This is because of (not in spite of) my love for all things scientific. Let me explain.

Lets say that your dog has arthritis (just an example). You take the dog to the vet, who prescribes medicine. The dose of this medicine will be precisely calculated and it will be a large dose (by my standards – more on this later).

The drug has one method of stopping the arthritis – for example, it blocks the pain receptors, resulting in less pain for your dog. Great news.

The disadvantage of this large dose of a single drug is that, inevitably, there are side effects. Perhaps your dog gets a bit shaky. Or his immune system is compromised. Sometimes, his body will become accustomed to the drug and the drug stops working so well (called tolerance). So the vet is forced to up the dose. Which results in more side effects. And more tolerance. You get the picture, I am sure.

This is where The Herbal Pet’s philosophy is different. Our products are formulated with these two points in mind:

1. A lot of different natural substances are used together.  To continue with my example, Joint Formula consists of 6 different plants and natural substances, all of which have been scientifically proven to help with arthritis. But each one does so in its own unique way. In this way, the problem is being tackled using several different methods, but with a common purpose – making your dog feel less stiff and sore.
2. The ingredients of Joint Formula (and all of the other products) are present in low doses. Because there are so many ingredients, working together with a common purpose, the efficacy of the product is not affected. But, the tolerance is less. And the side effects are less. No vicious cycle of dose vs effect.

This is what I call “The Herbal Pet philosophy”. And this is what I want to know from you – does it make as much sense to you as it makes to me?

Dr Martin Zucker, a veterinarian in the USA, describes a very alarming situation – a gradual decline in the general health and well-being of our pets. Vets are noticing:

• More serious diseases in ever younger animals
• More allergies
• Weaker immune systems
• Increased skin problems
• More behavioural problem

Why is this happening? Amongst other things, Dr Zucker believes that the factors contributing to this alarming trend are:

• Bad breeding practices
• Low quality, unnatural pet food
• Pollution
• Stress

To a very large extent, we can help this situation in our own pets’ lives, by changing the way we feed. Vets comment on how even a small change in the way we feed our animals can ‘cure’ a lot of diseases.

Not many of us have hours spare in which to formulate and feed elaborate diets to our pets. What is the best we can do with limited time?

Option 1 – for very busy people

You want to feed your dog or cat a good diet, but really don’t have time to do more than fill the bowl with kibble. If this is you, then buy the best kibble you can afford. In most cases, you get what you pay for. Do the best you can.

Option 2 – busy, but can spare a bit of time

Feed the best quality food that you can afford as a base. To this base, add broth, table scraps, oils, meat, eggs, vegetables, fruits. Keep it varied, keep it fresh, keep it natural and unprocessed.

Option 3 – deluxe diet

There are various theories about the best way to do this. Here is one option that Dr Blakely recommends:

• One half of the diet – cooked whole grains (eg. Brown rice, oatmeal)
• One quarter to a third – high quality protein (eg. Raw or cooked meat)
• Up to a quarter –lightly steamed vegetables and grated fruits

Add a good relevant supplement.

By changing to any of these three options, you are going to see a real difference in your pet’s health. Give it a try, then let me know your opinion.

The truth is the only diet that is perfect for your dog is what he or she would eat in the wild – raw fresh meat, bones and connective tissue, supplemented with fresh plant and vegetable material. A diet like this would also have to be hunted in an ideal world, very different to the world we live in today, which is rife with pollution, fertilizers, insecticides, intensive farming, etc.

Dogs today suffer more than EVER before from diet related problems – allergies, joint problems and behavioural problems. Of course there are many different reasons for these problems. But, it makes one wonder – if the food we feed was perfectly balanced, would these problems be on the increase?

My advice is – know your dog. Know his or her temperament and moods, digestive habits, metabolism, stools. Observe closely. This way, you will immediately pick up a problem and you will be able to take corrective action. Some dogs will live perfectly healthily for their entire lives without ever needing a supplement. But others do need more or less constant supplementation of their diet.

The Herbal Pet has developed a range of products for dogs that address some of the problems dog owners may encounter. Our products are completely natural, 100% safe and contain no harmful substances.