Are you done with western pet medicine?

What's wrong with western pet medicine?

I recently spoke with a client about her cat and the numerous health issues that he's experienced and is experiencing. She told me her cat is completely done with western pet medicine.

With initial recommendations of feeding a processed prescription diet for urinary support (following a cystitis diagnosis) to giving her cat various prescription medicines (for the other health issues that started to present later in life) and traumatic surgical experiences, my client feels that her cat is no longer receptive to western pet medicine.

Another client has expressed similar concerns. Her cat has been diagnosed with diabetes and she has been given recommendations to feed processed prescription food and give prescription medicine. She's giving the medicine but she refuses to feed the processed food.

She previously fed processed prescription food to her cat based on earlier advice for managing her cat's weight. She's at a point now that she feels that the processed diet she was initially advised to feed, has in fact contributed to the disease that her cat has now because of its high carbohydrate levels.

I am not anti western pet medicine. It has its place and has helped many animals, particularly with acute, emergency situations. But when a pet parent is advised to feed a processed diet that has no resemblance to what a cat or dog is designed to eat I have a problem.

I also have a problem with the plethora of medications that are prescribed for companion animals. These drugs can have significant long term health impacts.

A drug may be prescribed for one health issue, but then previous healthy skin can become inflamed and itchy; a healthy coat can become dry and brittle; organs can start to fail; muscles can start to waste; the immune system can be compromised and other health issues can present.

Why?

Because of an unnatural, processed diet and toxic medications.

What else is there?

Many a client will come to me because they're seeking alternatives; the treatments they've been giving their cats and dogs are not working; and basically, they're fed up. They're literally at the end of their tether. And the state their animals are in is breaking their hearts.

They call on me with a hope that I can offer something that they haven't tried before. Something that will actually help, and that won't cause their animal any damage.

Perhaps you feel this way? That you've exhausted all options. Please keep reading if you do.

Chronic health issues

A health issue that's recurring or that your animal has been struggling with for several months or more, is considered a chronic health issue.

Sometimes there will be more than one issue at play. For example, your dog could have recurrent urinary issues, anxiety, musculoskeletal issues and allergies.

If the solution that's been given to you is to feed an unnatural processed food (kibble, canned food) and / or give various medications, you have not exhausted all options available to you.

In fact, that food you're feeding, those drugs you're giving, could actually be making the problem worse. (PLEASE NOTE: I'm not advocating that you stop giving any medicine that your animal has been prescribed.)

These kinds of recommendations are very linear or narrow-focused, as opposed to being holistic.

Linear vs holistic

The approach I recommend and guide my clients on is holistic. It takes into account your animal's whole picture - their whole body, their personality, their characteristics, their behaviours, their emotions, their environment, their toxin exposure, their energetic state, their past experiences, and so on.

Unlike the linear approach, it doesn't just look at a particular health condition or a particular body part in isolation.

Because your animal's body is a sum of its parts. If one part of your animal's body is not functioning properly, then there is likely an imbalance somewhere else in the body.

The linear approach only looks at the symptoms, the body part that's affected. Generally, it doesn't have regard for the impacts a linear type treatment will have on the rest of your animal, or for the imbalance/s within the body that will be contributing to the symptoms.

Getting to the root of the problem to improve your animal's health

Through an in-depth exploration of your animal's history, their current life, diet, what they're exposed to, how they feel etc, the root of the problem can be found (sometimes there will be more than one contributing factor or "root").

With an understanding of the root cause/s of the problem, holistic solutions can be identified that will help improve the health of your animal.

A plan can be put in place with strategies that will support your animal, whilst honouring who they are as a member of their species and as an individual. Strategies that won't cause them harm. Strategies that will make a difference to their health, to their vitality, to their longevity.

There may be other options for helping your animal

There are various ways and modalities that you can access for supporting your animal - prescription diets and medicines are not the only way.

Natural, species appropriate diets; nutraceuticals; natural medicines and energy medicines are just some of the other tools available that can help animals.

If you'd like to connect with me and learn about the tools and approaches I use for supporting animals, I'd love for you to book in a chat with me here. We can speak about your animal, what I do and whether working with me is something you'd like to explore to help your animal.