Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats

From the Book

Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide
To Natural Health for Dogs and Cats

Now completely updated and revised, this is an expanded edition of the classic natural pet-care book by veterinarian Richard H. Pitcairn and his wife Susan Pitcairn - both renowned specialists in chemical-free nutrition, treatment and natural healing for pets.

Written with the warmth and compassion that have won the Pitcairns a nationwide following, this guide will help you select the most compatible dog or cat for your own lifestyle-and show you how to provide the very best in companionship, healing, nutrition and lifelong care.

Since its publication more than a decade ago, the Pitcairns' book has become the definitive guide to a natural lifestyle for dogs and cats.

A Comprehensive, Thorough Reference,
This Pet-Lover's Companion Will Tell You:
* How to choose a healthy animal
* Dozens of recipes for delicious, economical, healthful pet food-with completely updated tables, charts and nutritional guidelines
* How to give your pet a checkup
* What's really in pet foods-and which ones to avoid to ensure your pet's best health
* Special diets for special pets
*A guide to handling emergencies that includes techniques for external heart massage, artificial respiration and control of bleeding

Plus:
An in-depth, alphabetical "Quick Reference" section that gives specific instructions for preventing, diagnosing and treating a wide range of animal diseases and disorders-from abscesses, allergies and behavior problems to vaccination risks, weight problems and worms.

The Pitcairns' approach is drug-free and holistic-with special attention to homeopathic and alternative remedies and treatments.

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Heritage

Dealing primarily with domestic household pets, it was published by Rodale Press, the publisher of Prevention Magazine.

Because of this, it was the first general veterinary book that was broadly marketed. It discussed many alternative therapies as well as diet, and homeopathy figured prominently.

From:
The Heritage of Homoeopathic Literature
copyright 2001 by Julian Winston
Reprinted with the permission of the author

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Author

Richard Pitcairn, DSVM

(1941 -     )

Dr. Pitcairn was born in Los Angeles, California in 1941.

He studied Hahnemann and Kent primarily but also Jahr, Nash, Clarke, Boericke, Wright-Hubbard, Dorothy Shepherd, Dunham, Farrington, Schmidt, Boenninghausen, H. C. Allen, T. F. Allen, Hering, Barthel, Burnett, Blackie, Blackwood, Boger, Borland, Close, Cooper, Cowperthwaite, Dudgeon, Gross, Lippe, Phatak, Schuessler, Tyler...

...and of the more contemporary homeopaths - Vithoulkas, Coulter, and Andre Saine. His favorites are Hahnemann and Kent above all, then Boger, Boenninghausen and Jahr.

He has had a 100% homeopathic veterinary practice since 1978.

Dr. Pitcairn has had several articles published over the years. In 1982 he published Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats, second edition in 1995. This book emphasizes the use of homeopathy in animal treatment.

Since 1992 he has been teaching a course for veterinarians, a year-long training in the use of homeopathy. It is called the Professional Course in Veterinary Homeopathy.

Dr. Pitcairn founded the Animal Natural Health Center in 1986 as a clinical and teaching center for the understanding and use of homeopathic medicine in the treatment of disease.

In 1995, along with two other veterinarians, he started the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy. This is a professional organization for homeopathic veterinarians, the first in the history of the United States.

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Contents

Forward -- vii
Preface -- xi
Acknowledgments -- xiii

Part One: Natural Health for Pets
Chapter 1: We Need a New Approach to Pet Health Care -- 3
Chapter 2: What’s really in Pet Food -- 9
Chapter 3: Try a Basic Natural Diet - with Supplements -- 29
Chapter 4: Easy-to-Make Recipes for Pet Food -- 60
Chapter 5: Special Diets for Special Pets -- 88
Chapter 6: Helping Your Pet Make the Switch -- 109
Chapter 7: Exercise, Rest, and Natural Grooming -- 119
Chapter 8: Creating a Healthier Environment -- 135
Chapter 9: Choosing a Healthy Animal -- 152
Chapter 10: Emotional Connections and Your Pet’s Health -- 184
Chapter 11: Neighborly Relations: Responsible Pet Management -- 190
Chapter 12: Lifestyles: Tips for Special Situations -- 221
Chapter13: Saying Goodbye: Coping with a Pet’s Death -- 233
Chapter 14: Holistic and Alternative Therapies -- 242
Chapter15: How to Care for a Sick Animal -- 272

Part Two: Quick Reference
How to Use the Quick Reference Section -- 287
How to Look up a Particular Disease -- 288
What You Can Expect -- .288
Signs of Progress -- 280
Healing Discharges -- 291
Anemia -- 301
Appetite Problems -- 303
Arthritis -- 304
Behavior Problems -- 306
Bladder Problems -- 309
Breast Tumors -- 316
Cancer -- 317
Constipation -- 320
Cushing's Disease -- 322
Dental Problems -- 323
Diabetes -- 327
Diarrhea and Dysentery -- 329
Distemper, Chorea, and Feline Panleukopenia -- 132
Ear Problems -- 337
Epilepsy -- 341
Eye Problems -- 343
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) -- 346
Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) -- 347
Feline Leukemia (FeLV) -- 350
Foxtails -- 352
Hair Loss -- 353
Heart Problems -- 353
Heartworms -- 356
Hip Dysplasia -- 359
Jaundice -- 361
Kidney Failure -- 361
Liver Problems -- 367
Lyme Disease -- 369
Common Pet Ailments and Their Treatments -- 293
Abscesses -- 293
Addison’s Disease -- 295
Allergies -- 296
Anal Gland Problems -- 300
Pancreatitis -- 172
Paralysis -- 374
Pregnancy, Birth, and Care of Newborns -- 375
Rabies -- 379
Radiation Toxicity -- 380
Reproductive Organ Problems -- 380
Skin Parasites -- .382
Skin Problems -- 388
Spaying and Neutering -- 393
Stomach Problems -- 395
Thyroid Disorders -- 402
Toxoplasmosis -- 105
Upper Respiratory Infections ('Colds') -- 407
Vaccinations -- 411
Vomiting -- 417
Warts -- 418
Weight Problems -- 410
West Nile Virus -- .422
Worms -- 422
Handling Emergencies
and Giving First Aid -- 429
Schedule for Herbal Treatment -- 438
Schedule for Homeopathic Treatment -- 441
Additional Recipes - Snacks and Treats -- 444
Normal Vital Sign Values -- 452
Parts of a Dog and Cat -- 453
Endnotes -- 454
Index -- 455

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