After graduating from veterinary college, Dr Barbara Fougère became increasingly frustrated with the limited range of options that conventional medicine and surgery offered chronically unwell dogs. Antibiotics, corticosteroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the mainstay of therapy for these dogs, and generally not ideal for long-term use. Thus, she turned to veterinary herbalism, acupuncture, homeopathy, environmental and nutritional medicine, Reiki and other alternatives to help her patients.

Barbara acknowledges that complementary and alternative veterinary medicine is largely not substantiated by the scientific method. But her observations over countless cases have led her to conclude that natural therapies can, and indeed do, help many dogs to lead healthier lives with greater well-being.

Healthy Dogs is intended to bridge the gap between conventional veterinary medicine and some of the more widely available natural therapies for dogs. With it, all dog lovers - whether veterinary professionals, dog breeders or simply concerned dog owners - have access to the possibilities these alternatives offer.