Sadly, there are a lot of Vets in Australia, out there that are old school and not open to alternate or holistic treatments for animals. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that mainstream Veterinary Science has a very important part to play in the overall treatment, management and preventative medicine for your dog but I also believe that Holistic and alternate treatments can compliment the conventional way and I would love to see Vets become more open to Natural Therapies.

I have sat in on many zoom pet summits, since Covid, Zoom meetings are the go to and these meetings were run by U.S and U.K vets that are very open to holistic methods and they had a vet from the U.S who practiced Chinese medicine for animals and it seemed such a shame that here in Australia we are not there yet but I think its slowly turning the corner.

I didn’t quite realise just how limited we are here in Australia to so many different treatments, medicines, foods for our fury friends until Marlo got really sick. I guess living in Regional NSW its also very limited in the services provided. I had to drive Marlo to the Gold Coast for a CT Scan, either that or take him to Sydney but I was surprised that we did not have this facility here on the mid north coast. It’s not easy to drive a very sick dog hours away for a scan and at that time I was seeing a “conventional” Vet whose reply was ” Oh well, if you love your dog, then you will do it”. I found that very upsetting at the time as you know if your dog is unwell you do whatever it takes and of course I ended up driving to the Gold Coast but I just found the words insensitive and I wonder still to this day, why is there no CT scans available here on the mid north coast?

I did end up finding a vet who treated Marlo with acupuncture for his pain management, he also suffered from Arthritis, and I found that it helped. He also had weekly massage therapy from Vanessa who has a business called Wellness Canine Massage, she is fantastic and Marlo loved her to bits. He was so excited every week to see her and from the look on his face I could tell that he loved his massages and I could see huge benefits. All these treatments aid in managing your dogs wellbeing and I really wish that Australia would open up more to natural therapies and complementary medicine like the U.S & UK

 If you are aware of any business that do Holistic/alternate therapies or any natural remedies that are in Australia then join the Pet Parents Community facebook page, you can access this also through my website and let me know about them. I’m really interested in hearing from you about any Natural Therapies that you use for your dog that works and I am happy to add their links so we can share information to other pet parents that are looking for support. Please join Marlo’s Pet parents community Facebook and share your experiences.

I would love to hear if any of you treat your dogs for tick or fleas using natural products. Whilst I acknowledge that tick & flea treatments are a necessity especially if you live on the East Coast of Australia, I also believe that they are not good for dogs with Gut health issues. Marlo always was “a little off” for a day or two after giving him his tick medication. Later on I found a certain brand that had it in liquid form that you just squeeze on the back of their neck. So much easier and it’s absorbed in the skin rather then going through their digestive track. It was always an issue trying to get Marlo to swallow the chewable tablet, he loved his food but he could sniff out this pill a mile away so I guess that tells you something.

I’ve added a few links below that in my research I found interesting and may be helpful.

Australian Holistic Vets - Home (ahvets.com.au)

If you happen to live in QLD then www.thenaturalvets.com.au has many Holistic Vets.

And if you are in Melbourne Holistic Pet Vet practices Chinese medicine and natural remedies.

Hydrotherapy is also very helpful to dogs with Arthritis but its also good as a preventative, so their joints don’t get stiff as they age, unfortunately we don’t have this available here on the mid north coast. I used to give Marlo Antinol  which is an all-natural supplement patented blend of marine lipid oils, sustainably sourced and free from preservatives and fillers. It is a natural anti-inflammatory for joint and mobility support and helps for a healthy skin and coat. It helped Marlo and did not affect his tummy as I did try Fish oil capsules but that gave him Diarrhoea. I have no affiliation with the Company making Antinol but mentioning it only as it did help Marlo’s arthritis pain. Massage and Acupuncture also helped in pain management and I also tried CBD oil too.

I’m digressing from the topic of Holistic medicine but for those of you who have dogs with skin allergies, I used for Marlo “Cortavance”. You get it from the Vets, it’s a spray based on Cortisone and if you see a hot spot developing or a red patch you just spray a tiny bit on the area and honestly it was a life saver. Its not a natural therapy I know but sometimes you need to use what works and more importantly its sprayed on the skin so does not cause tummy upsets. Always check with your vet to make sure its suitable for your dog.

It’s very challenging If your dog has Gut Health issues as you need to consider this when managing their overall health as in my experience there are so many things that can set off a flare and that’s the last thing we want for our dog. Probiotics and prebiotics are also good for their tummies so I will talk about those in another blog.

If you are using Holistic medicine or complimentary treatments, let me know how you manage your dogs health, Jump onto the Pet Parents Community Facebook page and share your experiences.

As always, consult your vet before treating your best friend with Natural Therapies especially if they are on medication.