Holistic veterinary medicine in dogs and cats offers an alternative to the traditional Western veterinary medical approach, as it focuses on the whole patient, not just the presenting clinical signs and disease. While Western medicine focuses primarily on directly treating the disease itself, the holistic veterinary approach manages disease by supporting the body and enabling it to perform one of its best functions, which is to heal itself.
That is not to say that Western veterinary medicine is not essential. To the contrary, traditional Western veterinary medicine remains an integral component to disease and wellness management. The diagnostic capabilities of Western veterinary medicine enable us in most cases to definitively diagnose the disease that ails the pet so that treatment may be engaged.
Traditional Western veterinary medicine also enables more timely management of disease to reduce pain and stabilize the patient. In the short term, this is not only humane and life-sustaining, but it begins the process of recovery in a more timely fashion than holistic veterinary medicine typically does.
The main shortcoming of traditional Western medicine is that treatments are often fraught with unwanted, adverse side effects, sometimes leaving practitioners curing one ailment, while inadvertently causing new ones. Many traditional Western treatments tax organ systems and compromise immunity over the longer term.
Holistic veterinary medicine becomes very important once the patient’s pain is under control and he/she is stable. It can then be utilized to begin weaning a patient off more harmful medications and provide long-term disease management and prevention in a more natural, less harmful way.
Holistic veterinary medicine can also be ideal for chronic disease that is not life-threatening, nor severely painful. Engaging in natural support of the body for treatment of disease before disease leads to severe debilitation that requires aggressive traditional Western veterinary medical intervention, is better for the dog or cat patient, and often far less costly for the pet owner.
Dr. Roger’s Holistic Veterinary Care offers up to date information on natural, holistic healing that is free of negative side effects. We are not meant to be a replacement for a hands-on relationship with your veterinarian, but offer an educational forum by which pet owners may explore alternative options for wellness and disease management.