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The Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats:
A Holistic Journey on the Road to Healing

Selecting a type of health care is very much a personal choice. For those of us who have chosen an integrated approach, combining the best of conventional medicine with the best of "natural" therapies, the road began with a search for "something more" that conventional medicine was not able to offer.

Part of the journey for me involved a search to offer better care for my patients, and one fork in this road convinced me to share my healing discoveries with others through a series of books. These books, which became the Natural Vet series (published by Prima,) allowed me to share with other doctors and pet owners around the world everything I had learned about natural pet care. As a result of this series, those of us who believe in the importance of integrative medicine are now changing the way we care for our pets.

Why did I begin my search for "something better," and why did I feel the need to share this with readers around the globe?

To start with, I had to admit something that was a bit uncomfortable. Even though I felt that I was a good doctor when I began my search, I was forced to admit that there had to be more than simply what I was already doing for my patients. While I had been trained to be a good "treater" of disease, I had to face the facts that I was not a good "healer." Only when I admitted that I needed to become a healer rather than treater could I admit my shortcomings and search for something better.

Once I found this great new world of natural therapies, I started seeing positive results in my patients, many of whom I had not been able to help with only conventional medicine. As a result, my motto became "hope for the hopeless." No longer did I have to tell a pet owner that I couldn't help his pet, because now I had twice as many treatment options available.

Not wanting to be selfish with this new-found knowledge that gave hope and healing to many patients, I wanted to find a vehicle to share my excitement. That's when Prima and I teamed up to share this exciting new information with readers by creating the Natural Vet series. The 3 books currently available in the series, The Allergy Solution for Dogs, The Arthritis Solution for Dogs, and the award-winning The Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats, are already changing the way pet owners and veterinarians are treating and caring for pets. No longer are pets considered hopeless just because conventional medicine can't offer help. With the well-referenced therapies presented in each of the books, pet owners can learn to "just say NO to drugs" for their pets and instead rely on natural, healing therapies. Instead of covering up symptoms and "treating" disease, we can now "heal" pets and create true health!

The best selling book in the series is the award-winning The Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats. There are over 200 therapies in this book. Pets with various diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cognitive disorder, allergies, and arthritis are living longer healthier lives thanks to owners incorporating the natural therapies discussed thoroughly in this book.

Some of the topics covered in The Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats include:

• Choosing the best diet for your pet. After reading the section on diet, no longer will pets be forced to eat processed foods which contain potentially harmful chemicals, additives, and by-products. Instead, owners can use the information in the diet section of The Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats to learn how to read pet food labels and select the healthiest diets for their pets, or even better, they can use the recipes in the book to prepare nutritious, fresh diets for their pets right at home.
• Minimizing unnecessary vaccination. Part of my goal of changing the way we care for our pets is to reduce the frequency of vaccinations. Many pets receive repeated immunizations, despite the fact that most pets do not need these shots. Instead, owners should rely on vaccine titers (antibody levels) and let the pets' bodies determine which vaccines if any are needed.
• Alternatives to conventional medications. While conventional medications can be used safely and correctly in a holistic program (as discussed in the appendix,) there are many instances when safer and less expensive alternatives exist. Arthritis is best treated with glucosamine and chondroitin rather than non-steroidal medications. Allergies are best treated with herbs, whole food supplements, diets, and topical decontamination with minimal need for corticosteroids. Cognitive disorder, often called "doggie and kittie Alzheimer's disease," is best treated with choline, lecithin, or ginkgo biloba, which is much less expensive than conventional medication (and conventional medicines are not approved for cats with this disorder.)

Using the information in The Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats, pet owners and veterinarians can begin to take a holistic approach to pet care. By taking a holistic approach and listening to the pet's body, we can fine-tune any therapy needed. This truly holistic approach allows true healing rather than simply treating a disease.

And this is what natural pet care is all about.

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