Did you know that today is national Holistic Pet Day? who knew, right? It seems like if you look hard enough, there’s a “holiday” for just about anything these days.
Since holistic medicine and health are subjects I consider important, I made a decision to look into this particular “holiday” a littlemore. I actually don’t like the term holistic health all that much considering that it is often interpreted as only encompassing what are considered “alternative” therapies such as acupuncture, massage, Reiki and more. I like the term “integrative.” Integrative medicine is defined by The national center for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) at the national Institutes of Health, as “combining mainstream medical therapies and CAM therapies for which there is some high-quality scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness.” That, to me, is a genuinely holistic approach: combining the best of all worlds.
National Holistic Pet Day was originally founded by Colleen Paige of the animal miracle foundation and Network. And apparently, I’m not the only one who didn’t know about this day. 90% of the a lot more than 700 pet owners surveyed by Halo Purely for family pets didn’t know about it, either.
Halo’s survey uncovered some interesting data. Of the 700 pet owners surveyed,
73.2% exercise their family pets regularly
28.7% learn about holistic living at their local pet food or natural food store
62.2% use non-toxic household products
48.9% use natural supplements for skin, coat or digestive care
38.7% take their family pets for regular dental check ups
55.5% play mind stimulating activities and games with their pets
6.7% take their family pets for acupuncture
48.7% help a local rescue or shelter
41.5% use all natural shampoo and grooming products
When asked what they would do to celebrate national Holistic Pet Day (now that they know there is such a thing),
37.7% plan to switch to all natural pet food
52.7% committed to getting their pet regular exercise
34.2% will visit their local pet food or natural food store to learn more
49% plan to avoid ingredients prohibited for humans (such as chicken meal)
38.5% plan to switch to non-toxic household products
40.5% would like to try mind-stimulating games with their pet dog and/or cat
7.7% would like to try acupuncture
28% will switch to an all-natural shampoo or grooming product
Dr. Donna Spector, HALO’s consulting vet and frequent guest on the Ellen Show, uses 10 ways to celebrate national Holistic Pet Day – from feeding an all natural food to regular dental care to living chemical free.
I suspect that if I surveyed our readers, the percentages of those who already do some or a lot of of these things would be much higher than those in Halo’s survey. I’d love to hear your experiences with holistic or alternative therapies – please share them in a comment!
You may also take pleasure in reading:
Integrative medicine for your cat
An introduction to Spirit Essences, and an exclusive discount for conscious cat readers
Book review: The complete guide to Holistic cat care by Celeste Yarnall and Jean Hofve, DVM
Ingrid King
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8 comments on national Holistic Pet Day
Cyra says:
November 15, 2011 at 9:31 pm
Thank you very much for sharing this information. The statistics itself is very helpful and an eye-opener for all pet owners. Kudos!
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Stormee says:
August 31, 2011 at 7:42 pm
i didnt know about it either and I believe in well as integrating medical with holistic. I just added “holistic” products to my pet sitting and to my pet sitting web page, have had positive responses. also finding the pet parents are enjoying the use of product as well. I am very pleased with earth Hearts products for dogs, and the reviews are great.
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Stormee says:
August 31, 2011 at 7:44 pm
sorry i am new to your blog, i didnt indicate to impose by posting something about holistic products for Dogs! I know the ones I have are not for cats.
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Ingrid says:
August 31, 2011 at 8:24 pm
Dogs should have holistic care, too, Stormee ?
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Layla Morgan Wilde says:
August 31, 2011 at 11:06 am
I didn’t know and I’m a absolutely holistic. We need to create a lot more awareness in the coming year about holistic wellness for cats and the holiday.
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Ingrid says:
August 31, 2011 at 8:23 pm
I knew about this several weeks ago but couldn’t find anything about it anywhere online. Thankfully, yesterday, Halo’s pr rep contacted me just in time – the delay can be blamed on, to quote Allegra, “some lady named Irene.”
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Marilia says:
August 30, 2011 at 8:51 pm
I posted in Catsternull