When it comes to a veterinarian treating your pet’s illnesses or injuries, the treatment can sometimes feel worse than the original issue. Common side effects from medication that pets often face include lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, ulcers, inflammation, irritation, liver or kidney damage, and more.

These medications may be very necessary to your pet’s treatment plan. But what if you could help alleviate your pet’s pain with something that was very unlikely to cause any side effects?

In contrast to traditional veterinarian medicine, holistic pet care is known for being almost completely free of the risk of side effects. That’s because many of the products are only topical, and most are naturally-derived, made of traditional Chinese ingredients and essential-oil based ingredients such as lemongrass. There are no harsh or toxic chemicals that can harm your pet or upset their system.

Our pets feel like part of our family. Still, they aren’t always able to communicate their needs as well as other members of our families can. That means, when you take them to the veterinarian for treatment, they can’t tell the vet exactly what’s wrong. The vet can only treat them based on their breed, their size, and the problem they’re having.

With holistic pet care, you get to be part of your pet’s care team. After all, you know your pet better than anyone. You may not be able to prescribe medications. But you can choose to combine certain aspects of holistic pet care along with your pet’s medical treatments.

The custom element can be useful for pets who are predisposed to certain issues as well. While it may not be wise to preemptively treat an issue with unnecessary medication, holistic care can be used in the meantime.

Let’s face it. When it comes to taking care of our pets, they may find the experience less-than-pleasant. Whether it’s regular bathing or grooming, visits to the vet, or something else, we never like to see our pets feeling discomfort or stress. Even when it’s something that’s important for their health.

Holistic practices for pet health can include massage, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, and more therapy. Far from being a stressful experience, pets may find enjoyment in this type of care.

Not only that, but holistic products can even help reduce stress. Many pet parents dread the Fourth of July or other celebrations when they know fireworks will scare their dogs and cats. Natural products such as lavender oil can help soothe anxiety.

A holistic approach can be best for your pet. But it doesn’t mean you should ignore conventional veterinary medicine. There’s no need to choose between the two. In fact, holistic pet care and traditional veterinary care can coexist and even enhance each other. That’s why, at Gou Gou Pets, we say “When East Meets West, It’s Best For Your Pets.”

Western veterinary medicine is able to treat our pets with medications and surgeries that can save their lives and keep them disease-free. You only have to look at pet vaccination and spay/neuter programs to see how important these types of services are to our pets.

Eastern — or holistic — practices look at the underlying causes of the symptoms being presented. Alternative therapies can make a fantastic supplement to their existing treatment plans designated by their veterinarians. Many pets thrive using these holistic therapy options.