The Ultimate Holistic Guide to Your Dog’s Health and Well‑Being

Holistic care is to consider your pet’s whole health – from nutrition to any chronic conditions. Here is a book to set you on your way.

By Laura Pakis, Certified Professional Dog Trainer, and Cynologist

Books such as the 1954 translation of Colonel Konrad Most’s Training Dogs or Kinney and Honeycutt’s 1938 book How to Raise a Dog, although outdated, have a place with current-day resources for care and raising of dogs if only to think outside the box from current practices.

Wendy Volhard and Kerry Brown, DVM’s 1995 book, Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog, was a ground-breaking reference on everything from Healthy diets for dogs of every age and activity level to the vaccine controversy and alternative therapies.

Now in the internet age, research on dog aging, nutrition, and more can be easily googled or read on dog blogs.

Quality Nutritional Information

But finding quality nutritional information on dogs still can be confusing, which makes Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog worthwhile reading. Each ingredient in the diet is discussed in-depth, so dog owners not ready to create their own raw diet can still learn about potentially useful supplements, as well as important ingredients to look for in current commercial dogfood.

In addition to the dietary information provided, there are quite a few chapters that give solid explanations of different types of health care available, including many alternative holistic currently used today. Also included in this book is a reference guide that defines medical and science terms easily and understandably.

Summary

I particularly liked the book’s chapters covering standard lab tests, explaining in layman’s terms what the low or high levels for urinalysis, blood serum, liver function, and thyroid testing mean. That being said, this book is definitely showing its age, with such comments as suggesting feeding raisins to dogs, but then again, it is 26 years old.

A lot has happened since 1995.  And if you check out the Volhard Dog Nutrition website, you will quickly see this company is definitely in the 21 Century with dehydrated raw diets and many convenient supplements for your dog or cat.

I still recommend reading the Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog as a baseline for raw dog food diets and alternative veterinary care.  But suggest following up on the internet with what you read, and research what Wendy was talking about back in the 90s.  I think you will be impressed.

about the author

Laura Pakis is the owner and founder of Acme Canine, a canine resource website.  She’s also a veteran professional dog trainer who is a member of the Dog Writer’s Association, BlogPaws, and the International Association of Canine Professionals.  Laura reaches thousands of dog enthusiasts looking to improve their canine relationships by sharing her knowledge through her social media channels.