Holistic Dog Health Strategies
How to Keep Your Pet Healthy and Protected from Disease
Why are holistic dog health strategies so popular? In recent years, the number of dogs suffering from allergies and other serious health problems has increased dramatically. The modern medicine treatments seem to cure the symptoms but not the actual disease. As a result, many pet owners have decided to adopt a holistic approach to keep their pet dog in good health.
The main aim of holistic dog health is to improve the wellbeing of the canine as a whole. This involves improving his nutrition, exercise and lifestyle as a whole. At the same time, you have to use natural methods for disease prevention. These include providing supplements, using homeopathic remedies and adopting specific approaches for grooming to prevent parasites. Treating your dog with natural and herbal remedies is the main method for curing diseases.
Healthy nutrition for dogs
Adopting healthy nutrition is the main holistic dog health strategy. As a start, you should stop feeding your dog processed food. Even if the claims of the manufacturer are that it is all natural, you should really ask yourself how it can stat canned for weeks and months without getting spoiled. The food must have additives even if it contains only natural ingredient.
The main ingredients of the meals of your canine pet should include meat, vegetables and whole grains. Dogs are carnivores so meat should be the major component of their diet. Some veterinarians who recommend holistic dog health strategies encourage owners to give their pet raw meat. However, you do not have to do this if you have health concerns. Boiled meat without any salt and spices will be a delicious and healthy feast for your pet.
Boiled vegetables such as squashes, carrots and potatoes are also good for your pet. You can feed him some rice and whole grain pasta as well. Just remember that these ingredients should be in smaller proportions compared to meat. You can readily find precise recipes that you can cook at home on the internet and in books devoted to holistic dog health strategies.
Give your pet bones
This strategy should be included in the nutrition section simply because you can readily buy meat with bones. The reality is that canines love to get bones after meals. They get vital nutrients from them. They dogs can clean their teeth properly and prevent the building up of tartar. Furthermore, bones are favourite toys. If you have decided to adopt a holistic health approach, you should provide your canine with bones and not with artificially made biscuits that have the same purpose.
Vitamins and minerals are essential for keeping your pet in good health. As you are adopting holistic dog health strategies, you have to aim for all of these nutrients to come from natural sources rather than coming in tablets or liquids. Your pet will get most of the nutrients he needs from meat, vegetables and whole grains.
Your dog will benefit from eating some garlic as it is full of antioxidants and will protect him from parasites to a great extent. He can readily enjoy some skimmed unsweetened yogurt in his meal. Yogurt is full of probiotics and different enzymes that aid digestion. Brewed yeast is an excellent source of Vitamin B1 while chicken liver gives your canine Vitamin A, B12 and C.
Diet & Exercise
Dietary supplements are sometimes necessary for giving your pet all the vitamins and minerals that he needs. You should definitely talk to your vet about your pet’s diet and his need for these. Generally, holistic veterinarians recommend giving your dog digestive enzyme supplements, fatty acid supplements and multivitamins.
Exercise is an important aspect of the holistic dog health strategies. Your canine should exercise as much as he needs to every day. You have to develop his exercise program given his breed, age and general health. Most dogs will enjoy a walk in the park and playing with other canines. However, some larger dogs need more than this and you have to be prepared to be the athletic owner that they require.
A healthy lifestyle involves not only a balanced diet and exercise. Your pet must have a comfortable place to sleep. He must feel at home in your house and he must behave, of course. You must make sure that the environment is not stressful for him. It is important to give your canine all the affection that he needs so that he can be healthy emotionally as well as physically. Pet Insurance companies will cover alternative therapies such as acupuncture and homeopathy so look around for the best deals on this type of cover.
Dog Grooming
Grooming and flea control are other important holistic dog health care strategies. Grooming should be done regularly in line with the requirements of the breed. Natural flea control is essential for the holistic approach to health to work effectively. As highlighted earlier, when consumed regularly, garlic can act as a natural repellent. The vitamins and minerals can also aid your dog in fighting fleas naturally.
Regular baths and daily use of the flea comb can keep fleas, their eggs and larvae and other parasites away. Just remember that the holistic approach involves washing the dog’s bedding and vacuuming all the carpets and rugs in the house to prevent permanent flea infestation. It may take a bit longer to get rid of fleas, but they will be eliminated naturally.
Dog homeopathy
Giving your dog homeopathic remedies for disease prevention is one of the main holistic dog health strategies. In general, homeopathy is intended to prevent a disease by creating similar symptoms on a smaller scale and thus encouraging the body to fight it naturally. The symptoms are induced with the use of different homeopathic remedies. If the animal is affected with the respective disease, his body will fight it naturally without letting it even produce symptoms.
Herbal and natural remedies should be the only ones administered to dogs if a holistic health approach is adopted. There are different herbs that you can give your pet. Chamomile, for instance, sooths coughing and strengthens the immune system. Mint and lemongrass are used for treating digestive upsets, vomiting and diarrhoea. An oatmeal paste can sooth the skin and promote its curing from an infection. Generally, you can give your pet any herbal remedies designed for canines.
Homeopathy for dogs is a very good way to protect your dog or pet naturally from all sorts of issues. Obviously it works better if you start you dog or pet off in this way from when they are a puppy!
Pet insurance companies do entertain alternative forms of therapies such as acupuncture for example. However all pet insurance companies stipulate that homeopathic remedy must be carried out by vet professional, so talk to your vet about alternative forms of homeopathic treatments and foods.
