BENGALURU: Swaha Sircar’s eight-year-old golden retriever was recently diagnosed with arthritis. An advocate of alternative medicine, Sircar did not go to a regular vet for treatment. “I give her milk with organic turmeric every night. I looked up pet massage tutorials on YouTube and give her one myself. I administer only homoeopathy,” said the PR professional.
As people are increasingly gravitating towards alternative medicine like homoeopathy, Ayurveda, acupuncture, reiki and home remedies, they are administering the same to their pets as well.
Keep Your Pet Safe & Healthy With These Wearables
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With location and activity tracking, these wearables can make sure your pet is both safe and healthy. (Image: Thinkstock)
With location and activity tracking, these wearables can make sure your pet is both safe and healthy. (Image: Thinkstock)
One of the common gripes about GPS collars has been the weight. But the Nuzzle GPS Collar is lightweight. It not only tracks the location and activity of pets, but also has integrated geofencing and can be submerged in 10-feet of water for up to 30 minutes.
One of the common gripes about GPS collars has been the weight. But the Nuzzle GPS Collar is lightweight. It not only tracks the location and activity of pets, but also has integrated geofencing and ..
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Designed in high quality leather, the Link AKC smart collar is a convex-shaped device that fits the natural shape of a dog’s neck. It can track a pet’s location with the push of a button and you can set custom notification alerts if the dog is on the loose. The collar also comes with a remote-controlled light to help an owner find his dog in the dark.
Designed in high quality leather, the Link AKC smart collar is a convex-shaped device that fits the natural shape of a dog’s neck. It can track a pet’s location with the push of a button and you can ..
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Weighing just 1.2 ounces (35 grams), the IXP7-rated waterproof device can last for up to five days before needing to be recharged. The device can be attached onto most dog or cat collars with a snap-on clip, and can be quickly located using a smartphone app or web browser. Pets can be found at all times with real-time location tracking.
Weighing just 1.2 ounces (35 grams), the IXP7-rated waterproof device can last for up to five days before needing to be recharged. The device can be attached onto most dog or cat collars with a snap-..
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The little waterproof device can track your pet anywhere using GPS and WiFi, find your pet in the dark or at poor reception areas by sounding an alarm and activating an LED light, and set unlimited safe zones with the virtual fence feature. It also lets you customise activity goals and daily monitoring based on your pet’s physical characteristics.
The little waterproof device can track your pet anywhere using GPS and WiFi, find your pet in the dark or at poor reception areas by sounding an alarm and activating an LED light, and set unlimited s..
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The PetPace tracks heart rate, respiration, temperature, and calorie burn in addition to your pet’s activity. But unlike other pet trackers, it doesn’t talk to your smartphone. The collar can only talk to the included PetPace Gateway base station, which must be plugged into your home router. Because the Gateway is meant to stay at home and transmit data, you can monitor your pet’s activity while it’s out of the house. But if you’re out for a walk with the dog, you can’t access the activity data until you get back home and reconnect with the Gateway.
The PetPace tracks heart rate, respiration, temperature, and calorie burn in addition to your pet’s activity. But unlike other pet trackers, it doesn’t talk to your smartphone. The collar can only ta..
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Whistle 3 uses smart technology to track your pet’s location and activity. Its pet tracker platform uses WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular and GPS technology to enable pet owners get faster escape alerts and quickly track down a lost pet using their smartphone. The app has a geofencing feature that lets pet owners create safe places for the home, office, or pet-friendly vacation spots.
Whistle 3 uses smart technology to track your pet’s location and activity. Its pet tracker platform uses WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular and GPS technology to enable pet owners get faster escape alerts and..
Ameeta Jasrotia often administers reiki on her 18-year-old terrier to bring him comfort. “My dog is almost at the end of his life. He doesn’t eat properly and it disheartens me to put him through strong medicines which have side effects,” said Jasrotia.
Restaurateur Malika Suri is launching an ayurvedic canine menu at her all-day café Mimansa,in Koramangala. The specialised menu will feature antibiotic-free meat and organic vegetables. The food will be infused with traditional Indian ingredients like turmeric, ghee and ajwain which help in pet de-worming. “Ours is a quick-fix generation. We need to bring about a shift and go back to grandmother’s remedies for our pets. Processed food is not good for animals too. They are as entitled as us to clean eating,” said Suri. When her own cocker spaniel was neutered recently, Suri chose to give her ayurvedic concoctions and herbs instead of administering prescribed painkillers.
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Pet parent Shivani Darshan has switched to homoeopathy for her pets. “My dog could not lift his hind leg up and it would ache to see him drag himself. As dogs get older, they hardly eat and tend to have stomach troubles. Homoeopathy gave him much strength without harmful steroids,” she said. Vets too are not averse to combining allopathy with alternative medicine. Dr G Pampapathi, a pet specialist in JP Nagar, prescribes acupuncture for pets after spinal surgery or chronic arthritis and prescribes ayurvedic ointments to cure skin conditions.
The number of pet parents who prefer alternative medicine for their pets is on the increase. Some use home remedies like neem oil and virgin coconut oil to treat skin problems, he said. “Two decades ago, vets were sceptical about alternative therapies for animals. Today, we too are embracing the trend that has been building up in the past three years. They, however, serve as complementary therapies to allopathic prescriptions.”
