Holistic Pet Healing Tips With Dr. Patrick Mahaney!!!

August 30th is National Holistic Pet Day and to celebrate, we’ve got some pet care tips for the more holistic pet owner.
And there’s only one doc we turn to for pet and holistic advice….Dr. Patrick!
Check out these tips and strategies from Dr. P AFTER THE JUMP!!!
CLICK THE JUMP!!!

Be Aware of Your Pet’s Habits

Knowing your pet’s day-to-day habits is a vital component of proper care taking. Without having historical awareness of your pet’s patterns, your veterinarian cannot appropriately diagnose and treat medical abnormalities.
Be prepared to report your pet’s trends for eating, drinking, bowel movements, urination, vomit, diarrhea, cough, sneeze, medications, and supplements.

Regularly Schedule a Physical Examination

Healthy pets should have a physical examination by a veterinarian at least every 6-12 months. Puppies and kittens and senior or sick pets should be evaluated more frequently.
Even if your pet appears healthy, it’s important that your veterinarian’s eyes, ears, and hands thoroughly explore for underlying health problems.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Greater than 50% of pets in the United States are overweight or obese according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP) That’s approximately 89 million cats and dogs.
If your pet is overweight or obese, all body parts suffer. The cardiovascular (heart and blood vessels), gastrointestinal (stomach and intestines), endocrine (glands), and musculoskeletal (muscles, joints, ligaments, etc) systems are especially compromised by the burden of extra weight.
Many diseases associated with obesity are irreversible, so it’s best to prevent your pet from becoming overweight. Work with your veterinarian to set reasonable goals for weight loss through dietary modification, calorie restriction, and daily exercise.

Focus on Periodontal Health

Periodontal disease is one of the most common problems affecting pets, yet it’s completely preventable (like obesity).
Start preventative measures early in life to minimize the toxic effects inflammation and infection originating in your pet’s mouth have on the heart, kidneys, and liver. Regular tooth and gum care can reduce the need for your pet have an anesthetic dental to resolve more advanced dental problems.

Reduce Reliance on Medications

When one body part or system is affected by trauma, infection, cancer, inflammation, or other ailments, the entire being suffers. Medication is often needed to resolve many health conditions affecting our pets, but there are side effects associated with nearly all medications.
If all body systems are kept functioning optimally, then the need for drugs to manage chronic ailments (arthritis pain, skin inflammation, digestive tract upset, etc) will be lessened.

Have a pet question? Email us at [email protected] or you can tweet them to Dr. Patrick HERE!! OR Check him out on facebook!