Why Holistic and Traditional Veterinary Care Keep Talking Past Each Other.
Why Holistic and Traditional Veterinary Care Keep Talking Past Each Other
A dog walks into a veterinary clinic limping and leaves with gabapentin. The medication may help. The dog may rest more, appear more comfortable, and stop pacing at night. From the traditional veterinary perspective, the immediate problem has been addressed: the dog was painful, and now the pain appears better controlled.
Truth be told he may have had to have gabapentin for the car ride and the vet visit in the first place.
In the holistic space, that same appointment may be viewed as the beginning of the conversation rather than the end. Why is the dog hurting? Is the pain coming from arthritis, an old injury, weak muscles, poor body mechanics, excess weight, inflammation, spinal discomfort, or compensation somewhere else? Is the dog moving better, or simply moving less because the medication makes him sleepy? What is being done to preserve muscle, improve mobility, support the joints, and reduce the burden that contributed to the pain in the first place?
Both sides may genuinely want to help the dog. The difference is often found in what each side considers a successful outcome.
Traditional veterinary medicine is generally designed to diagnose disease, stabilize the patient, relieve symptoms, and manage the condition. Holistic care widens the lens. We still care about the diagnosis and the immediate symptom, but we also want to understand what contributed to the problem, what else in the body may be struggling, and what needs support so the dog becomes less fragile over time.
That difference in thinking is why traditional and holistic care can feel miles apart, even when both are looking at the same dog. And sitting between those two worlds is the pet parent, trying to decide what to do next.
You Were Given a Treatment. Were You Given a Plan?
This is one of the first questions I want dog parents to ask themselves: were you given something to stop the current symptom, or were you given a plan for what happens after the symptom improves?
Those are not necessarily the same thing.
Your dog may need medication today. Your dog may need surgery, antibiotics, fluids, imaging, pain relief, or emergency treatment. There are times when immediate veterinary care is not optional, and there should be no guilt or hesitation about using it.
But once the dog is stable, the questions should change. What caused this? What could make it happen again? What has been weakened by the illness, injury, medication, or long period of inflammation? What will recovery look like beyond the symptom disappearing, and how will we know whether the dog is actually improving?
Many pet parents leave an appointment knowing which pill to give and when to return, but they still do not understand the bigger picture. They may not know what the veterinarian suspects is causing the problem, whether the medication is expected to resolve anything or simply manage symptoms, what side effects to watch for, or how long the treatment is expected to continue. They may never be told whether nutrition, rehabilitation, environmental changes, weight management, or other support could improve the outcome.
They have instructions, but they do not have a map. That is where frustration begins.
Controlled Is Not the Same as Stable
A dog who stops itching while taking medication is controlled. A dog whose skin, digestion, immune regulation, and tolerance improve enough that the medication can eventually be reduced may be becoming more stable.
A dog whose diarrhea disappears during antibiotics is controlled. A dog whose stool quality, appetite, digestion, microbiome, and food tolerance continue improving after the antibiotics end may be becoming more stable.
A dog who appears comfortable while taking pain medication is controlled. A dog who has rebuilt muscle, improved movement, reduced excess weight, and become more physically resilient may be becoming more stable.
Control has value. No dog should suffer while we chase some perfect root cause that may take time to understand—or may never be perfectly identified. But symptom control should not automatically be confused with healing.
This is where pet parents need to become a little more curious. What are we expecting this treatment to do? How will we know whether it is improving the condition or only reducing the symptoms? If the problem returns when the medication stops, what will we investigate next? What else should we be doing while the medication is giving the dog relief?
Those are not confrontational questions. They are responsible questions. You are not challenging the veterinarian’s education by asking for an explanation. You are trying to understand your dog’s care well enough to participate in it.
Pain Medication Versus Building a More Comfortable Body
Gabapentin is a good example of the divide because it is commonly prescribed for dogs with pain, restlessness, arthritis, spinal discomfort, or mobility concerns.
Some dogs benefit from it. Some dogs need pharmaceutical pain relief, and allowing a dog to remain in pain because we insist on using only natural options is not holistic. It is poor care wrapped in prettier language.
But medication should not prevent us from asking better questions. Is the dog truly more comfortable, or mainly more sedated? Is the dog moving more naturally, or simply sleeping more? Is muscle loss continuing? Has the dose increased over time? Are there changes in balance, appetite, awareness, or behavior? Is anything being done besides giving the medication?
