Holistic Health Care For German Shepherds: Exploring Alternative Therapies And Practices

Everyone wants their German shepherd to live a long, healthy life. One of the ways you can achieve this is by incorporating holistic health care and alternative therapies into your dog’s care plan.

What is Holistic Health Care?

Holistic health care embraces a ‘whole body’ approach to the well-being of dogs.  It takes into account their physical, mental, emotional, and social needs to ensure they’re healthy, happy, and that their physical needs are met.

It combines natural and alternative therapies with veterinary medicine to promote overall wellness to prevent disease, injuries, and behavior problems, such as preventing anxiety from developing in the first place.

Holistic health care focuses on preventing disease rather than only responding to an illness or injury after it happens. This type is care may be great for some German shepherds since they’re so active and can be prone to some breed-specific health problems.

What are Alternative Therapies?

While holistic health care focuses on the treatment of the whole animal and not just the symptoms of an illness or injury, alternative therapies are the practices used instead of or alongside conventional veterinary medicine.

Some popular holistic health care and alternative therapies include:

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese therapy that involves inserting thin needles into specific points of the body to stimulate energy flow. Acupuncture promotes healing, helps relieve pain naturally, and restores balance.  It can be used to help musculoskeletal problems, neurological disorders, chronic pain, restore mobility, reduce postoperative pain, and more.

Behavior therapy

Some dogs with behavior problems can benefit from positive reinforcement training and environmental enrichment to improve their mental and emotional well-being. Behavior therapy can help improve fear-based aggression, anxiety, compulsive behaviors, and other psychological problems. By providing German shepherds with plenty of daily exercise, mental stimulation, time, training, and attention, you can prevent many behavior problems from developing.

Chiropractic care

Chiropractic care is not only for humans. You can find a certified animal chiropractor on the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) website. These animal chiropractors are highly trained in treating dogs. They can help improve mobility, alleviate pain, improve joint issues, correct spinal misalignments, and more. Many can make diet and supplement recommendations.

Herbal remedies

A trained herbalist can help you choose herbs and botanical remedies to support certain health problems such as digestive issues, immune system support, reduce inflammation, reduce anxiety, heal skin problems, and more.

Environmental wellness

German shepherds are active and intelligent. Daily exercise and keeping their mind busy are essential to their well-being. They love to spend time with their owners, engage in social activities, play, train, and thrive with a routine. By providing them with a safe, enriching environment, you can help meet their mental and physical needs.

Integrative veterinary medicine

Integrative veterinary medicine combines several aspects of health care to combine Western medicine with holistic approaches. Integrative vets can diagnose and treat, write prescriptions, and perform surgery but also include holistic and alternative therapies to complement their services.

Massage therapy

Massage therapy can improve circulation, reduce muscle pain and tension, help your dog relax, and may be helpful after surgery or injury. It is also a great way to bond with your dog and help reduce anxiety.

Nutritional therapy

No matter what food you choose, a nutritious good quality diet is vital to your dog’s health. A custom diet created for your dog and their specific health needs may include adding fresh foods, avoiding additives, removing or adding certain ingredients, and will take their age, weight, and health conditions into consideration. Beware consulting with so-called canine nutritionists with little training for diet advice when desiring a therapeutic diet. Rather, research commercial diets designed for your dog’s health needs or contact a veterinary nutritionist to create a custom diet for your dog.

Nutraceuticals

Nutraceuticals are dietary supplements that provide many health benefits but are not considered essential, such as vitamins and minerals. Nutraceuticals are often used to prevent and treat conditions, such as arthritis, inflammation, and immune system disorders, or to provide antioxidants to dogs suffering from health problems, such as cancer.

Some nutraceuticals can be used alone to manage disease and can protect against bacteria, fungi, and parasites, promote normal metabolism, and improve certain organ function.

Physical therapy

A certified Canine Rehabilitation Therapist (CCRT) rehabilitates dogs that have had surgery, suffered an amputation, have a genetic problem (such as hip dysplasia), are recovering from an injury, have chronic pain, and much more. They evaluate and create a custom treatment plan for each dog to improve the quality of their life.

Some additional popular therapies include:

• Laser therapy
• Hydrotherapy
• Homeopathy
• Assisi loop
• CBD products
• Reiki therapy

Are Holistic Health Care or Alternative Therapies Right for Your Dog?

Despite their popularity, holistic health care and alternative therapies can be controversial and the opinions of their use between pet owners and veterinarians vary wildly.   

Since each dog is different, they will respond to various forms of treatment differently. What works for one dog may not help another. So, it’s wise not to take the ‘one size fits all’ approach that is so popular on social media.

Before deciding on the use of any of these or other therapies ask yourself:

• How can this help my dog?
• How will it reduce or improve my dog’s symptoms?
• Is my dog on any medications or supplements that contraindicate with this treatment?
• Are there any scientific studies or peer-reviewed research on the treatment or product?
• How long has this treatment been around?
• What are the side effects?
• Are there any risks involved?
• Will using this interfere with my veterinarian’s care plan for my dog?
• Does it seem too good to be true?
• What is my vet’s opinion?

We hope you find this information helpful and that you find the right treatments for your dog’s needs. As always, please feel free to share with your friends.

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