4 Important Steps to Establishing Natural Pet Health

Certainly in my ten plus years as an advocate and active participant in the area of natural health for pets I have seen what was once an obscure niche market grow into one that almost everyone knows a little something about. This is a great thing as far as I am concerned with the advent of newer, higher quality products designed to treat everything from a bad attitude to chronic illnesses. But if someone asked you to define natural health for pets or natural medicine for pets what would you say?

For me natural health for pets is a combination of lifestyle, diet, and the use of natural medicine when called for. The whole premise of natural medicine is based on these five cornerstones: do no harm, nature has healing powers, identifying and treating the cause, prevention is the best cure and establish health and wellness. There are probably others but most would agree that it would be difficult to mount a viable argument against any of these five cornerstones. Next let's move on to four things that are very important in achieving natural pet health.

*Is your pet drinking enough water? Most pet owners would instinctively say "Yes" but water consumption can change due to many factors including age. One of the leading causes of illness in pets is bacterial infection entering through the urethra and binding to the urinary tract leading to bladder and possible kidney infection. Dehydration also puts a drag on the immune system opening the door for illness. There are many other potential problems as well so make sure your pet is drinking enough clean fresh water.

*Diet: A big part of natural health for pets revolves around diet and nutrition. The keyword here is balanced. For example diets too high in magnesium can cause bladder or kidney stones. On one of my recent trips to the pet food store I couldn't help but notice how specialized pet foods have become with specially formulated blends for senior citizen pets and youngsters alike. While you probably know this what you may not know that a recent study in dogs determined that feeding them three serving of vegetables a week dramatically reduced their chances of certain types of cancer. So make sure your pet children eat their vegetables.

*Exercise: One very important part of natural health for pets revolves around exercise. Research has shown that active pets are less likely to become ill. So take a few minutes every day to give a little love combined with exercise they will repay you many times over.

*Reduce stress: Research is starting to reveal that stress is one of the most dangerous and damaging obstacles in achieving natural health for pets. Animals are very sensitive. Take this into account the next time you move their food station or their environment is compromised in some way.

In summary, water, diet, exercise, and stress reduction is a good place to start in establishing a viable natural pet health plan. Additionally, many pet owners have found that homeopathic natural pet health remedies containing Echinacea and Astragalus are a good way to boost immune system function thus adding to the effectiveness of any natural pet health plan.

Robert D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate for the use of natural health products and natural living with over 10 years experience in the field of natural pet health and wellness.
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