The Four Pillar Plan For Your Pet's Health

Our animals’ health can be this simple! Dr Chattergee’s Four Pillar Plan for health is just as applicable to your pets, horse, poultry and livestock. In fact, these principles underpin all that Whole Health Agriculture teaches for farm livestock health. The four pillars are: Relax + Eat + Move + Sleep

The simplicity of this protocol was explored by Chris Aukland in a one hour 'Pet Pro' webinar which looked at how Dr Chattergee’s principles might apply to our companion animals. Chris and our course participants discussed a variety of homeopathic remedies in the webinar, but there are many other complementary methods we can employ to help our animals meet Dr Chattergee's Four Pillar principles. Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

RELAX

Cats are usually kings when it comes to relaxation but probably the most important thing to ensure relaxation for any companion animal is having somewhere safe to sleep undisturbed. Some cats like a lap and gentle stroking by their favourite human, a gentle scratch in just the right place is enough to set off the purr and induce relaxation for both the cat and the human.

One thing to note especially with cats are the subtle ‘tells’. Observe your pet quietly; if they are trying to relax and they’d like you to stop stroking, notice the ear flick, the coat wrinkle or the eye blink – these could be signs that they’d like you to stop now. Once your cat knows that you can read their signals, you will notice that they relax much more easily, because they trust that they don’t need to stick a claw in you to make you stop. Much the same applies to dogs, they’ll relax more if they know you understand their signals, especially if there are children around. Please keep an eye on the child and watch your dog’s body language. Look for the whale eye, the shift in posture, lip licking, ear position or showing of teeth etc. Act when you see these signs to avoid a catastrophe. That will allow your dog to relax in the knowledge that you will always have their back when it comes to keeping their space safe.

‘Impulse management’ is part of every good pup’s training. They need to know how to switch off, drop the energy and calm down. That is especially vital for some breeds. Even if you have a rescue dog, you may find that they haven’t learned this and you will need to spend some time teaching them that it’s safe and easy to drop the energy. Make sure that your pet has a place of safety, somewhere they can go to relax without being disturbed.

Popping out for a sniff and not necessarily a walk will be familiar to those with older dogs, but young dogs need to take time sniffing too. The nose knows! Sniffing is a natural behaviour to help animals to relax. An activity such as foraging engages the nose and the brain which in turn enhances a level of relaxation - even your feline friends will be happy to do a little searching and foraging.

Family furries share a foraging mat.

Breeds bred to work will need to have ticked the Move box in order to relax. If your dog has not moved enough in the day, they will find it harder to relax.

Routine – even us humans know that if there’s a routine, it’s easier to stay focused and relax. Animals are creatures of habit. Where you can, stick to a routine for exercise and eating. This just helps keep the anxiety levels down. It doesn’t have to be a rigid routine, but if you have an anxious kind of dog such as a rescue or a retired working dog, try to stick with a routine they are comfortable with. That helps them relax into life and not worry what might happen next.

One thing that’s sure to upset relaxation is sudden and unexpected loud noises. If your pet is affected by the dreaded firework season or thunder storms, then you may need to consider learning how to manage those fears. If you pop over to our friends at CAM4animals, you can run a search on ‘fireworks’, ‘fear’ or even this one on ‘anxiety’ to bring up blogs specifically aimed to helping you manage those bangs in the night. There’s an excellent webinar at Hero Paws on understanding canine anxiety which is given by Canine Behaviourist and Vet Physio Julie Moss.

Looking beyond what you can do yourself, there are practitioners who can help take relaxation and movement to the next level. Consider finding a practitioner who can teach you a few simple methods to induce relaxation in your animal. Look for T Touch, Galen Myotherapy, Acupressure and Canine or Equine Massage practitioners. You’ll find all the recognised professional bodies listed at CAM4animals.

Herbs are also an option, finding the right herbs and feeding in the right dose requires you to find a good resource. The British Association of Veterinary Herbalists are a good start for complex cases needing veterinary supervision. Alternatively, you can buy ready-made combinations from companies such as Hedgerow Hounds who make all their products from known herbal sources. Perhaps incorporate a calming blend in with homemade dog treats? Or make a doggie tea from a suitable combination. Read some suggestions on their website.

Flower essences are mentioned in Chris’s webinar but there are a wide variety of different flower essences including Bach,  Australian Bush and Lotus Holistic Essences, a small company owned by Julie Bowman who makes all her own essences and lists a useful simple materia medica here.

It's interesting to note that much of what is written above also connects with the following three pillars. Who knew that relaxation would hold such a key to the well-being of our animals!

EAT

Mmmm delicious!

Our policy on the Pet Course is not to insist that you follow any rigid plan. We highlight what we consider to be the most effective way to achieve ultimate health for your animals, and it's up to you to make a decision based on your own personal circumstances. Feeding a species appropriate diet is an example of this. There is considerable evidence to show that species appropriate feeding is not only safe but beneficial to the health of your animal. You can read more about this on the Raw Feeding Veterinary Society website As a pillar of health your pet’s diet should comprise minimum processed, fresh ingredients. It may be appropriate to lightly cook it if they can’t or won’t eat raw.

Honeys Real Dog Food have a comprehensive guide to feeding which you can access on their free advice page here.

Cat servants please note that it can take a cat over a year to transition across to raw, or they may wolf it down immediately – that’s cats for you!

