Herbs and Raw Fed Dogs

July 26, 2017

Written by Darwin's

Do Raw Food Diets Compliment the use of Holistic Herbs for Animals?

From a holistic standpoint and according to expert Gregory Tilford in Herbs for Pets, “the holistic herbalist looks beyond the symptoms of disease to identify and correct their underlying causes. We find a continual need for complete nutrition because a body must have the fuel and tools it needs to build, maintain and repair itself.”

That being said, herbs essentially can help support and maintain a state of health and well-being for all animals and especially if the animal has the essential nutrition building blocks or the body is getting “complete nutrition”. So a raw food diet can only aid in the efficacy of herbs. Some might say that a raw diet gives the body all the fuel necessary to ensure the healing powers of herbs reach their optimal potential.

“I have found that patients who are good eaters typically accept the addition of herbs into their food. For some animals this means fresh cooked or raw or freeze-dried raw food toppers is required to entice them to eat vs. kibble or even some canned food,” explains Dr. Jester, DVM, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist and Herbalist based in Portland, Oregon.

What About Adding Herbs to Home Based Diets?

You can make an argument that a raw food-based diet (home based diets too) is more complete and balanced and that herbal medicines will have a greater impact if given to an animal “that has an adequate store of energy and building materials with which the body can work,” adds Tilford.

“If for example a patient is on a raw food diet because of allergies and has responded favorably then herbs are a nice addition to balancing the body, in this case herbs alone wouldn’t be sufficient to address allergies if the underlying issue isn’t addressed,” says Dr. Jester.

Why You Should Add Herbs to Your Dog’s Raw Diet

Herbs are known to stimulate, regulate or adjust natural body functions back into healthy harmony with the rest of the body. And in some cases can address issues like anxiety in animals or even allergies. Many herbs ARE food and the benefits are endless!

Unfortunately, we are living in a time when many dogs are re-homed or given to shelters due to behavior problems. Some dogs are extremely sensitive to their environment and react fearful when they are around other dogs. Holistic vets can be found throughout the U.S. and provide a holistic consultation to determine what to do and what herbal preparations can be made to help a dog well before they’re abandoned at a shelter.

If your animal has issues with reactivity or has environmental sensitivities you should schedule an appointment with a Holistic Veterinarian as they can recommend alternatives to conventional medicines.