Year of the Dog! Celebrating Traditional Chinese Medicine
Happy Lunar New Year!
Last night marked the beginning of the Year of the Dog for millions of people around the globe. During this time of family and feasting, we thought we'd celebrate the amazing Traditional Chinese medical approaches that we are privileged to offer at our hospital.
Did you know that Pandosy Village Veterinary Hospital offers Traditional Chinese acupuncture, as well as Chinese herbal medicine? Traditional Chinese medicine gets to the root of the illness, providing long term benefits without the side effects of pharmaceuticals or surgery. This ancient Eastern approach to wellness is more relevant than ever, and provides many opportunities to solve issues that western medicine can't. Nutritional therapy is a crucial part of the traditional Chinese approach, balancing your pet's symptoms with smart food choices. If your pet has a chronic health issue that you can't seem to control, this gentle holistic approach may be the solution.
Dr. Jason and his teacher Dr. Xie, grandfather of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine in the western world. Dr. Jason will be traveling in April and June to study again at the Chi Institute. In June, Jason will become BC's 5th certified Veterinary Acupuncturist from the Chi Institute!
Cooling foods for inflammatory conditions
Inflammatory disease such as allergies, autoimmune diseases and GI upset are often unwittingly exacerbated by caring pet parents.
Dr. Jason says "People will often given venison or lamb to their pets as a rare protein when allergies start to appear. Unfortunately, they are just stoking the dog or cat's internal fires and making the inflammatory symptoms worse."
No matter if the inflammatory conditions are due to food, environmental allergens or an imbalance such as Liver Qi Stagnation (aka Angry Animal syndrome!) a cooling diet can help balance your pet's excess energetic heat.
Choose your proteins wisely
For proteins, pet parents should choose cooling proteins, and a raw diet is better than a highly processed kibble. In our Pounce & Hound Fine Pet Gods store, we have coolingproteins: rabbit, duck, white fish and turkey diets for both cats and dogs. Don't hesitate to come in and ask us for recommendations. We can also show you cookbooks to make your own balanced cooling meals or make up a recipe specifically for your pet. 
There are other supplements that can also add cool elements to your pet's food, such as cold-water fish oil, plains yogurt, cooling fruits likes apples, melon and bananas, and cooling veggies such as cucumber, celery, spinach and broccoli.
We hope these tips are helpful! Don't hesitate to ask us for food recommendations in our store, or in an appointment with Dr. Jason.
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