Holistic Animal Health Care ~ Resoruces & Links
This page is an evolving educational resource for holistic, integrative care for companion animals. Please contact me with feedback and suggestions.
Medical Miracles
Finding a Holistic Veterinarian
Veterinary Acupuncture
Homeopathy
Flower Essences
Veterinary Chirporactic
Medical Miracles and Holistic Care
A medical miracle might be something as ordinary as this: A dog, horse, cat, or human has a passion for life. Then there's room for the natural world, including allopathic, botanical and energetic medicine to show up and support the body's healing wisdom. Next thing you know, you and your vet are trying to holding back the tears when your beloved dog walks again. It happend in my home just like that!
My connection to holistic, integrative health and (sort of) a natural diet started when I was in college. My Aunt Alice shared her whole wheat bread recipe and introduced me to Hatha Yoga. She credited her yoga practice with her longevity - she lived to 93 - and was ahead of her time in her understanding that stress is at the root of many diseases.
Living from the ground up made sense then and it makes even more sense today for us and our animals as we learn about the side effects of medications and the safety of commercial pet foods.
I try for an integrative, mind-body approach in my home. I am lucky that my sister-in-law is a lay homeopath and introuduced me to the practice.
Many of the animals I work with are lucky to have people who provide at least some holistic care, and it shows in their health and behavior! There is more call than ever for holistic veterinary medicine and I look foward to seeing the medical community meet that need as we walk together into a new paradigm of health care.
May you and your animals walk in beauty and robust health for
many turns around the sun. ~ Peace Susan Hamlin
Holistic Veterinarians
Because of the supply, some people work with a conventional veterinarian at home and a "holistic" consulting vet out of the area as needed. For more information and a directory of holistic vets by region please visit the American Holistic Veterinary Association website.
Veterinary Acupuncture
Acupuncture is based on a totally different medical paradigm than bio-medicine. My veterinarians have recommended acupuncture for my dog's arthritis and orthopedic surgery with excellent results.
To find a certified veterinary acupuncturist, ask for referrals from friends and visit the links below.
American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture
International Veterinary Acupuncture Society
Homeopathy
Homeopathic medicine has been around for thousands of years and is a rising star in modern integrative
medicine. Homeopathy looks at the big picture and not just one or two symptoms and the idea is to administer a remedy and wait to see how it works.
"Classical" homeopaths use single remedies and usually want the homeopathic remedy to
be the only thing you use. I've used the classical approach as well combination mixtures.
Homeopathy is a big subject! I suggest you get started with one of the
excellent books and online resources then consult with a trained homeopathic veterinarian
about your own animal. Here is a link to a
roster of veterinarians who've trained with Dr. Pitcairn, a pioneer in the field.
Flower Essences for Animals
Flower essences have been in use since Dr. Edward Bach (a physician from the U.K) developed the 38 original Bach Essences about 100 years ago. Bach's Rescue Remedy is widely known today as a remedy for short term use, and is just the tip of the iceberg of what is available in today's flower essence repertory. Flower essences work on the emotional level and are reported to help balance the mind-body connection.
Thousands of essences have been developed since Dr. Bach's groundbreaking research, using American, Alaskan, Australian flowers and gemstones. They are used for phobias, fears and anxieties, trauma, adoption, even chronic Lyme disease. It's fun to learn about flower essences and I encourage you to explore their beauty and power!
Spirit Essence . com - Flower Essences for animals, special formulas for dogs, cats, horse, birds. Developed by a licensed veterinarian and cat behaviorist. Great education and customer service.
Flower Essence Society -
California based American and English flower essences, this is the education, research and information site.
Here is the site they market the essences from.
Veterinary Chirporactic
Veterinary chirporactic is popular for performance animals, especially equine athletes. Here are links to organizations with rosters of chirpractic veterinarians:
American Veterinary Chiropractic Assocition
International Veterinary Acupuncture Associaton
For more information, here's the link to the Wiki Page on veterinary chiropractic.