A whole-dog plan may also look at fresh-food nutrition, weight, omega-3 intake, inflammation, joint support, muscle preservation, rehabilitation, massage, acupuncture, PEMF, laser therapy, herbs, homeopathy, essential oils, CBD, nervous-system regulation, and changes inside the home that make movement safer.
That does not always mean replacing the medication. Sometimes it means building a stronger plan around it. Could rehabilitation help preserve muscle and mobility? Are we treating nerve pain, joint pain, inflammation, or a combination? Could another medication be contributing to weakness or sedation? What signs would tell us the dose is too much, too little, or no longer doing what we need it to do? Are there appropriate non-drug options that could be added so the prescription is not doing all the work?
The goal is not to prove the medication wrong. The goal is to make sure it does not become the entire strategy.
Your dog is not deficient in gabapentin. The drug may help, but it does not explain why the body hurts or what may help the body become stronger.
CCL Surgery Versus Looking at the Entire Dog
The divide becomes equally obvious when a dog injures a cranial cruciate ligament.
The traditional conversation may move quickly toward surgery, especially for a large dog, an unstable knee, or a complete tear. Surgery can absolutely be the right choice, and many dogs regain excellent function because the joint was surgically stabilized.
The holistic concern is not always that surgery is being recommended. It is that the rest of the dog may be treated like an afterthought.
Why did the ligament fail? Was it a traumatic injury, or had the tissue been weakening over time? Is the dog overweight? Are the hips, spine, paws, or opposite knee already compensating? Is there significant muscle loss? Is the dog slipping on the floors? Is the diet providing what the body needs for tissue repair? What is the rehabilitation plan before and after surgery? And what are we doing to protect the other knee?
A pet parent may hear, “Your dog needs surgery,” and assume there is nothing else to discuss. There is plenty to discuss.
Ask whether the tear appears partial or complete, how unstable the knee is, and what may happen if surgery is delayed. Ask what the surgeon realistically expects the dog’s function to be afterward, how quickly rehabilitation should begin, which movements must be avoided, and which movements should be encouraged. Ask what changes should be made at home before the dog returns from the hospital.
When conservative management is being considered, ask what success would realistically look like, how progress will be measured, and which signs would indicate that the plan is failing and surgery should be reconsidered.
I have lived both versions of this with my own dog, Poppy. Her first CCL injury was treated surgically. Her second was managed conservatively with rehabilitation and whole-dog support. That is not inconsistency. That is individual care.
Same diagnosis does not mean same plan. Sometimes the same diagnosis does not even mean the same plan for the same dog.
Prescription Food Versus Food as Part of Recovery
Nutrition may be where the philosophical gap becomes widest.
A dog is diagnosed with kidney disease, pancreatitis, allergies, urinary disease, liver concerns, or chronic digestive problems, and the recommendation is often a prescription food. The pet parent sees the word “prescription” and assumes the food contains medicine or has some special healing quality that ordinary food does not.
Prescription food is still processed food. It is formulated to alter certain nutrients for a specific condition, and that can be useful—particularly during a crisis or when the dog needs a predictable diet quickly. But it does not automatically mean it is the only possible food, or the best lifelong choice for every dog carrying that diagnosis.
Holistic nutrition asks a broader set of questions. Is the dog eating the food willingly? Is the dog maintaining muscle? Is hydration improving? Is stool quality better? Is digestion comfortable? Are the ingredients appropriate for this particular dog? Is the food being used as a temporary stabilization tool, or has “feed this forever” quietly become the plan without further discussion?
Pet parents should understand why a diet was chosen. Which part of the food is important for the condition? Is it lower fat, modified phosphorus, reduced sodium, hydrolyzed protein, increased fiber, greater digestibility, or a different mineral balance?
Once you understand the nutritional goal, you can have a much more intelligent conversation about options. Could a fresh or gently cooked diet be formulated to meet the same needs? Can moisture be safely increased? Are fresh additions appropriate? What signs would tell us the diet is helping—or failing? Will the dog’s weight, muscle condition, stool, appetite, hydration, and bloodwork be monitored?
The question is not simply whether prescription food is good or bad. The better question is whether this particular food is meeting this particular dog’s nutritional needs without creating new problems.
