Holistic medicine can improve your pet’s health without chemicals or invasive processes. After having surgery to correct a herniated disk in his neck, Asko, a 115-pound German shepherd, couldn’t walk. So, the dog’s veterinarians took an integrative approach—one that involved giving the canine traditional pain medications along with more holistic approaches, such as antioxidants, heat therapy, and massage. And it worked.
“It was so wonderful to see his owners’ reaction when they called to Asko from our office lobby and he started walking to them,” said Dr. Kim Danoff, one of the vets at the Veterinary Holistic & Rehabilitation Center (VHRC) in Vienna, Va., who treated Asko.
This, Danoff and others agree, is the power of holistic medicine—a more natural and less invasive approach than conventional therapies to treating and preventing illness. It’s becoming a highly sought alternative for a growing number of pets and their owners.
“When I first started my practice (almost ten years ago), I mostly worked with older animals who were ready to die,” said Karin Serejski, owner of Holistic Pets in Silver Spring, Md. But more and more owners are seeking alternative therapies for their pets in much earlier or more moderate stages of illness.
While holistic practices can be varied, they do share a few common denominators: For one, they’re decidedly less expensive than more invasive techniques like surgery. For another, they each aim to restore alignment between energy and body systems. Following are some of the most common methods:
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is derived from traditional Chinese medicine, and its practitioners insert tiny needles into “meridian” points on the body that, once stimulated, release endorphins, enkephalins (substances that are the body’s natural pain killers), and other chemicals into the system. In turn, these substances can relieve pain, improve healing, strengthen the immune system, and increase circulation.
“I like acupuncture for pain relief more than anything else, especially for orthopedic issues like hip dysplasia and arthritis,” said Danoff. “We’ve also had really good success using it to treat animals with gastrointestinal problems like poor appetite and motility, vomiting, and chronic bowel disease.”
