Holistic Pet Care, a Growing Trend:

I'm so happy to witness the emergence of more and more companies with pet care lines that are natural. Some companies even create entire product lines for animal lovers who seek natural supplementation for their animal friends.

Although natural remedies are not intended to replace any needed veterinarian care, there are many holistic vets who know how well they can work so check for a holistic vet in your area. A good place to start, to locate a holistic vet in your area, is by visiting the website for the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.

This healing question regarded an injured cat and the use of the health supplement MSM. Related Article: Separation anxiety in pets

....Natural pet health for injured cat

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Question on cat health: My cat has been diagnosed with torn ligaments in his knees. What is the best course of action in terms of supplements and/or otherwise. I have had wonderful results, personally, with MSM - would this be appropriate for my cat? Is there something that is better for cat health probmes from injury? Would massage or thermal treatments help?

Healing Facilitation response: First of all, I must preface this answer with a disclaimer. I am not a veterinarian. My goal at Ask A Healer is education, not diagnosis or treatment. I am assuming you have had your cat checked out by a vet, and that's how the diagnosis of torn ligaments came about.

What I can provide here is educational information for you to explore, including natural pet care information that may be beneficial. Pet health supplements are often suggested by holistic vets, for both cat health and dog health, so maybe you are lucky enough to have found a veterinarian that recognizes the value of nutritional supplementation. I can, with confidence, recommend Pet Alive, because of my long association with that company but there are certainly many natural pet supplements out there so doing some research will be good.

Is MSM safe for animals?

Again, I am not a veterinarian and, not knowing the weight or age of your pet, do not know how to suggest dosage for an animal but I have certainly seen pet products that contain MSM and since it is a natural occurring ingredient in all living organisms, I would assume the correct dosage for your cat would be safe. Call a holistic vet for dosage and further instructions.

The farmer's coop where I live sells it, in granular form, for horses with injuries. Your vet may know about MSM in pet supplements and may be able to provide information on MSM dosage and a good source to order pure MSM. I would try to find additive-free MSM with no binders or flow agents added.

Personally, what might be easier and would eliminate concerns about dosage would be to just order from the available pet supplements with MSM that are already available online. Look for a formula that is specifically for cats, since someone would have worked out a good dosage in the process of creating the formula.

Recommended Natural Pet Care Supplement:

Even though your cat has not been diagnosed with arthritis, a good joint support supplement may be beneficial to help the joints stay flexible and free of pain and for general cat health maintenance so I would suggest reading about Muscle and Joint Support from Pets Alive and Native Remedies I like these formulas (they have a great selection to cover a lot of different health challenges in both cats and dogs) because they incorporated homeopathic remedies into the formula.

I find that animals respond very well to homeopathic remedies. Muscle and Joint Support is designed to treat arthritis or other joint pain symptoms, relieve joint pain and reduce joint stiffness from arthritis, rheumatism and degenerative joint disease in cats or dogs.

Willard Water as a natural pet care supplement:

When I had my cats, before I relocated to a place where I couldn't have pets, I used an inexpensive water additive called Willard Water and find that it is wonderful, just wonderful for pets. I just put a few drops in my cat's water and he definitely drinks more water when the Willard Water is there.

I do not always use the Willard Water but when I think Pooter (I know, someone said I would give him a complex by calling him that but he seems fine with it) is dragging or seems to be getting sick, I always add it and he is his old self within a day or two.

Willard Water has been around for dozens of years and, in all that time, it has never gotten a bad report. 60 Minutes did an interview on it years and years ago. I am trying to remember how they worded things at the end of it but basically, they said they had found nothing to suggest Willard Water would be harmful and that there were certainly a lot of people who felt it was beneficial. I certainly believe in it myself, for myself and for my cats. I feel it speeds healing and helps maintain a balance of energy and health.

The Official Willards Water Site

Did you know some veterinarians are specialized in food safety? Those special veterinarians are called Food Hygiene Veterinarians and they are uniquely trained to determine the safety of foods that are manufactured to feed animals.

The FDA also maintains a website on veterinary medicine that provides information on the FDA regulations for the manufacture and distribution of food additives and drugs which will be administered to animals. You might want to bookmark The Center for Veterinary Medicine and explore the information on veterinary medicine that is available there.

Is Massage Helpful for Animal Injuries?

You had asked whether massage or thermal heat therapy would be beneficial. I believe regular massage can be just as beneficial for animals as for humans. Not only does massage increase circulation to injured areas (assuming the injury is healed sufficiently for massage not to be contraindicated - check with your vet) but it is also relaxing to animals and humans alike. I believe animals experience stress with pain, just as we do, so therapeutic massage could be beneficial for healing, yes.

Thermal Heat for Animal Injuries

I found reference to the use of a ThermalCare heat wrap for a dog with injuries, and they used the same heat wrap that is used for humans. You could call the company that makes the thermal heat wraps and see if they know whether using them for your cat would be safe.

You might check into infrared heat options too. Infrared heat, which is a form of hyperthermia, is great for pain. Farmers use infrared heat lamps for animal warming too so an infrared heat lamp, properly installed where your cat sleeps, might be a consideration for winter. In addition, you might check with your vet to see if they have access to a good source for an infrared heat gun. If not, accupuncturists often carry them. The infrared tool helps to direct the heat directly to the area of injury.

Pet Health Care Disclaimer: The natural pet care information contained in this article is not intended to take the place of veterinarian care that may be needed for your pet. The good news is that there are a lot of holistic vets around, who recognize the benefit of natural health care while still medically trained to help your pet heal and recover. Please consult with your veterinarian on matters relating to animal health, preventative pet health care and wellness.