As a holistic veterinarian, I often encounter pets with skin issues, from minor wounds to persistent itchy hotspots. While conventional treatments focus on symptoms, I advocate for addressing the root causes and treating the symptoms with natural remedies like essential oils while you are figuring out why the itchiness is there in the first place.

Gut health is commonly a main reason for skin issues, like hot spots, allergies and ear infections.  Make sure that you don't end up missing the root cause for why the symptom is there since many pet parents end up in a vicious cycle of only treating the symptoms.  Make sure to check out our blog post on healing allergies naturally at the root cause level.

In this post, I'll share my top 5 essential oils for dog skin health and how to use them effectively and safely.

When to Seek Veterinary Care:

Before we dive into essential oils, let's address when it's crucial to take your pet to the vet:

1. Injuries that penetrate the skin (e.g.
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What if your dog is not doing well with a new diet and has sensitive dog gut health? 

Remember to go back to the principles and go slowly through the following steps.

If your dog is not feeling well, fast them with bone broth for 12-24 hours to allow their digestive tract to rest.  If you're not able to make your own bone broth, here are a few great sources that you can use:

• Honest Kitchen Bone Broth
• Open Farm Bone Broth
• Only Natural Pet Free-Range Bone Broth

When there is diarrhea or GI upset from a transition to a new food, make sure to slow down the transition and follow the below steps to help make the diet change a success.

Step 1 - Remove Inflammatory Foods

Make sure you've removed inflammatory foods and treats that may be triggering dog leaky gut. Here are other areas that could be causing leaky gut in your dog:

• Foods high in lectins
  • Wheat, rice, spelt, soy
• Foods with a high glycemic index (increase sugar levels quickly in the body and can feed yeast an
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Natural Treatments of Giardia in Dogs & Cats

Giardia, a single-celled parasite that often wreaks havoc in our cat and dogs' digestive systems, is notorious for causing significant discomfort and diarrhea. While conventional treatments have been the go-to for many veterinarians, they can have limited results and a surge in natural treatments are changing the game.

What Is Giardia In Dogs & Cats

Giardiasis, the disease caused by Giardia duodenalis, is a common microscopic protozoal intestinal infection in dogs and cats. The protozoa thrives in feces-contaminated soil, food, and water. Giardia is a common cause of 'traveler's diarrhea' in people worldwide. Giardia in dogs and cats can cause severe signs of disease and can greatly impact cat and dog's gut health if they become infected.

How Is Giardia Transmitted To Dogs & Cats

A dog and cat becomes infected when it ingests the cystic form of giardia from the environment. Pets get infected by ingesting these contaminated materials ...