August 30 is Holistic Pet Day! In honour of the day, we have partnered with Pet Shield, the official pet insurance provider for Armour Insurance, to let you know a little bit about holistic pet treatments.

What is a holistic pet treatment?

Holistic pet treatments and alternative pet treatments are usually considered to be interchangeable language. What makes a treatment alternative or holistic? Holistic treatments are considered anything outside of the standard veterinary visit of medication, procedures, exams, and/or surgery.

What kind of things are considered holistic/alternative pet treatments?

• • Massages
  • Chiropractic
  • Acupuncture
  • Acupressure
  • Aromatherapy
  • Etc.

Many are familiar with some form of alternative treatment for humans and may have even partaken in one themselves. However, most would not be as familiar with the same treatments being available for their pets. As strange as it might sound, there most certainly is massage therapists and chiropractors for pets. In order to get a better understanding of each treatment, here is a brief overview of each treatment.

Pet Massages

Just like human massages, pet massages manipulates the soft and connective tissues of the body. Massages for pets can help them improve blood flow and help to heal sprains or strains in your pet. Pet massage can also help to ease anxiety and/or stress. In order to make sure that your pet is being massaged properly, it is recommended that you take them to a trained and licensed veterinary office so that your pet receives the maximum benefit and avoids any possible strain, pain, or discomfort.

Pet Chiropractic

While chiropractic is often thought of as cracking joints and bones like you’re stomping on a sack full of raw pasta, this is not the primary function of chiropractic treatments. Chiropractic treatments are meant to manipulate the spine, joints, and muscles of your pet to alleviate any problems. Veterinary chiropractic is meant to be a gentle treatment to help with your pet’s joint, muscular, and/or skeletal pain. This too should be performed by a trained and licensed veterinary office.

Pet Acupuncture

If you’re someone who is afraid of needles, obviously acupuncture is not an ideal choice for you. That being said, pet acupuncture is has been growing in popularity in recent years. Note that acupuncture needles are not the typical needles you use for drawing blood or for sewing. Acupuncture needles are incredibly small and fine. The needles are meant to be placed in very specific locations in the body and must be done by a trained veterinary office in order to ensure the correct equipment is used, and needles are placed appropriately. Needles are inserted in key areas of blood vessels and nerves commonly referred to as acupuncture points. This treatment can help reduce inflammation, reduce pain, reduce anxiety, and improve blood circulation.

Pet Acupressure

Acupressure is sort of a combination of massage and acupuncture. Using the same points as acupuncture, acupressure simply uses the hand to apply the appropriate amount of pressure to the same points. This is a less invasive option for pets.

Pet Aromatherapy

Just like aromatherapy for humans, pet aromatherapy uses a variety of scents to help relax your pet. This treatment is not for treating physical pain, but rather it is for calming anxious or stressed pets. Aromatherapy can be incredibly helpful for treating anxiety in pets, but this should be completed by a licensed veterinarian. Many aromatherapies designed for humans can be toxic to cats and dogs, this is why it should be done by a professional to avoid any complications.

What can Pet Shield Do for you?

If you have a cat or dog, pet insurance can save you massive vet bills, headaches, and heartache. But that's primarily what pet insurance is known for, the expensive middle of the night emergency vet visit. Obviously this is very much a stressful and difficult situation to be in, but pet insurance is for more than just emergencies. Pet Shield pet insurance certainly does cover emergency vet visits; however, it also covers (for the lack of a better term) the maintenance costs of your pets. Pet Shield insurance has coverage for exam fees, parasite prevention, dental cleaning, and alternative/holistic treatments for your pets. Provided your pet does not have a pre-existing condition and your treatment is being performed by a licensed and trained veterinary office, Pet Shield Insurance will cover up to 80% of your pets maintenance costs. While most pet insurance policies have very little or no coverage for alternative/holistic treatments, Pet Shield plans have coverage for many different types of treatment.

Ask one of our brokers for more information on Pet Shield pet insurance

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holistic Pet Day