New Choices in Natural Healing for Dogs & Cats: Over 1,000 At-Home Remedies for Your Pet's Problems [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Amy D. Shojai (Author), Editors Prevention for Pets Books (Author)

Book Description

Series: New Choices | Publication Date: October 29, 1999

Articles in Time and US News and World Reports have cited alternative medicine as the fastest-growing area in veterinary care. More than ever, pet owners are demanding facts on using these non-invasive healing methods for their pets. Author Amy Shojai has interviewed top vets across the country, including members of the Holistic Veterinary Medical Association and noted veterinarian Susan Wynn. Pet owners will learn why some vets moved away from mainstream medicine, how the "Healing Instinct" leads animals to their own natural cures, and how alternative therapies actually work. Readers will find tips for treating problems like aggression, fleas, and heart problems with accupressure, homeopathy, nutrition, herbs, exercise and traditional home remedies. Sidebars give "Alternative Success" stories and warning signs for when to call the vet. Now pet owners can be sure their pets have the same practical, holistic healing options as humans do.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"New Choices in Natural Healing for Dogs and Cats is full of tips from experienced holistic veterinarians, making natural alternatives a reality for treating emotional and physical problems."--Cheryl Schwartz, D.V.M., a holistic veterinarian in San Francisco and author of Four Paws, Five Directions: A Guide to Chinese Medicine for Cats and Dogs

From the Back Cover

"New Choices in Natural Healing for Dogs and Cats is full of tips from experienced holistic veterinarians, making natural alternatives a reality for treating emotional and physical problems."--Cheryl Schwartz, D.V.M., a holistic veterinarian in San Francisco and author of Four Paws, Five Directions: A Guide to Chinese Medicine for Cats and Dogs

Finally, a vet-approved, authoritative guide to homeopathy, supplements, and hundreds of other new choices for keeping dogs and cats healthy!

* Strengthen joints and repair cartilage with this all-natural enzyme (page 114).
* Push the "aspirin" point for instant pain relief (page 135).
* Stop behavior problems like barking with a flower essence (page 150).
* Herbs that fortify immunity and can help prevent cancer (page 178).
* Eliminate swelling with this powerful nutrient (page 233).
* A one-week plan to get rid of fleas-- without harmful chemicals (page 263).

Discover for yourself how the country's top holistic veterinarians treat their pets without using drugs...and how you can do it, too!

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 500 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books; 1 edition (October 29, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579540570
• ISBN-13: 978-1579540579
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #804,699 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Animal Care & Pets > Cats > Care & Health

More About the Author

Amy D. Shojai, CABC a nationally known authority on pet care and behavior, is a certified animal behavior consultant, a spokesperson for the pet products industry, and the author of 23 nonfiction pet books and over 1,000 articles. Her award-winning columns have appeared in the Herald Democrat newspaper, at Purina's CatChow.com, About.com, Sergeants.com e-newsletter, the NBC-Universal site PetSide.com, HomeAgain.com and ivillage.com. She appears twice-monthly on the "Pet Talk" segment at KXII-CBS, and hosts the weekly "Pet Peeves" at PetLifeRadio.com and is an expert on Animal Planet DOGS 101 and CATS 101.

Ms. Shojai addresses a wide range of fun-to-serious issues in her work, covering dog and cat training, behavior, natural and allopathic health care, nutrition, first aid, aging pets, "the bond" and cutting-edge medical topics. Her work has been honored with over three dozen writing awards and she is a two-time recipient of the "Friskies Writer of the Year" award.

Ms. Shojai's work empowers pet lovers by providing the information they need to make informed decisions for their cats and dogs. The former veterinary technician specializes in translating "medicalese" into easily understood jargon-free language, making it accessible to all pet lovers.

Ms. Shojai has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and in USA Weekend, The New York Times, Washington Post, Reader's Digest, Woman's Day, Family Circle, Woman's World, and many other leading newspapers and magazines. She has also been a featured pet care expert on Animal Planet Dogs 101, Cats 101, Petsburgh USA/Disney Channel program, Good Day New York, Fox News: Pet News, NBC Today Show, WGN-Chicago "Pet Central" and "Animal Planet Radio" and many others.

Ms. Shojai is a certified member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, founder and Past President of the Cat Writers' Association, a member of the Dog Writers Association of America, and Past President of Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc. She frequently speaks to groups on a variety of pet-related issues, lectures at veterinary and writer conferences, and conducts training and behavior demonstrations around the country.

