More and more people are turning to holistic options to care for their fur babies. So, what is holistic pet care, and how does your pet benefit from it? If you are curious to find out more and want to learn ways to help your pet, keep reading!
What Is Holistic Pet Care?
Let’s start at the beginning. For a long time, the healthcare of pets has been limited to a restricted range of medications that only doctors can prescribe. At the same time, the term “holistic” often evoked thoughts of alternative or mystical therapies. However, holistic healthcare is defined as taking care of the whole individual – in this case, your pet – by considering all factors influencing health, including mental and social aspects, rather than focusing solely on changes in behaviors.
Fundamental Aspects of Holistic Pet Care
Nutrition – As with everything in life, the first step to supporting your pet’s health is their food. Proper nutrition is key to your pet’s wellness, so a proper diet that considers your pet’s specific needs, age, and breed is taken into account, with a focus on natural, organic, and minimally processed foods.
Physical activity – Making sure that you give your pet the correct amount of physical activity is also very important when it comes to your pet’s wellness. So, depending on your pet’s breed, personality, and energy levels, you need to figure out what you can do to keep them active and healthy for as long as possible. This means that you will have to look into what works for your pet, such as hiking, obstacle courses, or even just long runs on the beach. For pets that may have flexibility issues, holistic care will give you options to promote the comfort of your pet. These can include simple approaches like stretching, massage, and underwater treadmill exercise.
Emotional and mental health – Every pet owner out there makes sure that their pet is adequately fed, exercised, and has a place to call home. This is the minimum amount of what you need to give to your pet. The rest is love, attention, and more love. Pets thrive off your energy as their owner; they know more about you than you know. You also need to make sure they live enriched lives. Simple things like puzzle games for treats and lick mats will help them engage their brain and have fun, all while getting treats for their good behavior.
Supportive care – This is a part of pet care that you should discuss with your vet, but getting supplements for joint care, dental hygiene, and skin and coat health makes it easy to support your pet’s overall wellness. Scheduling regular check-ups is also very important so that you are not caught by surprise issues.
Alternative care – Holistic pet care providers will work with you to explore various modalities, including acupuncture, herbal remedies, and more. Figuring out if these methods will benefit your pet is a conversation worth having with your holistic veterinarian.
What Are the Benefits of Holistic Pet Care?
So, now that you’ve looked into holistic pet care and its key elements, let’s look at its benefits. It is good to remember that holistic care has not been evaluated with the same level of scrutiny as traditional veterinary medicine. Potential health and wellness benefits may include:
Comprehensive care – Holistic pet care focuses on your pet’s overall wellbeing, rather than just working on a specific issue. This approach can have beneficial outcomes for your pet’s overall health and happiness.
A variety of options – Pet owners who explore holistic pet care may have more options available to them including natural offerings.
A personalized approach – Vets offering holistic services tailor plans to fit your pet’s needs and lifestyle.
Holistic Care and Modern Medicine
Holistic care is an excellent choice for many pet owners who are seeking an approach to wellness that simultaneously addresses the physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual components of health. While it does not replace modern medicine, these disciplines can be combined to ensure your pet gets the best and most well-rounded care possible.
At the end of the day, both holistic care and modern medicine are there to make sure that your pets will be living their best lives, loved and cared for by you. And only by using all the resources available to you can you make sure that that is the case.
Our pets are part of our family; we love them for all the time they have with us, and we want to keep them here happy and healthy for as long as we can. Holistic care will help with that.