How do you decide where to turn when western medicine has run out of options? Almost everything available for humans is now available for animals but how do you decide between all the options. There are chiropractors, acupuncturists, reiki practitioners, homeopathic veterinarians, nutritional consultants, hydrotherapy specialists, massage practitioners, and many other options. If you read the internet there are hundreds of supplements made especially for animals and many sound like they work miracles.
Here are a few tips -
1. Get a referral from someone you trust if you can. Many veterinarians will now refer to alternative practitioners. We don’t take their business and we send back happy clients. If your veterinarian cannot offer a referral check with your local pet food store, especially the neighborhood ones, they often have a list of referrals. They also work with animal people all day long so they know the word on the street on who and what has helped. There are also online referral sites such as IVAS and Animal Wellness Network and many sites with reviews of clinics, such as Yelp.
2. If you are exploring the internet for products online check out the forums, such as Handicappedpets.com, catster, and dogster, for suggestions. The companies selling the products will always give you glowing reviews. It is safer to listen to people who have actually used the product. A good veterinarian will also be able to help you determine if a product will help and if it is dangerous for your animal. Always check the safety of a product, especially if your animal is old, sick, or on other medication before using it.
3. Only try one thing at a time and stick with it for at least a month. It is better to do one thing consistently then to jump around. Most natural therapies take time to work. Sometimes If your animal is extremely sick or has cancer you will need to make many changes at once. If you need to do this then working with a veterinary practitioner is highly recommended.
Because I practice acupuncture I often recommend it to start because I have seen how well it can work. Often times people start with a therapy for their animal that they have tried themselves and know to work. This is a good place to start. If something works for you, it probably will for your animal also.
A good practitioner of any sort will be able to tell you how long to try something and when to decide if it is working or not. Most practitioners don’t want to go on treating with a method which is not working. With acupuncture I usually recommend three treatments to see if there is any improvement before recommending animals continue. Some therapies such as hydrotherapy will take a little longer. Always get this information before starting a therapy. And just because you try one thing and it doesn’t work, don’t give up. There are many incredible options out there for helping our animal friends.
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