She and her husband live with Seren(dipity) the Siamese wannabe, Magic the German Shepherd, and other assorted critters at Rosemont, their thirteen-acre "spread" in north Texas. Find more information about her work at www.shojai.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gentle Introduction to Natural Remedies for Pets, August 23, 2000

By 

Sasha - See all my reviews

This review is from: New Choices in Natural Healing for Dogs & Cats: Over 1,000 At-Home Remedies for Your Pet's Problems (Hardcover)

Similar in format to Martin Zucker's "Veterinarians Guide to Natural Remedies for Dogs/Cats," this book is a worthwhile choice for anyone wanting to take greater responsibility for their animal's health. Those who have been into natural rearing for a while will not find much new information here, but I recommend it highly to anyone just beginning to get interested in holistic health care for animals.
The book is divided into three parts. Part one explains the difference between holistic and allopathic health care and explains what to expect when consulting a holistic veterinarian. Part two provides a brief overview of a variety of natural therapies including acupressure, aromatherapy, crystal therapy, massage and therapeutic touch, flower remedies, herbs, and homeopathy. There's also a chapter on nutrition and while natural homeprepared diets are recommended, not enough details are provided to enable the pet owner to formulate a balanced homemade diet. What's unusual for a holistic pet care book is that the controversial but very important issue of vaccinations is barely mentioned at all.
Part three, the main section of the book, is an A-Z guide to over 100 canine and feline ailments from acne and aggression to worms and wounds. Each entry briefly describes the signs/symptoms of the ailment, the cause, and the possible solutions. Don't expect in-depth treatment plans here (for instance, the book doesn't even mention that alternative heartworm treatments exist); just simple, natural home remedies. Alternative medicine success stories can be found throughout the text and there's also an alternative healing resource guide in the back.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars High praise, February 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: New Choices in Natural Healing for Dogs & Cats: Over 1,000 At-Home Remedies for Your Pet's Problems (Hardcover)

Amy Shojai's new book, "New Choices in Natural Healing for Dogs & Cats," (Rodale Press)...has already helped our two shepherds cope with some troublesome health problems. Every time I try to put it back on the pet care section of book case, out it comes again - ready to answer some new problem. If you haven't read it, please take a look at the book. It's arranged beautifully and it gives lots of options for every problem so if one solution isn't right or isn't comfortable for you, there are other options to try to help your pet yourself. At the start of each entry in the section on how to handle various problems, she explains what a conventional vet would do and why -- that's a big help because you can decide, before you go to the vet, whether you're willing to go along with a procedure like that. If cortisone, for example, would be recommended by a conventional vet and you don't want your kitty to have cortisone unless there's no other choice, you can look here to see what else you could try instead. And, best of all, Amy also tells you when it's time to take you pet to the vet. (No more wondering and worrying -- is this normal? should I call the doctor? or give it a little more time? is this a serious symptom or just a minor blip?) I can't recommend this book too highly. Hope you all don't mind my jumping up on the "Yay, Amy!" soapbox, but this is one gem that really deserves cheers.

-- Peggy Noonan, a magazine health and science writer who lives in Colorado

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Put it Down........., June 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: New Choices in Natural Healing for Dogs & Cats: Over 1,000 At-Home Remedies for Your Pet's Problems (Hardcover)

I am in the process of learning about holistic health care for my 2 lhasa apsos and have recently purchased a few books on the subject. I started one book and set it aside to finish later. I picked up "New Choices in Natural Healing for Dogs & Cats" and couldn't put it down until I was finished! I was so impressed with the layout of such a large amount of information. This book is chock-full of great information and it is presented in a terrific format giving the read first the "The Signs" of the condition, then "The Cause" and the "The Solutions". The solutions can be numerous with the author offering different suggestions and not seeming to be biased towards any one particular holistic remedy. Directions are very clear, concise, and easily understood. Some choices mentioned are natural diet (which seems to be the first and obvious step towards better health care for an animal), natural supplements, herbal remedies, vitamins, aroma-therapy, magnet therapy, accupressure with diagrams shown, and of course, recommendations to call your vet to assist in dosage. Although you feel there is alot to learn, the information is broken down so well, it is easy to retain alot of what you read in the first go around with this book. I am sure I will be picking it up time and time again while working to get my dogs in the best possible health. Also included are some behavior problems. I guarantee you will learn some new and valuable information!