Love and Energy Help Your Pet Thrive
“Let a dog be a dog, let a cat be a cat, let an animal be an animal… Let them live their best lives possible, and that will be the most compassionate thing you can do for them.” -Dr. Jeff Feinman
When it comes to caring for our pets, we typically have a few key goals in mind. We want to make sure they’re happy, healthy, and safe.
The way in which we meet those goals can vary though, depending on factors like:
🐾 Where we live
🐾 What we have access to
🐾 How we were brought up to think about pets
We always aim to do our best with the resources we have, but what if we could care for our pets in a way we don’t realize exists?
A “whole-istic approach that views your pet as a completely interconnected being – with mind, body and spirit all part of the conversation about their health and well-being.”
That’s exactly what Dr. Jeff Feinman, VMD and leading figure in the holistic approach to pet wellness and care, believes and he definitely practices what he preaches!
A necessary switch to holistic health
“One of the hallmarks of being a scientist is having an open mind and not being fixed on any one particular outcome. So I began to investigate and discovered that there were a lot of tools outside of the stuff we learned in vet school.”
Dr. Jeff’s first decade as a veterinarian was pretty standard.
Based on his experience in a molecular biology lab in the late 70’s/early 80’s and his education as a vet student at University of Pennsylvania, his practice became a combination of his knowledge in molecular biology with the physiology of how the body works.
But after seeing time and time again that treating symptoms wasn’t really working to cure an animal’s ailments, he suspected there might be a better way.
Focusing on diet and supplementation helped, but still, something was still missing.
“In the late nineties, I discovered that all of the physiologic stuff that we learned was really secondary. The primary is energetic.”
This led him into a deep dive over the last 25+ years, seeking answers to how, and why, the energetic realm affects our pets’ health and overall well-being.
“It starts with the fact that mitochondria, which are these little organelles in cells of every organ of every living being, are energy generators. And every disease is an energy disease at one level or another.”
He began studying homeopathy, an energetic way of helping the body “go with the flow,” and even sought out perspectives that varied greatly from his own. “I was studying with a native American elder, and began to see that energy and spirit was imbuing everything.”
Ultimately, it was this wide range of education, insight, and knowledge that led him to a powerful new goal, to “bridge the gap between the scientific stuff I learned in vet school, and the energetic spirit that enlivens life, and that everyone can use right away.”
Finding a balance between conventional and holistic care
“It's really important that they work together by the one key piece that connects them. And that's you, the pet parent.
You've got to be the quarterback of the Vet care team, and it's really all about building out a team. Your conventional vet that may or may not know about holistic modalities, but at least are open-minded, they want to be part of your team.”
Dr. Jeff knows that vets are invaluable for what they offer, especially when major issues arise. Diagnostics and exams can provide insight to what may be going on, but then holistic care can help address the problem.
This is where he stresses the difference between the two:
Traditional care is based on getting rid of symptoms.
Holistic care is more looking at the context that the symptom exists in and asking what they really mean.
“Is that red ear really an infection? Or is there something going on with the inner terrain, the inner balance of the individual that's manifesting as that symptom.”
He calls this significance of symptoms an SOS, basically a cry out from the animal that something is out of balance and needs to be fixed beyond treating just the symptom.
Starting holistic care at home
“One of the very few things I know for certain is that life is designed to balance out equilibrium and homeostasis, whether it's in dogs, cats, people.”
Creating a life that supports your pets overall health and well-being can feel overwhelming at first, especially when there’s a whole market dedicated to it now.
But Dr. Jeff suggests simply starting with diet.
In order for an animal's body to be in balance, it needs to have the right raw materials. These are in accordance with what nature designed, not what we created for convenience.
As humans, we’re told to stay away from ultra-processed foods, but then give our pets kibble because it’s “optimized” for their health. But it’s still processed.
If you’re curious about switching up their diet and incorporating fresh food, he recommends doing so under the guidance of your vet.
They can help you keep track of your pet’s health during the transition.
Along with diet, Dr. Jeff stresses the importance of socializing pets from a young age, both internally by giving a variety of foods and externally exposing them to all different situations.
As they get older and into their senior years, he encourages pet parents to let their pets take the lead.
“That’s really the bottom line–give them the ability to choose what feels right, eat what feels right, do what feels right… Not force them to do one thing or another, no matter what their life stage.”
How energy aids in healing
“And the beauty of it is that it's all based in love, unconditional love that we have for them, that they have for us. And love is that energetic factor.”
Along with diet, focusing on our pet’s happiness is another thing we can prioritize. And it may do more than just feel good.
“Start by spending more time with them, by connecting more with them, and by following what they love more than anything. That is the essence of the Happiness Protocol, and it’s something people can be doing right away.”
(The Happiness Protocol is part of Dr. Jeff’s approach, and emphasizes maintaining joy and balance in pets by addressing their physical, emotional and energetic needs.)
So how does this help with healing?
Well, with humans, “as our energetic flow is better, we operate better, our organs are better, we are healthier, we are more efficient, we make better decisions, we align more with the universe.”
The research in animals is just now being conducted, but it only makes sense that it holds true for them too.
After 40 years of veterinary experience, and the experience of thousands of pets that are on his community forum, he’s seen how animals have been healed simply by being more in balance. By being happier.
Dr. Jeff’s resources to support holistic care
After working one-on-on with pet parents for over 30 years and seeing their pets’ transformations, Dr. Jeff realized he had to get the word out.
That led him to create Holistic Actions!, an online community of like-minded pet parents who are ready to try new ways to care for their pets.
Besides a highly active Q&A forum, they hold weekly webinars where he and his vet team teach holistic modalities or reframe thinking around common ideas.
To give pet parents a good basis for this framework, they also offer this free course that helps “lay the foundation for vitality and balance.”
And for those wanting to dig even deeper into the topic? Dr. Jeff’s upcoming book, “Path to Pet Wellness: The Holistic Vet’s Guide to Thriving Pets and Empowered Pet Parents” aims to empower pet parents to make better decisions about their pet’s health so they can truly thrive. (You can read the first chapter when you sign up for the waitlist!)
Continue their care, no matter what
Stability, structure, and safety are all part of what helps our pets live a healthy, happy life.
And after putting so much effort into establishing that life for our pets, how do we know that would continue if something happened to us?
Putting a Cotl plan in place ensures your pet is taken care of, just the way they’re used to, no matter what..