Low fat is not a recovery plan. Low protein is not automatically a kidney plan. Chicken and rice is not a gut-healing plan. And a food that helps keep one laboratory value inside a preferred range is not necessarily helping the entire dog thrive.
Antibiotics and Steroids When We Do Not Know What It Is
Many pet parents have heard some version of, “We are not completely sure what it is, so let’s try an antibiotic and a steroid and see what happens.”
Sometimes that approach is reasonable. A dog may be too sick to wait. Testing may be inconclusive, or the veterinarian may have enough clinical evidence to begin treatment while additional information is gathered.
But “try it and see” should not become the plan every time the same symptom returns.
Steroids can reduce inflammation quickly. Antibiotics can be lifesaving when a bacterial infection is present. They can also cause side effects, alter the microbiome, change appetite, increase thirst, affect behavior, suppress immune responses, and make it harder to see the original pattern clearly.
A response to medication does not always prove what caused the problem. If a dog stops itching on steroids, we know inflammation was involved. We still do not know why the inflammation was happening. If diarrhea improves on antibiotics, bacteria may have played a role, but that does not tell us whether the original problem involved diet, parasites, pancreatic function, chronic inflammation, stress, dysbiosis, or something else.
Pet parents need to understand the working diagnosis, not only the name of the prescription. What do you believe this medication is treating? Are we treating a confirmed infection or treating based on suspicion? Would a culture, cytology, stool test, imaging, or another diagnostic step change the treatment? What side effects should be watched for, what should improve, and how quickly? If the symptoms return after treatment stops, what will we investigate next? Is there anything we should be doing to support digestion, hydration, the microbiome, or recovery during and after treatment?
These are not anti-medication questions. They are anti-autopilot questions.
The goal is not to avoid antibiotics or steroids at all costs. It is to stop repeating treatments without learning anything new.
Allergy Medication Versus Understanding Why the Dog Is So Reactive
Allergy cases show the difference between relief and resilience better than almost anything else.
A dog is itchy, inflamed, licking the paws, shaking the head, developing ear infections, or chewing the skin. The conventional plan may include allergy medication, steroids, antibiotics for secondary infections, medicated shampoo, and prescription food.
That plan may bring relief, and relief matters. Nobody should leave a dog chewing himself raw while spending three months debating whether the root cause is pollen, chicken, yeast, stress, or damp heat. Treat the infection. Calm the inflammation. Help the dog sleep.
Then keep asking questions.
Why did the allergies begin when they did? Why are the ears, paws, skin, and digestion often involved together? Why do symptoms worsen after antibiotics, during certain seasons, after boarding, during stressful periods, or when the dog eats certain foods? Why does one dog living in the same house react dramatically while another does not?
A dog who stays comfortable only while taking medication may be well controlled. That does not mean the immune system, digestion, skin barrier, or microbiome has become more stable.
Pet parents should ask whether the goal is lifelong symptom control or whether there may be opportunities to improve tolerance and reduce flare frequency. What environmental allergies have actually been identified? Has food been investigated properly rather than guessed at? Have recurring ear infections been cultured? Could repeated antibiotics or steroids have affected the microbiome? Could reflux, stool changes, poor digestion, or other gut symptoms be part of the same pattern?
And what can be done between flares—not just during them?
Holistic support may include fresh-food nutrition, digestive enzymes, gut-lining support, microbiome restoration, an appropriate omega-3 strategy, herbs, essential oils, homeopathy, liver and gallbladder support, minerals, CBD, functional mushrooms, environmental changes, and nervous-system regulation.
From a TCVM perspective, I may also be looking at patterns such as damp heat, digestive weakness, Liver Qi stagnation, deficiency, dryness, or inflammatory heat. That does not replace conventional diagnostics. It adds another layer of pattern recognition.
The season may be the trigger, but the season is not always the weakness. A flare is information, not simply bad luck.
“The Tests Are Normal,” but the Dog Still Is Not Well
One of the most discouraging things a pet parent can hear is, “Everything looks normal.” Not because normal test results are bad, but because the dog is clearly not acting normal.
The dog is panting at night, slowing down, refusing breakfast, becoming restless, gaining weight, losing muscle, having intermittent diarrhea, hesitating on the stairs, or simply not engaging with life in the same way. The pet parent sees it. The test results do not explain it. The appointment ends with, “Let’s keep an eye on it.”
