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​by Holistic And Organix Pet Shoppe

​I have to express my thoughts since I am NOT a vet and I want to explain to pet parents the differences of each. First off, I hear holistic vets that practice different types of medicine say that you MUST do this or you need to do this. No, No, No. I only have one must and I will post it at the bottom. OK, the differences in holistic medicine that you may run across.

Chinese Medicine
Homeopathic medicine
Holistic herbal medicine

A holistic vet may choose to use Chinese medicine, homeopathic or herbal. And in all reality, it's the same uses with using plant medicine. It's just how it is formulated. There is not a right or wrong. It is what works for you. I was watching a video earlier of a holistic vet and they use homeopathic. That vet recommended to find a homeopathic vet. Like that's the only vet on the planet you should use because that's what they recommend. WRONG! 
Now in their defense, maybe it was just wording that they used to find a more natural holistic vet. But I didn't hear it that way and maybe these holistic vets need to use their words with more caution on what they say or recommend. Each class has a different way of using these formulations and I find that it is best for you as a pet parent to use the one you can relate to and grasp the easiest. There is no right or wrong, only preferences. Same for vets. I won't even tell you to find a holistic vet because I have seen some vets that CLAIM to be holistic and are far from it. I have also found holistic vets do some things that I would NEVER EVER do or recommend to someone. Like using certain dangerous medications in case where it can be avoided. Or even homemade remedies using certain ingredients that really shouldn't be used by an untrained or unknowledgeable pet parent that could do harm to their pet without meaning to do so. It blows my mind when I see this even from some of the best vets out there. So, not just one vet has all the right answers. Not all vets have the right solutions. I myself use a conventional vet. Why? Because holistic vets are not that common in my area and for some reason they feel compelled to charge you out the wazoo for a visit. That's also not necessary as they can make plenty of money on wellness visits. It's like getting someone into their clinic to get all the vaccines and what's that cost? under $100? You get a pet parent that really wants to stay on top of their pets health and the very reason they are seeing a holistic vet is to keep everything in check. Well you can spend around $500 for bloodwork, x-rays if needed, and anything else you may want to do. 
​​So it's not really about what veterinarian you choose to use, it's about what they are willing to do to work with you and your beliefs. After all, it is YOUR money and YOUR PET. 
Do not let ANY vet ever push you around and try to force anything on you like vaccines, expensive junk food they sell and all the non specific medications like Steroids, Antibiotics and even pain meds such as deadly NSAIDS. My vet does know I feed a raw diet and that I don't like a lot of meds. Occasionally he rattles off something and I give him a look of "no not going to do that"...and then he remembers. It's ok if they want to RECOMMEND something but there should also be options that are safer and/or less expensive treatments (alternative options). ​
For example, when one of my dogs had a lameness (that to this day has gone undiagnosed), my orthopedic vet SHOULD have recommended Hydrotherapy for my dog. He didn't, not once. They sent me home with pain meds and no answers. It was MYSELF a month later that I decided on the Hydrotherapy for my dog. I did that and my dog made a full recovery. So being an orthopedic vet, shouldn't he have recommended that alternative solution especially since he had no answers and no way to help me? Yes he should have. Vets are trained to give medications and no natural treatments that obviously could have helped my dog when he could do no more. It's very disappointing.
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Now what I AM going to tell you..that IS a must, is to LEARN for yourself what you can do for your pets. Study as much as you can on natural treatments, home remedies, better diets, less vaccines and chemicals being used in your home and for your pets as well as for yourself.
​​Let's just say, if your dog becomes ill, and is diagnosed with some illness or disease, go home...get on Google and read. One website may say something totally different from another. Every single website is completely different a lot of times. So what you do is, read 5 articles or maybe 10 on that illness or disease. Conventional will pretty much tell you what your vet did so find holistic or natural medicine articles. LEARN everything you can, compare notes, pick what makes sense to you and use your best knowledge and judgment to heal your dog. You don't have to make a decision that day on your options..so sleep on it..give it time before you do something you may regret...because you didn't know. 
 We just want our pets to be healthy and we don't want to have to feel guilty about what vet we use. Nor do we need to feel guilty for doing alternative treatments. We need to learn ourselves and decide who you want to trust when your dog's life is truly on the line and in danger. Who is the first vet you think of that you know will help you and do what you ask? That's what you need to think about. And speaking of emergencies, does your vet have on call vets or are you referred to an expensive ER during off hours? Make a plan for that as well. You want to be able to call someone immediately if you have an emergency. Someone that knows your pet. Someone that you know isn't trying to take every dime you have before your pet ever gets in the door to be seen.