An Introductory Guide to Holistic Dog Care
Dogs are our best friends… that’s what we always say, right? And as such, it only makes sense that we want to take the best care of our canines that we can.
But unfortunately, conventional guidance around dog care, nutrition, and health are actually creating canines that are sick, anxious, disease-prone, and living a much poorer quality of life than we may even realize.
A healthy environment is the foundation of the overall wellbeing of our dogs. And when it comes to your dog’s behavior, we truly can’t leave out the importance of how the environment impacts their state of being.
In this guide, I’ll help unpack the myths around dog care and provide a complete overview of holistic dog care – and how it serves as the foundation to an optimized, vital, and extraordinary life for both you and your dog.
First things first… what is holistic dog care?
Before we dive in – let’s get an understanding of exactly what holistic dog care is, and why it’s such an important component of the Inner Alpha™ method.
Holistic canine care is an approach to canine wellness that simultaneously addresses the mind, body, and spirit of your canine. This approach looks at your dog as a whole, rooted in the understanding that many factors come into play when it comes to your canine’s health and wellness.
And while holistic medicine has gained popularity among humans, that same shift is a lot slower in the canine world – but it’s important for many of the same reasons.
The truth is that we are pumping toxins into our dogs bodies – causing illness and distress at an unfathomable rate.
Addressing these imbalances and creating a holistic environment for your dog is truly a key tenet for everything else I teach.
Get familiar with what you’re giving your dog
Here’s the thing: dogs eat what we give them. They don’t have a choice, and they can’t feed themselves with anything that will make them feel better. Looking at it from that perspective truly shifts everything.
So go off auto-pilot and get familiar with what you’re actually putting into your dog’s life. What is really in the food that you’re feeding your dog, and should your dog intuitively be eating that? (Hint: the answer is most likely NO).
What about the toys that your dog is playing with? What are they made of, and should your dog be putting them in their mouth?
The more familiar you become with the choices that you’re making for your dog, the more awareness you’ll bring to the types of changes you’ll need to make as your dog’s leader and provider.
Holistic nutrition for dogs
Let’s get into the food that you’re feeding your dog.
Ninety-percent of the clients that I begin working with are feeding their canines a diet of dry kibble – often not knowing what ingredients are in the products they’re feeding their dog. This is because most dry animal food that claims to be full of quality ingredients use misleading labels, taglines, and is represented using very crafty false-advertising.
For example, many dog food brands advertise their products as “natural”, listing ingredients like “fish oil” / “essential fatty acids”. However, there’s no way that amino acids are in any way present in those foods. Dry dog food is cooked at a minimum of 450 - 600 degrees – meaning that any kind of amino acids would break down (they start breaking down at 104 degrees).
Essentially, by the time you open a bag of dog food, it’s already degrading. (And that’s not to mention the fact that most people don’t properly seal their bags of dog food anyways).
Most dog foods are incredibly harmful to your canine, and you have to get honest with yourself: Is this what I want to be feeding my pet? Am I willing to spend a bit more money to feed my dog biologically and species appropriate, nutrient dense food in order to nourish their mind, body, and spirit? Or do I want to continue feeding my dog food that puts their immune system in overdrive and sets the foundation for imbalance and disease?
Diet affects everything. The best food you can feed your dog is a variety of food made of REAL ingredients, that contains a variety of healthy proteins, fats, probiotics, fiber, and nutrients key to sustaining a dog’s nutrition.
Feeding your canine a complete and balanced diet can be an adjustment to adopt. But just like humans, every dog should have access to nourishing food. It’s why I’m developing my own line of dog food designed to allow your dog to function optimally and flourish in a very long, vibrant life. Stay tuned.
Holistic vet care: finding the right vet for you
Choosing the ideal vet is a super important part of your dog’s overall health – after all, your vet is the one in charge of administering health care to your dog, providing recommendations, and guiding your dog’s health for the duration of its life. You want to be on the same page and LOVE your vet.
But it’s equally important that as the provider for your canine, that you’re personally educated on what services your dog needs – and which services they do not need (and may actually be harmful to their wellbeing). You need to be your dog’s greatest advocate.
When it comes to choosing the right veterinary for you, my recommendation would be to look for holistic or integrative vets in your area, as they will be able to provide the best possible guidance for the mind, body, and spirit wellness of your canine.
If you’re in an area where no holistic vets are available, look for a vet who is willing to work with your desire to provide holistic care for your dog.
The reality is that when you’re caring for your canine in a thoughtful, holistic way, the need for vet visits simply decreases dramatically. A weak immune system caused by poor nutrition attracts disease, parasites, and illness. Prevention is the best medicine – and a proper diet that maintains gut health, naturally deters fleas and ticks, nutrition that wards off disease, and elimination of toxins in the environment leads to a healthy dog who doesn’t need frequent vet visits or treatments.
Thinking about everything from a holistic standpoint, you need to be aware of the toxins in your dog’s life (and your own) in general. What kind of products are you using to clean your house? What candles are you burning? What kind of products are you using to clean your dog? What products do you use to prevent fleas, ticks and heartworm? What kind of treats are you buying? What kind of toys is your dog chewing on? Do you give your dogs dental chews?
Take inventory of the toxic load that your canine is likely to be experiencing and ask yourself if that’s the kind of life you want your dog to live. Toxins build up and create disease over time.
Don’t be toxic: eliminating environmental toxins
If you care about the environment, you also need to care about what you feed your dog. By purchasing the kind of toys and supplies most people buy for their dogs, you’re contributing to factories that are causing massive harm to the environment.
Thinking about everything from a holistic standpoint, you need to be aware of the toxins in your dog’s life (and your own) in general. What kind of products are you using to clean your house? What candles are you burning? What kind of products are you using to clean your dog? What products do you use to prevent fleas, ticks and heartworm? What kind of treats are you buying? What kind of toys is your dog chewing on? Do you give your dogs dental chews?
Take inventory of the toxic load that your canine is likely to be experiencing and ask yourself if that’s the kind of life you want your dog to live. Toxins build up and create disease over time.
In this way, our canine’s health is inextricably linked to our own – we’re living in the same home, the same environment, and whatever is making your dog sick is making you sick as well. That’s where the harmony comes into play – there is no elevating your canine’s experience without elevating your own. It’s a powerful symbiotic relationship with only a net positive.
What’s next?
Prevention is the best medicine, and embracing holistic healing for dogs will bring more harmony than you’ll know what to do with.
If cost is an issue for you, as it is for many, reframe and think about all the money you’re going to save from not going to the vet all time for issues that the poisonous food you’re feeding your dog is causing.
I’ve been working with canines my entire life, and my mission is to use what I know to to restore the sacred bond between humans and animals. I’d love to answer your questions about creating a holistic environment for your canine. Book a consultation with me today.
