Pet Therapeutic Nutrition
One of the most important things we can do for pets is feed them properly. While it is not that difficult to simply achieve a balanced diet, it is a bit more complex when we use food to help achieve optimal health.
In Traditional Chinese medicine, foods are treated much like herbs. Foods can heal, balance, or unbalance the body. All foods have energetic properties, and the foods you feed your pet will affect their constitution and help to alleviate or exacerbate personality traits, disease symptoms, and behaviors. Thus, the question of what foods are best to feed my pet is not a “one size fits all” answer.
Food therapy is also used in TCM to restore homeostasis in the body. Foods can warm, cool, moisturize, and dry the body. Good nutrition is the cornerstone of health and should never be underestimated in its power to prevent and heal disease. While this concept seems obvious when discussing human health, it’s frequently overlooked in veterinary medicine.
Healthy Food, Healthy Pets
We at IVC strongly believe you can feed a balanced diet without relying on highly processed kibbles and canned foods. We routinely formulate homemade diets for patients and discuss alternate feeding practices, including frozen raw, freeze-dried, and dehydrated options.
That being said, we recognize that a kibble or canned diet is the best choice for some pets and families. Talk to us about simple ways to add whole-food nourishment to a processed-food diet and watch your pet thrive!
Appropriate nutrition can complement Western medicine, TCM, Acupuncture, and Chiropractic care. When properly balanced, fresh foods and supplements can enhance your pet’s diet, improving their overall health and well-being.