Nutrition
A healthy balanced diet is the key to a healthy body and a strong immune system. Many animals (and people!) have a diet that is less than ideal. In a disease situation, the role of vitamins, minerals, certain proteins and essential fatty acids becomes even more important in helping the body recover, and specific conditions have been shown to respond to very high levels of certain supplements.
Part of the holistic approach to treatment involves assessing dietary requirements and optimising nutritional intake in addition to any homeopathic or acupuncture treatment. This does not necessarily involve changing your pet's food, although this can sometimes be beneficial, and advice can be given regarding high quality feeding. This approach can also help with maximising weight gain for picky eaters, and animals that are difficult to get weight on.
Food sensitivities and allergies are very common and can be the cause of many problems including itchy skin, poor coat, vomiting, diarrhoea and general `not doing well'. Just changing the make of feed rarely works - a planned approach to a hypoallergenic diet is needed, under close veterinary supervision, both for advice on what to feed and to monitor and assess the effects from that dietary change.
Many people feed their pets BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) diets - this does not just mean `feed raw meat' - if this is your preferred feeding method, I can advise on how to get the balance right, and what supplements are needed to simulate a natural raw food diet and keep your pet in top condition.
Contact me to discuss how you can improve your pet's health.
Nimbus was thin, with a poor coat, and had constant diarrhoea. He had a gluten allergy, and changing him to a gluten-free food resulted in solid feaces, weight gain and a glossy coat.