I would consider this a very strong complimenting book to go with Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats.
This truly is a "Holistic" book, encompassing all areas of sharing your life with a dog. Denise Flaim delves into topics like nutrition, training, communication, vaccinations, allergies, Traditional Chinese Medicine, cancer and "finding the perfect vet" (to name a few). This book is also crammed pack full of herbal remedies and essential oil healing therapies. And at the same time, I find her writing style to be friendly and encouraging--not judgemental of the reader for picking one thing over another. And at the same time, encouraging the reader to find the "right balance" for you and your canine companion.
I do not plan to practice healing through herbal and essential oil therapies on my own, but I do plan to seek out a holistic vet who will offer me these options for treating conditions and ailments of our canine friend.
After a long and courageous fight, our Chihuahua finally went to eternal rest one week ago today. During his 13 years, he was consistently put on drugs like cortisone, prednisone and antibiotics to relieve him of symptoms like skin allergies, anal gland problems, nasal congestion, etc. All of which finally manifested into Inflammatory Brain Disease. I am finally realizing that I probably could have prevented most if not all this by providing a more nutritious diet. I believe in the philosophy that symptoms are just what we see on the surface of a more fundamental problem and by using drugs like these to provide temporary comfort does not always address the root cause.
I borrowed this book from my library, but now after reading it cover-to-cover, I will purchase a copy to go along with Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. Between these two books, and a partner relationship with a good holistic vet, I am better prepared to make decisions about our companion's health and happiness.
