Food Therapy

Food Therapy for Pets: Enhancing Health through Nutrition

At White Oak Animal Hospital, we believe in harnessing the power of food therapy to support your pet’s health and well-being. Food therapy, rooted in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) principles, focuses on using specific foods to address imbalances within the body and promote healing from within.

How Food Therapy Works

Food therapy classifies foods based on their energetic properties, including warming, cooling, neutral, and blood-building properties. These properties can have a profound impact on your pet’s overall health, particularly for animals with chronic conditions.

Here’s how each type of food therapy can help:

Warming Foods: Warming foods increase circulation and energy flow in the body, making them beneficial for pets with cold-related conditions or deficiencies. For example, warming foods may help improve digestion, alleviate arthritis symptoms, and boost overall vitality in pets experiencing lethargy or weakness.
Cooling Foods: Cooling foods have a cooling effect on the body and can help reduce inflammation, heat, and excess energy. These foods are often recommended for pets with hot conditions such as inflammation, allergies, or skin disorders. Cooling foods can help balance internal heat, soothe irritated tissues, and promote a sense of calmness and balance.
Neutral Foods: Neutral foods have a balanced energy and are suitable for most pets, regardless of their specific condition or constitution. These foods provide essential nutrients without significantly impacting the body’s energetic balance. Incorporating neutral foods into your pet’s diet can help maintain overall health and support a stable, harmonious internal environment.
Blood-Building Foods: Blood-building foods are rich in nutrients that nourish and support the blood, making them valuable for pets with blood-related imbalances or deficiencies. These foods can help improve circulation, enhance immune function, and support the body’s ability to repair and regenerate tissues. Blood-building foods are often recommended for pets recovering from illness, surgery, or injury.

Benefits of Food Therapy for Pets with Chronic Conditions

Food therapy offers a holistic approach to managing chronic conditions in pets, addressing underlying imbalances, and supporting the body’s natural healing processes.

By incorporating specific foods tailored to your pet’s individual needs, we can:

Promote Balance: Food therapy restores balance and harmony within the body, addressing both physical and energetic imbalances that contribute to chronic conditions.
Support Vitality: Proper nutrition is essential for maintaining your pet’s overall health and vitality. Food therapy provides targeted nutritional support to enhance your pet’s energy levels, immunity, and overall well-being.
Manage Symptoms: Certain foods have therapeutic properties that can help alleviate symptoms associated with chronic conditions, such as inflammation, pain, digestive issues, and skin problems.
Enhance Quality of Life: By optimizing your pet’s diet and nutritional intake, we can improve their quality of life and increase their resilience to the effects of chronic illness, helping them live happier, healthier lives.

Customized Food Therapy Plans

At White Oak Animal Hospital, we understand that every pet is unique, and their nutritional needs may vary based on factors such as age, breed, health status, and individual constitution. That’s why we offer customized food therapy plans tailored to your pet’s specific needs and conditions. Our experienced veterinarian and veterinary technicians will work closely with you to develop a personalized nutrition plan that supports your pet’s health and promotes optimal well-being.

Getting Started with Food Therapy

If you’re interested in exploring the benefits of food therapy for your pet, we encourage you to schedule a consultation. During the consultation, we’ll assess your pet’s health history, conduct a thorough examination, and discuss your goals and preferences for their nutritional care. Together, we’ll develop a comprehensive food therapy plan to support your pet’s health and longevity.

Experience the Power of Food Therapy

Discover the transformative benefits of food therapy for your pet and unlock their full potential for health and vitality. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and take the first step toward optimizing your pet’s nutrition and well-being with food therapy.

Schedule an Appointment

Dr. Damron’s Food Therapy Recipes

Did you know Dr. Damron is the co-founder of a pet food company? Well, he is! PET | TAO Holistic Pet Products. Food therapy was pivotal in his pursuit of optimal pet health, inspiring him to co-found PET | TAO. Initially, Dr. Damron shared homemade recipe recommendations with clients, witnessing remarkable improvements in their pets’ well-being. Recognizing the challenge of daily cooking, he innovated easy-to-use food therapy solutions, leading to the inception of PET | TAO.

Now, with PET | TAO, you have convenient options for providing nourishing meals to your pet. Standard dog food recipes are available in-clinic or online, offering balanced (neutral), limited ingredient, warming, cooling, and blood-building varieties. While ready-made cat food and special recipes are developing, you can still access them as nutritious slow-cooker recipes. Our team is here to assist you if you’re unsure which food therapy type suits your dog best. Explore the chart below for guidance, or consult with us for personalized recommendations tailored to your pet’s unique needs.

Dog Food Recipes

Balanced Dog FoodRecipe (PET | TAO Harmony Beef)

The Balanced Dog Food Recipe is a standard, basic recipe for already balanced dogs. It mimics the recipe of PET | TAO Harmony in a slow-cooker version. The balanced recipe is perfect for dogs who:

Play regularly
Breathe normally
Maintain normal appetite
Rest comfortably
Pay attention
Live in a mild climate

If you don’t have time to cook at home, you can get energetically balanced dog food pre-made. Just choose PET | TAO Beef Harmony.

