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D E PA R T M E N T S P E T S
ELIMINATING YOUR PET’S PAIN—
NATURALLY Holistic therapies for your furr y companion
I
magine: He’s sleeping better, feeling stronger and acting calmer. She’s less anxious, more playful and a heck of a lot happier.
COULD IT BE … THE CBD? Your pet means everything to you and your family. She’s the heartbeat of your home. So, if you’re watching her struggle with high stress levels, allergies, anxiety or other ailments, chances are you’ll stop at nothing to eliminate her pain. Fully healing your pet’s pain may require more than a conventional solution; you may want to consider an alternative therapy. Here are some natural remedies local experts recommend for healing your furry friend.
ANALYZE YOUR PET’S DIET
Although animals face some common issues, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to eve y pet’s problem. “We look at the animal in front of us,” says JP Phinney, co-owner of Unleashed, a pet store with locations in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Wilmington and Southport. Phinney says some pet owners worry that their animal has food allergies when troublesome symptoms like constant itching and scratching behaviors arise. However, the real reason might be something trickier. “The ‘itchy scratchies’ are almost always due to a food sensitivity. Not necessarily a food sensitivity to an ingredient … but really to an intolerance to an inappropriate ratio of ingredients in their food,” Phinney says.
BY ELIZABETH KANE
Although the protein, fat and fiber content numbers may look right on your pet’s food ingredient label, the nutrient ratio could be off. “Where they get that protein and where they get that fat makes a big difference,” Phinney says. If a pet gets a good amount of their protein from the fiber or the sta ch in their food, it will “cause a general inflammato y response in that animal … almost always,” Phinney says. One solution to try? “A slow, measured change in food or supplements can usually remedy these issues.”
TRY PET CBD OIL (REALLY!)
To reduce or possibly eliminate your pet’s pain, consider exploring another avenue in alternative health that may seem, well … very alternative to you.
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