At The Fuzzy Butts Blog, we are big believers in taking a proactive and holistic approach to pet care. Being proactive means taking steps to keep your pet healthy and happy, before there’s an issue. Practicing holistic pet care involves nurturing your pet’s overall well being, not just his physical health.
What is Holistic Pet Care?
Holistic pet care means taking a ‘whole’ approach to your pet’s health. All of the body’s systems are considered, both mental and physical, because they are all inter-related. Holistic pet care recognizes that everything your pet consumes or encounters plays a part in his overall health and wellbeing. At The Fuzzy Butts Blog, we believe that when you care for your pet holistically, you are providing the tools that your pet’s body needs to heal itself.
The Fuzzy Butts Blog Approach to Holistic Pet Care
Our goal at The Fuzzy Butts Blog is to provide you with proactive, holistic pet care tips. The practical tools that you can use every day to keep your pet healthy and happy. These tools of holistic pet care will help your pet live a longer, healthier, more quality life. They can also save you money on veterinary care now, and as your pet begins to age.
Nutrition
Proper nutrition is essential for good health, but it can mean different things for different animals. We recommend feeding a species-appropriate, meat-based diet to dogs and cats. Their diet should be made up of whole foods with very little or no grains. We also recommend providing certain supplements to prevent and treat disease, such as probiotics and fatty acids.
We don’t push for a raw diet for a number of reasons. Raw diets should be especially avoided in pets with weakened immune systems. Some owners don’t like handling raw meat or don’t have a good source of meat in their area. Maybe you just don’t have the time to prepare your dog’s food, and that’s ok. Whatever diet you choose, it should be low in carbohydrates, grain-free, and high in protein.
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- Fish Oil for Dogs and Cats | How Omega-3s Can Benefit Your Pet
- Probiotics for Dogs: Everything You Need to Know
- Raw Dog Food: Pros & Cons of Feeding a Raw Diet
Health Care
Holistic health care means choosing minimally invasive options and providing support so the body can heal itself. Pet owners must make every effort to do their own research and educate themselves. We recommend consulting with both a conventional vet and a holistic vet for major concerns. This gives you more than one opinion and helps you see the issue from both sides. Taking an open-minded approach could help you avoid unnecessary and invasive surgery, procedures, or tests.
We recommend a conservative vaccine protocol. Always vaccinate for diseases that are life-threatening and prevalent in your area, such as rabies or distemper. If your dog spends a lot of time at the groomer, kennel, daycare, or dog park, you might want to vaccinate for sicknesses that are highly contagious, such as kennel cough or flu. You should also consider having a titer test done to see if your pet already has antibodies to the disease you’re planning to vaccinate for. Once again, do your own research to decide which vaccines are really necessary for your particular situation.
Choosing the right veterinarian is crucial to providing holistic care for your pet. Don’t wait until your pet is sick to find out that your vet is not open-minded to hearing your opinions or considering alternative treatments. Be clear about your goals from the beginning and ask lots of questions to ensure that you’re both on the same page.
Related posts:
- 7 Ways to Relieve Your Dog’s Arthritis and Joint Pain Naturally
- 3 Easy Steps to Keep Your Pet and Home Free of Fleas
- Chronic Ear Infections: How to Banish Your Pet’s Stinky Ears for Good
- Skin Infections in Dogs and Cats | The Itch That Keeps Coming Back
Enrichment
Enrichment is essential for mental and emotional well-being. Providing your pet with exercise, social interaction, toys, treats, and new experiences are all valuable enrichment activities. If he’s a high-energy or working dog, get him involved in agility, take him hiking, or teach him something new. Mental stimulation is just as important as physical health.
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- 13 Ways to Occupy Your Working Dog While You’re Away
Grooming & Hygiene
Proper grooming and hygiene are essential for your pet’s physical health and mental wellbeing. Everything from how often you clean your cat’s litter box to cleaning your dog’s ears has an impact on how he feels. Providing adequate dental care is one of the most important things you can do for your pet’s health. Pets who are provided with a clean environment, basic hygiene, and regular grooming are much happier and healthier than those who aren’t.
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- Caring for Your Pet’s Teeth
- How To Choose The Best Litter Box For Your Cat
- How to Remove Skunk Smell from a Dog In 5 Easy Steps
Alternative Medicine
One of the keys to holistic pet care is using alternative medicine as a complement to conventional treatments. Be open to things like massage, chiropractic care, homeopathy, acupuncture, and herbal medicine to provide a well-rounded approach to your pet’s health.
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- CBD for Dogs: The Benefits of CBD Oil for Anxiety, Seizures, Chronic Pain & More
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Reviews for Proactive Pet Parents
In this section, you’ll find reviews for products that we think will solve problems for proactive pet parents or improve your pet’s quality of life. We try to include as much useful information as possible so that you can make educated decisions about where to invest your pet care dollars.
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Getting Started with The Fuzzy Butts Blog Approach to Holistic Pet Care
Not sure where to start? One of the most common problems we see pet parents struggling with is stinky ears and chronic ear infections. Many owners think they have to put their dog on antibiotics for even a mild ear infection, but that’s not always the case. Many ear problems can be treated or prevented at home, using the right products and nutrition.
Before you resort to antibiotics or invasive treatments for your pet’s stinky ears, try a holistic approach. The most popular post on The Fuzzy Butts Blog is designed to help you, the average pet owner, Take Charge of Stinky Ears and Chronic Ear Infections using natural products, supplements, and proper nutrition. If you’ve tried everything to get rid of your dog’s chronic ear infections, we think you’ll find this post especially useful.
Do you have a question about practicing holistic pet care? Post it on our Facebook Page and we will do our best to answer right away!
