Firstly, apologies to all my lovely readers for the break in blogging.

I have had a lot of energy redirected towards my dog in the past few months! He was diagnosed with food allergies and continues to struggle with his gut health. Daily monitoring, care and food preparation has required my dedicated time and focus. 

This has lead me on a new journey exploring the world of pet medicine, food allergies and natural health care. Please note, all of the following is anecdotal and personal and does not constitute medical or veterinary advice.

Basically, the conventional forms of treatment did not work, or were not sustainable long term. And they did not seek to address the cause of the problems, only the symptoms. For all the will of the veterinarians, his condition deteriorated rather than improved.

As a holistic practitioner myself, naturally I sought holistic care in the form of a homeopathic vet - which was almost identical to the process of consultation for humans. And much of the advice is similar (aside from the necessity of bones in the diet!) - probiotics, food high in nutrients and preferably organic, avoiding toxins in the environment.

The difference between the two approaches is startling, and I imagine that in our situation we will find a middle ground. It still surprises me that even in 2018 there is such a division between conventional treatment and alternative treatment. Shouldn't there be a meeting of the minds? An individual programme drawing on the rich wisdom of natural health care and veterinary science?

It became clear to me that, in the same way humans come to healing, my dog needs: a good foundation for health through diet and environment, care and attention to understand the causes of dis-ease, body work to release the stuck parts of the body, and energy work to help with pain management.

He is on a personal programme of homeopathy, kinesiology, nutritional therapy, osteopathy, reiki...and time. Part of the process will be finding what works for him as an individual.

Many of you may be able to relate to this blog - for yourself and your pets. Food allergies, irritable bowel syndrome and leaky gut severely impair natural health and vitality. And they require time, patience and dedication to resolve. Gut health is fundamental for overall health and good immune functioning in dogs - and humans.

For now my dog is on a restricted diet with L-glutamine to assist gut healing. If there is one piece of advice, it is not to mess around too much with trying one thing and then another - this just adds to the problem of inflammation in the gut, allergic reactions, poor absorption and poor appetite. Start with the basics - checking for underlying issues (disease, infection, parasites etc.) and healing the gut.

We are at the start of a long journey back to optimal and natural health.

To get in touch email bryony@creativesoultherapies.com