney’s Top 5 Holistic Pet Care Tips

Filed Under: Pets Health Tips Dr. Patrick Mahaney

Don't be quick to judge - Holistic veterinary medicine is not just for the flower picking, tree hugging, patchouli wearing pet owner!

The concept of holism means the entire organism is evaluated, as compared to a singular body part. All veterinarians should practice holistic medicine by striving to resolve of all detectable illness every time a pet is assessed.

Check out these Holistic Pet Tips from Dr. Mahaney, a Los Angeles based veterinarian and certified veterinary acupuncturist:

1) Give your pet a daily home physical exam

Owners can take a proactive, holistic approach to their pet’s health by placing their hands on a pet at least once daily to do their own version of a physical exam. Be sure to address any problem areas you discover with your vet.

2) To Vaccinate or not to Vaccinate?

Pet owners should follow vaccination guidelines under the direction of your veterinarian, but recognize that immunizations are only a small portion of what contributes to your pet’s overall health.
Do not vaccinate your pet when clinical signs of health abnormalities are apparent.

3) Take a “feed this not that” approach to your pet’s nutrition.

Feed this:
• real meat (whole chicken, turkey, beef, fish, or other protein source)
• real vegetables (lightly steamed and finely chopped or pureed carrots, cauliflower, spinach, etc)
• whole grains (brown rice, oats, quinoa, etc)
• portions appropriate for your pet’s caloric needs
• two to three feedings per day

Not that:
• processed carbohydrates (sugar, fructose, etc)
• by-products (corn, soy, and other by-products and meals)
• preservatives (sodium nitrite, sulfur, ethylene glycol, etc)
• artificial colors
• excessive calories
• only one feeding per day
• exclusively dry food diets

4) Make time to exercise with your pet every day (regardless of species)

We all have twenty four hours each day with which we can use to work, play, and rest. How we use our time is a completely different matter and reflects directly on our state of physical and emotional health.

5) Avoid household and environmental toxins

In my clinical experience, exposure to toxins is one of the primary ways pets become severely ill.Prevention of exposure to or ingestion of myriad of toxins that exist in the world is the best way for your pet to never show clinical signs of toxin-related illness.

Tags: cat, environment, exercise, food, health, hollywood, medicine, pet, pets, play, species, teddy, veterinarian

Posted: March 21, 2011 at 11:00 am