A Holistic Approach to Caring for Your Pet’s Health
Caring for Your Pet’s Health
A holistic approach to your pet’s health entails treating all aspects of their health. This includes the environment in which they live, food, behavior, medical history, and genetics.
It refers to taking care of both the body and mind of your pet.
You can support the better functioning of the entire body of your pet by feeding them a quality diet, giving them opportunities for exercise, and taking care of their oral hygiene.
Holistic care does not entail looking after individual parts; rather, it maintains or enhances the health of the entire body.
In this article, we will share some of the most effective recommendations for holistic pet care.
1.
Schedule Your Pet’s Physical Examination Regularly
One of the first steps to ensuring holistic health care for cats, dogs, and other pets is getting them physically examined by a veterinarian.
You wouldn’t know if your pet is experiencing any problems if they look well outwardly.
But it is only when your vet explores the pet thoroughly that underlying health issues can emerge.
For example, your cat may have injuries around the rectum. The wounds in this area can bleed when your cat defecates.
It, in turn, leads to blood in their stool.
A physical examination by a vet will help you determine the cause of bloody stools and ensure your pet’s well-being.
Likewise, food intolerance, consumption of rat poison, and blood clotting disorders can also make your cat ill and cause blood to occur in their stool.
You must consult a vet and take steps to enhance the health of your pet.
2.
Make Time for Daily Outdoor Exercise
Like humans, a pet’s health is also influenced by their mental state. So, just like exercise helps us feel good, it also has the same effect on pet animals like cats and dogs.
Pets that spend most of their days indoors can rapidly gain weight. Obesity is dangerous for them like it is for us.
So regular outdoor exercise helps improve their mental state and also maintains an optimal body weight.
Moreover, the quality of the air outside is significantly better than the air inside.
Regular time outside gives pets like cats and dogs exposure to fresh air, which is good for their health.
- Learn to Recognize Your Pet’s Emotions
3.
Learn to Recognize Your Pet’s Emotions
You may be surprised to know that your pet experiences almost the same spectrum of emotions as you do.
Their health is governed by their emotional state.
Depression in animals is a real thing. Moreover, they experience a full range of depressive episodes, from brief periods of low moods to long stretches of depression.
Contrarily, happiness floods them with endorphins. It’s important to become aware of how your pet is feeling to take care of them holistically.
If your pet is by themselves most of the day, they will soon start feeling lonely and anxious.
But if they have your companionship and/or that of other animals, their mood boosts, and they become better mentally.
4.
Focus on Your Pet’s Oral Health
Another important tenet of a pet’s holistic health is periodontal health. Prevention of common oral diseases consists of regular removal of common oral diseases.
These include removing dental plaque and tartar that builds up on teeth that aren’t clean. You must brush your pet’s teeth regularly to maintain their oral health.
This will also minimize the need for periodic dental cleaning by your vet.
It’s best to start preventive measures earlier in life to reduce the consequences of infection and inflammation in the oral cavity.
These can negatively affect the heart, liver, and kidneys of your pet.
If you care for the periodontal health of your pet properly, they will not have the need for aesthetic dentistry to fix advanced complications.
5.
Maintain a Healthy Pet Diet
Animals also need to inculcate healthy eating habits for wellness, just like humans. Freshly prepared pet foods are much more beneficial for them.
They are very similar to what they would consume in the wild. These food items also have a better nutrition profile than processed foods like kibbles.
Some ways to maintain a healthy pet diet are as follows:
- Read the primary ingredients in your dog and cat’s food. The main ingredient must be meat.
- Pay attention to the food portions that you give to your pet. Overfeeding is a very common issue that can give rise to many health problems. Always consult your vet to know the right portion sizes for your pet.
- Limit the number of treats. Do not go overboard while treating your pet. If you have a bag of treats, check how many treats you need to serve on the package daily. Too many treats add up calories and cause weight gain.
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Would You Consider Holistic?
Maintaining whole or holistic pet health by considering their mental and physical wellness is vital. The tips mentioned above will help you support the optimal functioning of your pet.
Paying attention to nutrition, scheduling regular exercise, and taking your pet to a vet regularly will keep them disease-free.
Would you ever consider a holistic approach to your pet’s health?
Let me know, til then—cheers m’deres!
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Nancy Polanco is a freelance journalist, lifestyle content creator, and editor of Whispered Inspirations. She is a proud Mom to Gabby and Michaela and partner and best friend to Darasak. Having worked as part of a health care team for almost a decade, Nancy is happy to be back to her passion. She is a contributor to the Huffington Post, TODAY’s Parents, and an Oprah Magazine Brand Ambassador.
