Holistically Speaking

Map your dog's journey to natural health.

By Liz Palika; Illustrations by Thomas Kimball

Dog magazines Teddy is a 4-year-old, black-and-red German Shepherd Dog. His eyes are bright, his coat is shiny, he carries himself proudly, and his tail never stops wagging. A year ago, however, Teddy was not nearly as handsome. "Teddy was a mess," says his owners, Petra Zimmerman of Vista, Calif. "Teddy has had health issues from the time he was a puppy. He's had skin allergies, ear infections, anal-gland infections, gastrointestinal problems and more.

Zimmerman says, "At one point I decided that Teddy couldn't continue to live this way. He was miserable and he wasn't getting any better." She began looking into alternatives for Teddy, including changing his food, adding nutritional supplements to his food, and trying several herbal remedies. She asked her veterinarian to check Teddy's blood titers (tests which measure the antibodies in the bloodstram) prior to giving him his annual booster vaccinations. With those results, she was then able to decide against administering vaccinations. Zimmermann says, "A year after changing Teddy to a more holistic healthcare regimen, he's in much better shape. I am not giving up totally on modern veterinary care for him, but I cam open to alternative care."

What is Holistic Healthcare?
Holistic healthcare is an approach that emphasizes healthy living practices to prevent dissease rather than simply treating diseases that appear, as modern Western medicine tends to do. Holistic veterinary medicine encompasses all aspects of the dog's life, from home life and normal activities to exercise, diet, nutrition, and more.