Gary Richter - The Ultimate Pet Health Guide: Breakthrough Nutrition and Integrative Care for Dogs and Cats

Praise for The Ultimate Pet Health Guide

Dr. Gary Richter has given us a remarkable book that brings together the best information available for us to use in caring for our dogs and cats. It helps us understand how our pets are dealing with diseases and the conventional and complementary ways to help them.

Dr. Gladys McGarey, cofounder of the American Holistic Medicine Association and internationally recognized as the Mother of Holistic Medicine

This book on integrative medicine is a must-read. There are practical approaches to diagnosis, management, and therapy for a variety of animal conditions. Its simply outstanding!

W. Jean Dodds, D.V.M., founder of Hemopet and Hemolife Diagnostics, and winner of the Holistic Veterinarian of the Year Award from the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association

The impact of Dr. Gary Richters work excited me to support his mission by creating the 50 holistic recipes contained within this book. Miracles are being achieved through whole-food nutrition and veterinary medicine.

Susan Lauten, M.A. in Animal Nutrition and Ph.D. in Biomedical Science

The Ultimate Pet Heath Guide by Dr. Gary Richter is a wonderful book. It contains excellent information on how to holistically approach medical care for dogs and cats. I recommend this book to all caregivers who wish for their pets to have longer and healthier lives.

Huisheng Xie, D.V.M., Ph.D., founder and dean of the Chi Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

To my wife, Lee, the loving warrior who makes things happen that no one else would believe possible.

To my daughter, Abbey, the magical light in my life.

To my parents, Michael and Priscilla, whose love and support allowed me to achieve my dreams.

And to all animal-health professionals, who spend countless hours in pursuit of improving the lives of animals. It is our good fortune to be in the presence of these wondrous creatures.

Copyright 2017 by Gary Richter

Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.za Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast Books: www.raincoast.com Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Interior design: Nick C. Welch Indexer: Jay Kreider

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviewswithout prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress

ISBN: 978-1-4019-5350-8

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
1st edition, August 2017

Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTS

I havent written a book since I was eight years old. Aside from writing a few movie scripts or giving notes on countless TV pilots, I wouldnt necessarily call myself a writer. Im an actor and now a producer, which means I spend my life reading the words of others. But today Im writing my own words down, because of how important this book has been to me.

Two of my passions are holistic health care and the love of animals. Some friends of mine knew this, so they got me an advanced copy of Dr. Gary Richters book, The Ultimate Pet Health Guide. They told me that this was the guidebook that finally brings together these two incredibly important worlds.

Almost immediately, I couldnt put the book down. It explores a ton of what I already knew about nutrition and helped me see how Western, Eastern, and holistic medicine translate to dogs and cats. It is the book I knew could exist but, until now, simply had not.

The content blew me away, and I decided to connect with Dr. Richter personally. This world-renowned veterinarian could be famous. In fact, hes turned down the offer of a veterinarian TV show because he wanted to focus on his work. Fame and a TV show arent what drive him. What drives him is what drives me, and so many of us: the desire for all to enjoy every possible day with their healthy pets unconditional love.

Gary knows what alternative medicines and therapies can turn around cancer, epilepsy, arthritis, and common itching. Dr. Richter even had 50 unique natural recipe formulations created for our furry family members so they can live healthier, happier, and longer lives.

As the founder of the Ian Somerhalder Foundation (ISF), it is my goal to find people around the world who use their skills and passions to make a difference. I immediately recognized that Dr. Richter has the same dedication to animal health, spay and neuter education and action, rescue programs, and programs like ISFs Emergency Medical Animal Grants. I invited him to join ISF as the Veterinarian Medical Advisor to our foundation. We absolutely wanted to be involved to help pet parents get these life-changing insights from Americas Favorite Veterinarian, a man who has dedicated his life and career to helping creatures and informing us.

The Ultimate Pet Health Guide has the potential to start a global healthy pet movement, and I truly hope it does. I hope that you enjoy this book, share it with your friends, and use the important advice within to ensure you have as much time as possible with your furry loved ones. These amazing creatures enrich our lives, our souls, and our families. Lets take care of them and learn along the way.

Ian Somerhalder
actor, founder of the Ian Somerhalder
Foundation (www.isfoundation.com)

Ask any child what they want to be when they grow up and the most likely answer you will hear is: I want to be a veterinarian. People have an innate connection with animals that starts from the earliest stages of life. We enjoy their appearance (they are super cute), their behavior (they are super funny), and overall we connect with them on an emotional level. In many cases this connection transcends those we have with people. There is purity to the relationship that cannot exist between two humans.

Because of this our instinct is to protect them in every way possible. This reflex shows up in the way we care for our pets as well as in larger forums such as animal rescue, wildlife habitat preservation, and even to extremes such as activists ramming whaling vessels. When animals are unnecessarily harmed or killed, there is an inevitable outcry from concerned humans. So we can all agree that animals are special. Why else would you be reading this book?

Growing up, I always felt a connection with animals. There is something about the unspoken nature of how they go about their lives that appealed to me long before I could verbalize the concept. Being the owner and medical director of two veterinary hospitals means I get to explore that connection nearly every day while challenging medical boundaries in the quest for more and better treatments for my patients. As a veterinarian, I understand the strength and depth of the emotional connection every dedicated pet owner has with animals. After all, Ive got three dogs and two cats myself. My dogs are family members. My cats are family members. I love my pets, and my pets love me.