08/13/2025
🐕🐱 FOOD AS MEDICINE: Did you know Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine has been using food energetics for over 3,000 years to balance pets’ health?
WHAT TCVM VETERINARIANS KNOW:
According to Dr. Priya Bhatt, a certified TCVM practitioner, “every naturally-occurring food is either warming or cooling, or else neutral” and these properties affect your pet’s physiology and metabolism.
🔥 WARMING PROTEINS:
Lamb (considered the hottest)
Chicken
Beef → Best for: Pets who seek warm spots, have cold ears/paws, or seem lethargic
❄️ COOLING PROTEINS:
Duck
Rabbit
Fish (especially whitefish) → Best for: Pets with allergies, who seek cool floors, or show signs of inflammation
⚖️ NEUTRAL PROTEINS:
Turkey
Some beef cuts → Good for: Most balanced pets year-round
TCVM ASSESSMENT SIGNS:
✓ Red, warm ears + seeks cold surfaces = may benefit from cooling foods
✓ Cold paws + seeks warmth = may benefit from warming foods
✓ Balanced energy = neutral proteins often work well
IMPORTANT: This ancient wisdom complements, never replaces, modern veterinary nutrition. As TCVM sources emphasize, you should always “feed the pet in front of you” - every animal is an individual.
Ready for personalized guidance? Dr. Priya Bhatt combines traditional veterinary medicine with integrative approaches including Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, and nutritional therapy. With extensive training in food energetics and constitutional assessment, she helps pet owners optimize their animals’ diets for individual health needs.
Full guide to food energetics in our latest blog post on bhattvetspeciallty.com (link in bio)
Always consult your veterinarian before making dietary changes!