Limited Ingredient Dog Food Recipe (PET | TAO Harmony Limited Ingredient)

The Limited Ingredient Dog Food Recipe contains limited ingredients and proteins that are least likely to cause a reaction when you feed it to your dog. It mimics PET | TAO Limited Ingredient Formula in a slow-cooker version. The limited ingredient recipe helps dogs who:

Suffer from allergies
Scratch vigorously
Lick their feet
Deal with hot spots and red skin
Shake their heads from ear infections

If you don’t have time to cook at home, you can get limited ingredient dog food pre-made. Just choose PET | TAO Limited Ingredient.

Cooling Dog Food Recipe (PET | TAO Chill)

The Cooling Dog Food Recipe is for dogs who run “hot” or “warm.” It contains cooling ingredients to counteract the effects of excess heat. It mimics PET | TAO Chill Solutions Formula in a slow cooker version. The cooling recipe helps dogs who:

Pace at night
Pant excessively
Eat grass
Prefer cool surfaces
Act agitated
Live in a warm climate

If you don’t have time to cook at home, you can get energetically cooling dog food pre-made. Just choose PET | TAO Chill.

Warming Dog Food Recipe (PET | TAO Blaze)

The Warming Dog Food Recipe is for dogs who run “cold” or “cool.” It contains warming ingredients to help balance the cold and sluggish. It mimics PET | TAO Blaze Solutions Formula in a slow cooker version. The warming recipe helps dogs who:

Move slowly
Feel cold to the touch
Eat sporadically
Prefer warm surfaces
Lack stamina
Live in a cool climate

If you don’t have time to cook at home, you can get energetically warming dog food pre-made. Just choose PET | TAO Blaze.

Blood-Building Dog Food Recipe (PET | TAO Zing)

The Blood-Building Dog Food Recipe is for listless, low-energy dogs. It contains ingredients to help support the “Blood” or liquid of the body. The “Blood” is needed for strength and energy. It mimics PET | TAO Zing Solutions Formula in a slow cooker version. The blood-building recipe helps dogs who:

Seem dull and uninterested
Lack energy
Startle easily
Limp from ligament injuries
Battle dry paws
Lack a shiny coat

If you don’t have time to cook at home, you can get blood-building dog food pre-made. Just choose PET | TAO Zing.

Recipes for Dogs Suffering from Cushing’s Disease

We offer several different recipes for dogs suffering from Cushing’s disease. If we’ve not already discussed cooking at home, please check with us to find out which recipe will be best for your dog.

Ketogenic Diet Recipes for Dogs

You might want to feed your dog a ketogenic diet for several different reasons. You might choose a ketogenic diet because you feel feeding a ketogenic dog food mimics the “primal diet” ancient dogs ate long ago. On the other hand, you might choose a ketogenic diet to help certain health conditions like diabetes, seizures, or cancer. Below, you’ll find our favorite food therapy dog food recipes in ketogenic ratios.

Cat Food Recipes

The essential slow cooker cat food recipes are balanced (neutral), limited ingredient, warming, cooling, and blood building. If your cat is our patient, we may have already discussed the best diet. If you’re unsure, we list common characteristics below to help you make the best choice.

Balanced Cat Food Recipe

The Balanced Cat Food Recipe for cats who are already in balance. The balanced recipe is perfect for cats who:

Play regularly
Breathe normally
Maintain normal appetite
Rest comfortably
Pay attention
Live in a mild climate

Limited Ingredient Cat Food Recipe

The Limited Ingredient Cat Food Recipe contains limited ingredients and proteins that are least likely to cause a reaction when you feed it to your cat. The limited ingredient recipe helps cats who:

Suffer from allergies
Scratch vigorously
Lick their feet
Deal with hot spots and red skin
Have ear infections or runny eyes

Cooling Ingredient Cat Food Recipe

The Cooling Cat Food Recipe is for cats who run “hot” or “warm.” It contains ingredients that are cooling ingredients to counteract the effects of excess heat. The cooling recipe helps cats who:

Eat grass
Prefer cool surfaces
Act agitated
Live in a warm climate
Are warm to the touch
Suffer dry skin

Warming Cat Food Recipe

The Warming Cat Food Recipe is for cats who run “cold” or “cool.” It contains warming ingredients to help balance the cold and sluggish. The warming recipe helps cats who:

Move slowly
Feel cold to the touch
Eat sporadically
Prefer warm surfaces
Lack stamina
Live in a cool climate

Blood-Building Cat Food Recipe

The Blood-Building Cat Food Recipe is for listless, low-energy cats. It contains ingredients to help support the “Blood” or liquid of the body. The “Blood” is needed for strength and energy. The blood-building recipe helps cats who:

Seem dull and uninterested
Lack energy
Startle easily
Limp from ligament injuries
Battle dry paws
Lack a shiny coat

Recipes for Cats Suffering From Chronic Kidney Disease

We offer several different recipes for cats suffering from kidney disease or renal failure. If we’ve not already discussed cooking at home for your cat, please check with us to see which recipe is best for your cat’s particular situation.