Health Care vs. Disease Care

Most veterinarians are out of touch. That’s the conclusion of a new study.

Recently, a consumer research company looked at over 2 million conversations about pet care that appeared in online forums, on blogs, and on Facebook in 2014. They found that for veterinarians, “preventive care” was all about vaccines, spay/neuter, and parasite control. Meanwhile, pet owners were concerned about the role of diet, exercise, care, play, and emotional well-being in their pet’s health.

Also, 81% of pet owners consider that they themselves are primarily responsible for preventive care. Only 19% believe it’s up to their vet. This flies in the face of a current veterinary trend that contends that veterinarians know more about pet health so we are the best advocates for the pet. Some take this attitude to the extreme and do their best to overrule the pet caregiver or guilt them into doing unwanted tests and procedures.

From my perspective, the pet owners referred to in this study are absolutely right. Too many veterinarians have lost sight of the true meaning of health care. More precisely, we were never taught much about it. Veterinary education is really focused more on disease care rather than health care (as in the maintenance of health).

Preventive care is what holistic veterinary medicine is all about. When an animal is nourished properly, cared for properly, given minimal vaccines, and treated with natural rather than pharmaceutical medicines, it is much less likely to need “disease care.”

Please don’t wait until your pet is sick to get with it. Once dis-ease has progressed to disease, it is much more difficult to bring the system back into balance. Start today, now, this minute! Get your pet on real food! Find a local holistic vet to help you keep your four-legged loved ones healthy.

How has your pet benefited from holistic care?