Stay Informed: Pet Care

When most people think about pet care they think of their local veterinary surgery. But what is fast approaching is alternative medicine. Traditionally you would only associate alternative medicine with humans but it is a fast growing craze among pet owners. Alternative medicine is sometimes equally as effective in not in some cases more effective than conventional medicines and care that you would normally receive from your local veterinary care provider.  Alternative medicine is normal only used after all traditional methods have already been tried to help relieve your pet of its ailments. But is can be used in conjunction with traditional medicines to help compliment and enhance the final result.  Just because something is deemed as alternative therapy it does not mean it is either one or the other. In fact the term “alternative” when referred to in a medical context is that the results that they provide cannot always be scientifically proven. This by no means doesn’t mean that these therapies don’t work, but that the highly controlled experiments that the scientists subject them to are often inconclusive enough that the American Veterinary Medical Association are unable to give a definite answer to the proof of their validity.

Before choosing a practitioner of complementary medicine make sure you have checked their credentials and that you have asked your vet what they know about, if anything, the practitioner you are considering using. Often your vet themselves will offer different types of alternative therapies and the need to out source this treatment unnecessary. Ask the complementary practitioner to provide you with past customer testimonials and telephone numbers of where they can be contacted so that you can confirm the level of treatment and care given meet your expectations. A practitioner that has nothing to hide will always give you this information freely as word of mouth is as with any business the corner stone of any good marketing strategy.

The most common form of alternative therapy is acupuncture for both animals and humans. Acupuncture is the ancient Chinese art of inserting filiform needles into certain pressure points within the body. It is widely recognised that the benefits of acupuncture include pain relief and promotion of cell generation.  Always check with your vet before trying any form of alternative therapy for your pet as certain things and or practices might put your pet in further danger.

Another form is Chiropractic care. Some illnesses just like human illness is often caused by a miss alignment of the spine which can cause the blood flow to become diminished to certain areas of the body.  Mainly the tissues, organs and muscles are affected by this lack in blood flow. By realigning the spine the practitioner is able to help your pet to live a more comfortable life sometimes free from pain. This alternative medicine is used in cases of a slipped or prolapsed disc or trapped sciatic nerve. It can also help in the recovery and treatment of certain skin problems, behaviour problems and even in certain cases of epilepsy.