​​​​​​​Medical care for humans and animals is based on herbal medicines and solutions. The first veterinarians were shepherds in Middle Eastern countries. This was in 6000 B.C., when they used herbs to treat their ailing sheep.
Herbs are often used more holistically today, driven by significant advances in diagnostic techniques. Hearing a vet use herbal treatments is rare, but this approach has many benefits.
 

What is Herbal Holistic Care?

Holistic medicine is a form of treatment where the doctor or vet has to consider all aspects of the patient's health. To a certain extent, vets have always been holistic. They have to consider all aspects of their patients' lives. They have to consider how the pet's lifestyle, diet, and breed affect their health.

Herbal care involves utilizing natural remedies for illnesses and conditions. Natural herbs and plants are often preferred over conventional medication for various treatments. The vet may recommend other modalities to go with the herbal solutions in holistic herbal care.
 

How does it work?

While it focuses on drug-free solutions for different ailments in pets and animals, it is pretty thorough. The vet must first perform a thorough physical exam on their patient before treatment.
They then run intensive diagnostic tests to ensure they know precisely what is wrong with their patient. After diagnosing the issue with certainty, the vet then moves on to develop a treatment plan. Every treatment plan is unique to each patient, addressing the issues influencing treatment.
 

When is it useful?

 

• Treating debilitated or older pets and animals

• Pets with comorbid conditions like mobility issues and metabolic diseases

• Animals that need specialized care for their pain

• Surgical complications like delayed healing

• Pet parents who have requested a special diet or put their pets on nonprofessionally formulated or homemade diets

• Pet parents who get and use herbs from elsewhere, specifically if they require multiple herbs,

• Pet parents interested in exploring homeopathy or holistic medicine for their pets

 

 

Types of Herbs Used in Herbal and Holistic Care

 

• Aloe: stomach conditions, skin irritation, and minor burns

• Borage: stress, respiratory infections, and fever

• Bupleurum: irritability and fever

• Chamomile: healing wounds, inflammation, indigestion, flatulence, and anxiety

• Comfrey heals external wounds, ulcers, burns, and bruises.

• Echinacea: skin issues, eczema, bacterial, and viral illnesses

• Fennel: coughs, indigestion, flatulence, and colic

• Ginger: digestion, dizziness, and motion sickness

• Goldenseal: infection, inflammation, and digestion

• Hawthorn: nervousness, heart issues, and insomnia

• Lavender: rheumatic pain, insomnia, and nervous exhaustion

 

What Are the Benefits of Herbal Holistic Care?

Herbs and plants contain compounds that can be isolated to create medicines to improve the health of the body. Isolation of active ingredients usually has the advantage of making a concentrated product with much more impact.
But when the vet uses the whole plant, they access more advantages that are absent in concentrates. Moreover, using plants has much fewer side effects compared to using concentrates. Plants can also be combined to achieve specific results that work in sync with the body for better health.

For more on holistic herbal care, visit Pearl River Animal Hospital at our office in Pearl River, New York. Call (845) 420-3484 to book an appointment today.