Keeping an eye on it is not always wrong, but pet parents need to know what they are watching for.
What has been ruled out, and what has not? Are values technically within the laboratory range but moving in the wrong direction compared with previous results? Would more complete thyroid testing, a urinalysis, imaging, a pain assessment, digestive testing, or another diagnostic step be appropriate? Could medication, diet, weight, dental disease, poor sleep, pain, or age-related changes be contributing?
And keep notes. Pet parents often remember that the dog has “seemed off for a while,” but the details become blurry. Write down when the changes began, what the dog is eating, stool quality, appetite, sleep, movement, water intake, medications, supplements, and when symptoms improve or worsen.
Patterns are easier to dismiss when they are vague. They become much harder to ignore when you can say, “This has happened six times in eight weeks, usually two days after daycare, and each episode lasts three days.”
Most pet parents answer the questions they are asked. They often need someone asking the questions they did not know to ask.
Holistic Care Can Become Autopilot Too
The holistic community is not automatically better simply because the labels say natural.
Replacing one prescription with eight random supplements is not whole-dog care. Giving every itchy dog the same detox, probiotic, mushroom blend, and herbal formula is not individualized care. Telling a pet parent to stop necessary medication immediately because “the body can heal itself” is not responsible.
Natural products can cause side effects. Supplements can interact with medications. Poor-quality products can waste money. Too many remedies introduced at once can make it impossible to tell what is helping and what is creating a new problem.
A holistic practitioner should still ask questions, understand the diagnosis, review medications and laboratory work, consider interactions, and choose support based on the individual dog. Pet parents should ask questions in the holistic space too. Why is this product being recommended? What specific problem are we trying to support? How long should it be used, and how will we know whether it is working? Could it interact with medication or another supplement? Do we need all of these products at once, or can they be introduced in stages? Is there a food-first option?
Holistic care should not replace conventional autopilot with natural autopilot. The bottle may be prettier. The thinking still needs to be there.
The Questions That Change the Conversation
You do not need to walk into the veterinary clinic carrying a binder, three highlighters, and the determination to cross-examine everyone in the building. But you do need to understand the plan well enough to make informed decisions.
Start by asking what your veterinarian believes is causing the problem and what else it could be. Ask whether the treatment is addressing the cause, the symptom, or both. Ask what should improve, how quickly improvement should happen, what side effects to watch for, and how long treatment is expected to continue. Ask what happens if the symptom returns after treatment stops and whether any additional diagnostics would change the plan.
Then ask what you can do outside the prescription. Could food, weight, movement, rehabilitation, sleep, stress, or the home environment support recovery? How will progress be measured, and how will you know when your dog is truly stable rather than simply controlled?
You may not get every answer during one appointment. Some conditions are complicated, and some answers require testing, time, or watching how the dog responds. That is fine. The goal is not to demand certainty where none exists. The goal is to understand the thinking behind the recommendation and make sure someone is still looking beyond the immediate symptom.
Our Dogs Need a Bridge Between Both Worlds
Dog parents are too often made to feel that they must choose a side: either trust every conventional recommendation without question or reject veterinary medicine and do everything naturally.
That is a false choice.
I want veterinary medicine when a dog needs diagnostics, emergency care, pain control, fluids, imaging, medication, surgery, or serious disease management. I also want someone paying attention to food, digestion, inflammation, movement, muscle, the microbiome, medication burden, emotional stress, environmental exposures, recovery, and the dog’s ability to tolerate normal life.
One side may be very good at putting out the fire. The other may be asking why the house keeps catching fire, what was damaged by the last one, and how we can rebuild before another spark lands.
We need both conversations.
The pet parent’s job is not to become a veterinarian, nutritionist, rehabilitation therapist, herbalist, and medical researcher overnight. Your job is to notice your dog, understand the purpose of the plan, ask better questions, and speak up when the answer does not match what you are seeing at home.
You are the person who knows whether your dog is sleeping peacefully or pacing all night. You know whether “doing better” means chasing a ball again or simply being too tired to complain. You know whether the prescription food is actually being eaten, whether the diarrhea returns every month, and whether the dog who looks fine for ten minutes in the exam room has been declining for six weeks.
That information belongs in the treatment plan.
