Holistic and Natural Pet Care - What Does It Really Mean?

By Eleanor Van Natta

Aristotle was talking about holism when he said that "the whole is more than the sum of its parts". Holistic and natural pet care means that you take into account the physical, mental, and emotional well being and health when treating or preventing disease in your pets. What this looks like in practice is that you do not just try to fix individual symptoms when treating disease but instead take into account any number of factors of physical, mental, and emotional nature; its like looking at the individual trees without losing sight of the forest. For example, a horse with ulcers doesn't just need a "band-aid" for the ulcers themselves but perhaps needs to be fed more often (their gut constantly secrets acid because they were designed to forage most of the day) and/or needs to have its environment, stress load, show schedule, and training re-evaluated. The principle of holism also says, for example, that you cannot view - or treat - a horse's hooves as being separate from its body. And your dog doesn't just have skin problems - he may have food allergies, be under a lot of stress, etc.

The short and simple definition of holistic comes from Websters:

holistic - 1 : of or relating to holism

2 : relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts

Because of my experiences over the years with my horse and various other pets, I have come to the conclusion that when it comes to health, you really need to know at least a little bit about a lot of things - as well as have a team assembled of experts in their respective fields. For example, the farrier may point out something that the veterinarian missed (and vice versa), and some people specialize in certain areas that could be helpful to you and your horse. I have learned that relying exclusively on your veterinarian or anyone else for a certain problem is all too often a very narrow view and disappointing path to take. Chances are, there is something or someone that you have not tried yet in your quest to solve a health challenge. Not every creature responds to the same medicine or the same approach, and sometimes you just need to try a few different things or combinations of things. And just because it is holistic or natural or alternative doesn't mean that it will necessarily be the answer either. Once I had an acupuncture treatment done on my horse, and she hated it and even had to be twitched - which we both really disliked (and I regret that I did not stand up for my horse and not allow the twitch).

I cannot stress enough the importance of assembling a good team of knowledgeable, caring individuals to help you and your equine friends. To find a holistic veterinarian, check out the American Holistic Veterinarian Association AHVMA. The AHVMA site is a great resource for an overview on holistic medicine. Even if you do not have a holistic veterinarian located near you, many of them will do telephone consults as well as coordinate care with your local veterinarian.

Additionally, you should read - pet care books by well respected holistic veterinarians and other practitioners are a good start. Arm yourself with information, and learn all you can about what your horse, dog, cat, or other pet needs and wants both physically and emotionally. Know what that animal would do, be, eat, and have in the wild state - in nature. There are some good documentaries and videos on this topic as well as informative books. Our pets have adapted to domesticated life but usually not without some kind of ill-effects. If you know the wild dog, and you know your dog (personality, sensitivities, etc), then it can be easier to figure out what is out of balance and try to bring it back into balance or close to it. You probably cannot give your horse a herd of horses to roam with, or your dog a large pack, but there are a lot of other things that you can do.

Finally, it is vital when coordinating care for your pet that you don't forget to give a voice to your gut instincts and that you are not intimidated by those with higher degrees or more experience; no one has the same degree of bond with your animal as you do. Not being intimidated is very often easier said than done, depending upon your personality, but you may save yourself - and your pet- a lot of heartache and disease if you do.

Eleanor D Van Natta http://www.sagebynature.com
a natural horse through nature's wisdom http://sagebynature.blogspot.com/
Journey With Cody