I have been honored by being asked to write the first blog post for this very worthwhile cause. In my twenty-eight year career, I have been approached several times by needy pet owners to help their ailing animals. In some cases I am not able to help due to the circumstances. Many veterinarians have been in a similar situation. Some of us may look for an organization like Reggie’s Pet Project to help. It is important for all of us to always respect the circumstances of our clients. Sometimes this includes not being able to afford optimal (or any) pet care.
I had the honor of caring for Reggie throughout his long, wonderful life. He had a loving and attentive family, was fed the best food, and overall just had a great 20+ years. I believe that integral to his longevity was Betty and Pete’s pursing a holistic path for Reggie. They were able to integrate homeopathy (which is the ultimate “holistic” treatment method) along with modern diagnostics and Evidence-based veterinary medicine to give him the best of both worlds.
Respecting and listening to the language of nature is critical for living truly holistically. Feeding species-appropriate fresh foods, minimizing vaccinations, reducing exposure to toxins, while maximizing fresh air-exercise-mental stimulation is a great place to start, but is not enough. Most critical, in my opinion, is working with the body.
The signs and symptoms shown by the body can be the main clue to health. They can help teach you whether your pet s living a great life, is getting better with age (as nature intended), is getting worse, or whether s/he is responding appropriately to any particular treatment. When possible, respect the symptoms of the body rather than cover them up and eliminate them.
Becoming healthy or sick is a process. Moving towards health starts with adopting a more holistic outlook on illness and its effects. An individual symptom is only one small part of the disease gestalt. Never suppress the body’s attempt to express itself through symptoms. Doing so greatly decreases the level of health and predisposes to more serious problems later.
If signs and symptoms arise, try to gently support your pet’s body while pursuing a diagnosis and prognosis from your vet. It is very useful to build a veterinary medical team that will help you work through any problems. We will devise a safe, cost-effective, and effective treatment plan that respects your personal choices in healthcare.
Become an informed veterinary medical consumer. In addition to your veterinary team, you can learn more from reliable references like those from Drs. Hamilton and Pitcairn’s excellent holistic and homeopathic pet care books. The books from Cornell and UC Davis vet schools are also great for informing yourself about your pet’s specific dis-ease condition.
You can also learn more from the free resources at www.homevet.com Feel free to post general questions on the HomeVet “Pet Chat’ forum. You can also “like” me and homevet.com on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
Be well,
Dr. Jeff Feinman, CVH
certified veterinary homeopath