I am not looking to prove that every conventional recommendation is wrong. I am looking for the questions that have not been asked, the patterns that have not been connected, and the places where symptom control has quietly become the permanent plan.
Keeping a dog alive, keeping a condition controlled, and helping a dog become genuinely stronger are not always the same goal. Our dogs deserve all three whenever possible.
About the Author
Written by Dana Brigman, Holistic Pet Health Coach and Canine Nutritionist at The Well Oiled K9. Dana helps dog parents look beyond generic advice and build personalized nutrition and natural wellness plans using fresh food, digestive support, herbs, essential oils, homeopathy, TCVM-informed assessment, and whole-dog strategy.
Common Veterinary Approaches—and What Else to Consider
This is not about refusing medication, surgery, prescription food, or veterinary care. It is about understanding whether the recommendation addresses the immediate symptom, supports longer-term recovery, or does both.
Select a topic below to open the comparison, questions, and related articles.Pain and Mobility Click to open
Common Conventional Approach
Prescribe gabapentin, an NSAID, or another pain medication for stiffness, limping, arthritis, spinal discomfort, restlessness, or reduced mobility.
Additional Whole-Dog Considerations
Identify the type and source of pain. Look at weight, muscle loss, inflammation, compensation, spinal involvement, footing, activity, and whether the dog is moving more comfortably—or simply moving less.
Rehabilitation, acupuncture, laser, PEMF, massage, omega-3 support, herbs, homeopathy, essential oils, CBD, and changes inside the home may also be appropriate.
Questions Worth Asking
- What type of pain do you believe we are treating?
- Is my dog moving more comfortably or mainly sleeping more?
- What are we doing to preserve muscle and mobility?
- Could rehabilitation or other supportive therapies be added?
- How will we know whether the condition is actually improving?
CCL Injuries Click to open
Common Conventional Approach
Recommend surgery to stabilize the knee, particularly for a large dog, an unstable joint, or a complete cranial cruciate ligament tear.
Additional Whole-Dog Considerations
Determine whether the tear is partial or complete and whether conservative management is realistic. Look at weight, inflammation, muscle condition, footing, body mechanics, rehabilitation, and stress on the opposite knee.
Surgery may still be the best decision. The question is whether the dog has also been given a complete preparation, recovery, and prevention plan.
Questions Worth Asking
- Is the ligament partially or completely torn?
- How unstable is the knee?
- Do we have time to assess conservative management?
- What is the rehabilitation plan before and after surgery?
- What are we doing to reduce strain on the other knee?
Prescription Food Click to open
Common Conventional Approach
Recommend prescription kibble for kidney disease, pancreatitis, allergies, urinary concerns, liver disease, obesity, or chronic digestive problems.
Additional Whole-Dog Considerations
Identify which nutritional feature is actually needed. Is the goal lower fat, modified phosphorus, hydrolyzed protein, greater digestibility, added fiber, or a different mineral balance?
Consider whether a properly formulated fresh or gently cooked diet could meet those same needs while improving moisture, palatability, ingredient quality, and digestibility.
Questions Worth Asking
- Which part of this food is important for my dog’s condition?
- Is this a short-term stabilization food or a permanent diet?
- How will we monitor weight, muscle, hydration, appetite, and stool?
- Could a fresh-food version be properly formulated?
- What would tell us this diet is not working well for my dog?
Antibiotics and Steroids Click to open
Common Conventional Approach
Try an antibiotic, steroid, or both when the cause of itching, diarrhea, coughing, ear infections, inflammation, or recurring symptoms is not clear.
Additional Whole-Dog Considerations
Treatment may be necessary while a dog is sick, but repeated empirical treatment should eventually lead to better diagnostics rather than another identical prescription.
Consider cultures, cytology, stool testing, imaging, medication history, food changes, environmental exposures, seasonal patterns, microbiome disruption, and recurring triggers.
Questions Worth Asking
- What is the working diagnosis?
- Are we treating a confirmed infection or treating based on suspicion?
- Would testing change the treatment plan?
- What does improvement on this medication tell us?
- If the symptoms return, what will we investigate next?
Allergies and Chronic Itching Click to open
Common Conventional Approach
Use itch-suppressing medication, injections, steroids, antibiotics, medicated shampoos, or prescription food to control the symptoms.
Additional Whole-Dog Considerations
Provide relief while also looking at food, fleas, environmental allergens, seasonality, skin-barrier health, digestion, microbiome health, medication history, immune regulation, and stress.
