Foreword by Andrew Prentis 6 Introduction 9 PART ONE: A healthy life 10 The beginning 11 The new puppy 14 The new kitten 20 Puppy and kitten health 21 The first visit to the vet 22 Diet 24 Feeding a feline – the meat eater who forgets to drink 25 A dog’s dinner – able to adapt but still a carnivore at heart 27 The options 27 • Processed factory food 27 • Homemade food 29 • Raw food 30 • Making the change 34 • Final words on feeding – whichever method you choose 35 Who’s your vet? 37 Vaccination 42 Vaccination of dogs 54 Recommended vaccination programme for dogs 56 Vaccination of cats 56 Recommended vaccination programme for cats 57 Parasites 58 Worms, fleas and ticks 58 Worms 60 • Intestinal roundworms (Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati) 60 • Angiostrongylus vasorum (French heartworm) 63 Fleas 66 Ticks 69 Neutering 76 Spaying, castration, and all things sexual 76 Dogs 77 • The female dog 78 • False pregnancy 84 • The male dog 86 Cats 89 • The female cat 90 • The male cat 91 The final stage: old age, natural death or euthanasia 93 Birth and death 93 PART TWO: From herbs to homeopathy 97 What does it mean to be holistic? 98 Holistic treatment methods 102 • Herbal medicine 103 • Examples of commonly used Western herbs 104 • Acupuncture 106 • Manual therapies 109 • Bach flower remedies 110 • Bach’s 7 reactions and 38 remedies 114 • Homeopathy 117 • Cases from my homeopathic practice 131 PART THREE: Dealing with disease 141 Treat the patient; not the disease 143 Decisions at the vet’s: the right decision is the one you won’t regret 143 • Firefighting 144 Common conditions in dogs and cats 147 Focus on allergy 148 Skin 151 • Wounds 151 • Bite wounds and abscesses 152 • Homeopathic treatment of wounds and abscesses 153 • Allergic skin disease 154 • Allergy testing: what it can and can’t do 155 • Hotspots 162 • Ear infections 162 • Eosinophilic granuloma complex 164 • Psychogenic over-grooming 164 • Lumps and bumps 165 The digestive system 166 • Open wide 166 • Diarrhoea and vomiting 167 • Constipation 170 • Anal sacs 172 Heart and airways 174 • Kennel cough 174 • Viral disease in cats 175 • Asthma 176 Heart disease 177 Thyroid disease 177 The urinary system 178 • Cystitis 178 • Urinary crystals and stones 182 • Incontinence 183 • Chronic kidney disease 184 The reproductive system 187 • Pyometra 187 • Cryptorchidism 187 The nervous sytem 188 • Seizures 188 • Epilepsy 189 The locomotor system 190 • Sprains and strains 190 • Fractures 191 • Cruciate ligament rupture 191 • Dysplasia 193 • Osteoarthritis 197 Surgery 199 Behavioural problems 201 • Aggression 203 • Anxiety 204 • Behavioural problems in cats 207 Appendices 211 Supplements 211 Useful contacts 215 References and further reading 216 Index 220