Getting Started with Veterinary Herbal Therapy
The Bluffs Pet Clinic knows that you want the best options when it comes to your pet’s health care. It is important to us to offer a range of care encompassing the best of both Eastern and Western veterinary medicine.
Herbal treatment can be a great option for many of our patients but is not always familiar to pet owners. Read on to learn how veterinary herbal therapy can be used to help your pet.
Veterinary Herbal Therapy Basics
Herbs are plants that contain compounds that have some therapeutic benefits. This is why many modern medications are derived from or based on plant compounds.
Humans have used derbal therapy for thousands of years, and more recently we have begun applying what we have learned to our pet patients. Pets are not small people, though, and an understanding of animal physiology is important for successful use of herbs in veterinary medicine.
In Chinese Herbal Medicine specifically, herbs are used to promote healing by correcting imbalances within the body that result in disease.
When it comes to veterinary herbal therapy, it is important to work with someone like one of our veterinarians who have knowledge about pet disease processes and the science of herbs. While herbal therapy is generally safe, there is the potential for problems if they are not used appropriately. Results are likely best in the hand of an experienced practitioner.
How Herbs Can Help
In veterinary medicine, we are continually learning. Almost every day new options become available in modern pet care.
When we include holistic options such as herbs in our arsenal, the possibilities expand immensely.
Veterinary herbal therapy can offer help where Western medicine alone is not enough. It can offer benefits such as:
- Relief from pain and inflammation
- Increased blood flow
- Stimulation of the immune system
- Appetite support
- Regulation of digestive function
- An option for behavioral problems
- Support for major organ function
- Help for seizures and other neurological conditions
- An alternative to other medications that may not be well tolerated or have undesirable side effects
- Another option when more traditional approaches have not succeeded
Pets at The Bluffs Pet Clinic benefit from having the best of both traditional and holistic options for their care. We are big believers in helping animals in any way we can. Give us a call today to learn more about veterinary herbal therapy and the many other ways we are prepared to take good care of your furry family.