Avoidance and suppression may calm symptoms, but they may not rebuild tolerance or make the dog’s system less reactive.
Questions Worth Asking
- Are we controlling the itch or investigating why my dog is so reactive?
- Have recurring ear or skin infections been cultured?
- Could digestive symptoms be part of the same pattern?
- What can we do between flares to improve stability?
- Is the current plan reducing future flares or only stopping this one?
Vomiting, Diarrhea and Digestive Problems Click to open
Common Conventional Approach
Recommend chicken and rice, gastrointestinal kibble, probiotics, metronidazole, anti-nausea medication, or steroids.
Additional Whole-Dog Considerations
Stabilize the dog while investigating food tolerance, hydration, parasites, dietary indiscretion, fat tolerance, pancreatic function, stress, inflammation, fiber needs, nutrient absorption, and microbiome disruption.
Chicken and rice may be temporary bland food. It is not a complete gut-healing or long-term nutrition plan.
Questions Worth Asking
- What do you believe is causing this episode?
- How long should the bland or prescription food be used?
- Are we treating a confirmed infection?
- If this happens again, what testing should be considered?
- What is the plan for rebuilding normal digestion?
Kidney Disease Click to open
Common Conventional Approach
Begin prescription kidney food, subcutaneous fluids, nausea medication, phosphorus restriction, or other disease-management medications.
Additional Whole-Dog Considerations
Confirm the stage and review hydration, urine concentration, blood pressure, phosphorus, urinary protein loss, infection, medication effects, appetite, calorie intake, and muscle condition.
Protein, phosphorus, moisture, and calorie needs should be based on the individual dog—not simply the word “kidney.”
Questions Worth Asking
- What stage of kidney disease is my dog in?
- Which nutrients specifically need to be modified?
- How will we protect weight and muscle?
- How are blood pressure, urine, hydration, and phosphorus being monitored?
- What should prompt us to adjust the plan?
Behavior, Anxiety and Over-Arousal Click to open
Common Conventional Approach
Prescribe trazodone, fluoxetine, gabapentin, or another medication for anxiety, restlessness, reactivity, pacing, or over-arousal.
Additional Whole-Dog Considerations
Medication may create enough relief for learning to occur. Also assess pain, sleep, thyroid function, digestion, sensory changes, the home environment, daily routine, training, enrichment, and nervous-system regulation.
Questions Worth Asking
- What behavior are we trying to change?
- Could pain or physical discomfort be contributing?
- What training and environmental plan accompanies the medication?
- How will we know whether my dog is calmer rather than simply sedated?
- What opportunities will my dog have to learn better choices?
Senior Dogs and “Normal Aging” Click to open
Common Conventional Approach
Attribute slowing down, stiffness, pacing, panting, confusion, appetite changes, muscle loss, or sleep disruption to normal aging.
Additional Whole-Dog Considerations
Age is not a diagnosis. Look at pain, muscle loss, cognition, dental disease, digestion, sensory decline, medication effects, sleep quality, mobility, thyroid function, and changes in laboratory trends.
Questions Worth Asking
- What physical causes have been ruled out?
- Could pain, vision loss, hearing loss, or cognitive changes be involved?
- Are laboratory values changing even if they remain inside the range?
- What can we improve even if aging itself cannot be reversed?
- How are we measuring quality of life?
Vaccines and Parasite Prevention Click to open
Common Conventional Approach
Follow the clinic’s routine vaccination schedule and use year-round broad-spectrum parasite prevention for every dog.
Additional Whole-Dog Considerations
Consider legal requirements, core versus lifestyle-based vaccines, geographic risk, travel, age, exposure, overall health, previous reactions, product choice, and titers when clinically useful.
Individual assessment does not mean leaving a dog unprotected. It means making informed choices based on the dog’s actual risks and history.
Questions Worth Asking
- Which vaccines are required, core, or based on lifestyle?
- What diseases are common where we live and travel?
- Can vaccinations be spaced apart when medically appropriate?
- What options exist if my dog has reacted to a product?
- How was this prevention plan selected for my individual dog?
The question is not simply whether a conventional recommendation is right or wrong. The better question is whether the plan stops at controlling the immediate problem—or also helps this individual dog recover, function, and become more resilient.