By Dr. Richard Palmquist

Your pet's health starts from the inside out. This means that nutrition and diet management are just as important as proper grooming and hygiene practices. Health is an active condition that we create each day through our choices and actions, so follow these seven tips for optimal health for your pet!

Provide Clean Water At All Times

Filtered water contains fewer toxins that can damage your pet's vital enzymes and cellular systems. Be aware that pollution can dissolve in water from the air, so change your pet's water frequently and if there are things like wild fires in your area be sure to bring their water bowls inside and change them several times daily so they ingest less toxins.

Find A Good Diet

Feed a balanced, age-appropriate, holistic diet rich in fresh foods. Add green and colored veggies to their balanced diet. Avoid feeding onions, grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts and chocolate to dogs and cats.

Avoid Unhealthy Food

Minimize exposure to unnecessary vaccinations and drugs as well as food additives and colors that are present in many "treats." Realize that everything you put into your pet's mouth can find its way into its matrix and can sit there for some time before causing health issues. Use fresh healthy foods like fresh meats, fruits and veggies instead of preservative and color laden commercial treats.

Groom Them Safely

Avoid skin care products and cleaning products that contain toxic materials. Pets can be even more sensitive to petrochemicals used as scents and skin and coat problems can occur from improper products.

Talk To Your Vet

Discuss seasonal detoxification strategies with your veterinarian. By feeding appropriate foods, herbs and/or using certain homeopathics seasonally we can unburden your pet's matrix and assist it in keeping things running more smoothly. These programs are best done by veterinarians who are trained in integrative medicine so they can customize the program to your pet's specific medical needs.

Feed Them Fresh Food

Never feed moldy or rancid foods to your pets. Dogs and cats can easily get food poisoning from bacterial or fungal growth in foods. Keep trash cans securely closed. Avoid plastic food dishes and canned foods with plastic linings as plastics may interfere with your pet's hormonal system.

Support Their Health Care

Support charitable foundations that encourage research on matrix physiology and other complementary and alternative therapies. Privately funded research will likely be a major source of this information in the future. This is health care reform that we all can affect.