I recently got back from the annual conference of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA), which was held outside Boston this year. It’s always a treat to get together with this group because I always learn a lot, and because their approach to pet health is so refreshing.

For those of you who may not be familiar with holistic veterinarians, they are trained the same way, and in the same schools, as traditional vets. At some point in their careers, however, they have made the decision to break with the “allopathic” approach that conventional medicine employs, which typically use substances or treatments to oppose or suppress the symptoms of a disease, in favor of a more “naturopathic” approach, which treats disease through the use of diet, herbs, massage, acupuncture, etc. to assist the natural healing process.

As you may have read in one of my previous entries, it was a holistic vet, Dr. Michael Lemmon, who first introduced me to the fresh food diet that saved my dog Max, and was the inspiration for starting Darwin’s Natural Pet Products. Like Dr. Lemmon, all holistic vets place a great deal of emphasis on nutrition as a key part of the healing process.

As is often the case, there is something to be said for both approaches to medicine (for both pets and humans alike), and I take my own dogs to both kinds of vets, depending on the problem. One of the more encouraging trends in vet care is the emergence of “integrated” care facilities, in which both conventional and holistic vets work together. There are not many of these around yet, but if you are fortunate to have one of these in your area, I’d encourage you to check it out.

If you are interested in locating a holistic vet in your area, I’d encourage you to visit the AHVMA website (www.ahvma.org) and use their locator service.