We as humans have come up with most of our scientific advancements in medicine and cosmetic fields by testing the newly manufactured product on animals to see how they react to it before trying the product on a human itself. So will the other way round work?

Ayurveda has long been used as a form of treatment to cure endless diseases in humans and is known to have no side effects unlike allopathic medicines. The point of the matter is that we can use Ayurveda for our pet dogs as well.

Ayurveda talks about maintaining the balance in the three doshas namely Vata, Pitta and Kapha in your body for holistic health. The same implies to our pets since they have similar body organs. But what we should keep in mind is that they are animals and they are designed in a particular way to survive in their natural habitat though we have domesticated them. What this means is that though we feed our dogs with home made cooked food and pamper them, it would actually be best for them if they are fed raw food since their digestive systems and their teeth are designed for the same. It should also be kept in mind that they should be fed in a quiet, calm place where they have no threat of being attacked.

Ayurveda suggests dogs to be fed raw food for maintaining the three doshas. Also we cannot treat animals the way we treat humans. Meaning, they cannot be fed at the same frequency that we eat. They need to be fed well with their regular, clean and raw food with a gap of about 12 hours before they are fed again. Gaining weight or rather, being overweight is very dangerous for them. Over feeding them and see them plump doesn’t really imply showing your love to them.

We should also keep in mind that they are designed for activity. This means that they need good exercise and lots of activity throughout the day so as to maintain their normalcy. Since they are also separated from their species we should keep them constantly accompanied either by any of the family members or probably by another pet. Leaving them alone for long hours will cause them emotional stress and depression. They are emotionally very dependent,  and they would like to constantly be aware that they are loved and cared for. They also prefer sleeping during the night with a family member since they don’t have the company of their own kind. In case they have fleas or if you are allergic to the fur, they can probably sleep in your room in a warm basket or a pseudo bed or even under your bed with a warm blanket.

Ayurveda talks about holistic health which means that one can be called healthy when the organism is physically, emotionally and psychologically in a well to do state. For dogs, the above mentioned areas will do the job of maintaining a healthy and longer life.