If your dog is prone to bolting their food down, this will in turn affect their health. Look at enrichment feeders such as sticky mats, Pickpocket Foragers, stuffed Kongs or scattering their food on the ground for them to search for it.

Never let it be said that we’re all about the dog here either. Self-professed bunny and guinea-pig slave, Fiona Murphy wrote an informative and in-depth guide on feeding here.   In order to show the breadth of health benefits in feeding a species appropriate diet, explore how fur balls in cats can also be resolved . This article is written by Jule Anne Lee, who is a veterinarian, a holistic vet and founder of the Adored Beast Apothecary – another great resource for holistic pet health information .

Of course, what comes out at the other end is part of the whole digestion process. Enabling your cat to have access to a tray if the weather is bad outside, or if they are elderly or unwell is important to remember. Routine trips to allow your dog out and recognising when they are asking to go out too, are important. Remember to have a worming protocol in place, this is covered in depth in the Pet Course and incorporates the Whole Health approach.

One final word on food, check what’s in those treats and consider making your own – you can always batch bake and freeze.

MOVEMENT

In addition to movement suggestions above and the more obvious necessities such as regular walks of an appropriate length, time off lead if possible and time to sniff; introducing games on walks, even on a long lead, open up opportunities for games. Take a toy in your pocket and engage in some human-doggo bonding activities. These will tick yours and your dog’s Relaxation and Movement boxes and probably, with any luck, the Sleep box too.

Tug-e-Nuff have a fantastic series of short lessons which are free and should inspire you to play games with your dog. Be aware of the dreaded ball-throwing obsession. Repetitive games like this damage your dog’s skeletal health. Furthermore, especially with the Shepherding dogs, ball fetching drives an obsession that builds stress, rather than calms them down. There are also much calmer activites you can engage in which encourage movement and bonding. Learning new tricks or 'shaping' which encourage balance, strengthen the body, develop obedience, focus and connection are also great rainy day activities and engage everyone's brains.

Indoor cats need plenty of stimulation too. Make sure they have places to hide and opportunities to jump and climb, otherwise you might find they go 'self-employed' and your best curtains will be shredded!

Where your animal’s movement is now affected by pain or discomfort, what options are available to you outside of the management recommended by your conventional vet? Chris covers specific homeopathic remedies in his video, so let’s look at some other options here. Canine Arthritis Management cover this topic comprehensively including some complementary methods of management.

Herbal remedies offer as wide a variety of options as homeopathy. Green Lipped Mussel is well-documented as having beneficial effects on easing pain from inflammation. Alison Daniel at My Pet Nutritionist writes about five of her favourite herbs for arthritis. Her article includes links for further learning.

The physical therapies are invaluable when it comes to pain management and enabling mobility, even with conditions such as hip dysplasia. You have many modalities to consider: Canine and Equine massage, acupuncture, acupressure, Hydrotherapy, Bowen Therapy, Masterson Method (horses), Galen Myotherapy (dogs), Cranio Sacral Therapy and of course Chiropractic, McTimoney and Osteopathy. A search for ‘Lameness’ on CAM4animals brings up this link just to get you started but you can also look under their main heading of ‘Modalities’ to find all the registered practitioner bodies.

In addition, some holistic vets offer SCENAR (electrotherapy).  If you’re interested in hand held devices that you can use at home, Photizo is also a great option but different from SCENAR in that it uses photobiomodulation. You can read about SCENAR and Photizo here plus there’s a £25 off offer on Photizo handsets. Look for the code under ‘Offers’ on the CAM4animals website. Both these devices work well alone or alongside conventional and alternative treatments.

Sixteen year old Jack exercises doing a little window shopping

SLEEP

Having the above three pillars in place will also help with sleep.

Young animals all need to sleep to give them time to grow and rest. Ensuring rest times, especially with the more ‘wired’ breeds is a good discipline to encourage. Older dogs, of course, are the ones who struggle with restlessness. You may have played the Hokey-Cokey game of letting your dog in, then out all day, and all night! Chris talks through some good homeopathic remedies, in the webinar, but there’s also herbs and nutraceuticals to consider. Dorwest Herbs offer a variety of combinations to cover several conditions. For the calming compounds for any dog, not just your elderly pooch, take a look at these. There’s also Nutracalm from Nutravet which contains L-Tryptophan, L-Theanine, GAB and Passiflora. You might need to ask your vet for Nutravet products.

One way to work with herbs, not just for sleep but for the other three pillars too, is Zoopharmacognosy. A very long word which means self-selection by the animal. Caroline Ingraham offers her individualised approach to self-selection not just for herbs but also essential oils.

Cat napping

We hope this has given you some ideas to explore the complementary therapies which apply Dr Chattergee’s Four Pillar Plan. If you would like to have a more in-depth book on holistic therapies, take a look at The British Association for Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons’ “A Veterinary Guide To Holistic Therapies.”

Your animal’s health is paramount to us, so please ensure that you address any of your pet’s health concerns with your vet. Make sure you have a veterinary diagnosis for the more serious conditions and discuss any possible complementary options with your vet or a holistic vet.

Further Information:

Visit the WHAg Learning Centre for a range of webinars and downloadable documents on complementary and alternative health modalities for the farm. You can access a little more if you sign up as a free member and pro members get EVEN more!

Watch the one hour webinar here.