8 Weeks to a Healthy Dog An Easy-to-Follow Program for the Life of Your Dog

by Messonnier, Shawn

• ISBN13: 9781579547257
• ISBN10: 1579547257
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-09-13
• Publisher: Rodale Books

Summary

Unfortunately, most pets live to only 50 to 60 percent of their life expectancy. The primary reason for this is that our culture traditionally treats illness and disease with toxic medications instead of focusing on preventing the problems in the first place. Many health problems can be avoided by this simple, logical 8-week plan from widely published veterinarian Shawn Messonnier, D.V.M., which includes: -Safe, effective parasite control to rid your dog of worms, ticks, and fleas -The latest natural and conventional therapies -Feeding your dog naturally for optimum vitality -Natural supplements to boost your dog's health and longevity, including antioxidants and enzymes -Healthy exercises for your dog that you both can enjoy -How to wean your pet off potentially harmful drugs 8 Weeks to a Healthy Dog is a program that can be easily implemented and integrated into conventional therapies. Written by an acknowledged expert, this book is full of practical regimens and sound veterinary advice to prolong and strengthen the life of your pet.

Author Biography

Shawn Messonnier, D.V.M., is a nationally recognized authority on holistic pet care and integrative medicine and the author of the award-winning Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats. His column, "The Holistic Pet," is featured in newspapers throughout the United States and Canada, and he's also a pet expert for iVillage.com. He owns Paws and Claws Animal Hospital in Plano, Texas.

Excerpts

Excerpted from 8 Weeks to a Healthy Dog by Shawn Messonier. Copyright © 2003. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Welcome to Our 8-Week Program I'm Dr. Shawn Messonnier, and I'd like to welcome you to the 8 Weeks to a Healthy Dog Program. I think you and your dog will enjoy participating in the program, and I can guarantee that your dog will be healthier and happier--and the two of you will be closer than ever--in just eight short weeks from now. Why did I create the 8 Weeks to a Healthy Dog Program? Because the way owners and their veterinarians are looking at pet health care has begun to change, and it's time for a new road map to pet care. You're holding that map in your hands right now! Here's what's happening in the field of animal medicine: Over the last few years, the veterinary profession has seen a major paradigm shift. Slowly, the focus is moving away from vaccinating all pets with every vaccine available. Instead, veterinarians are taking a look at each pet's individual needs. This is a major change in our thinking. Around the turn of the last century, the focus was on preventing and treating infectious diseases. As a result, doctors discovered the benefits of vaccines and medications to help them achieve these goals. Now, however, the leading cause of illness and death in pets is not infectious disease but chronic, degenerative problems such as cancer and kidney failure. Immune diseases are also occurring with increased frequency. As a result, the focus is slowly shifting among conventional doctors from infectious disease to these degenerative organ and immune problems. Holistic, integrative doctors are leading the way in this paradigm shift. We are focusing on total pet care, looking at diet, environment, exercise, and supplementation to improve the health of the pet, and decreasing the use of chemicals and conventional medications when possible to try to minimize the incidence of these degenerative and immune disorders. I wrote 8 Weeks to a Healthy Dog to help pet owners and doctors adapt to this new way of thinking. If we must shift our focus from "treating disease" to "healing pets," I wanted to find a simple, effective, and--when possible--less expensive approach to achieve our goals. The 8 Weeks to a Healthy Dog Program, which was inspired by a similar program for people developed by integrative human medical doctor Andrew Weil (author of 8 Weeks to Optimum Health), will help you do just that. By following this program, you will do everything possible to achieve optimum health for your dog. It has been my experience that owners who follow the steps in this program truly have healthier pets, and they are often able to decrease the ultimate cost of pet health care. I invite you to try the program and would love to hear your results! Shawn Messonnier, D.V.M.

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Excerpted from 8 Weeks to a Healthy Dog by Shawn Messonier
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.