Integrative Animal Solutions

Editor’s note. City of Sparta and The Expositor are partnering in a venture to feature city businesses. Each week, Mayor Jerry Lowery and City Administrator Tonya Tindle are providing a video production that highlights a specific business. In turn, The Expositor will publish a story about that business. “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.” (Harry S. Truman, former president of the United States)

Integrative Animal Solutions, located on West Maple Street just beyond Liberty Square, is Sparta’s only non-traditional pet-care facility. Rather than provide traditional veterinary services, IAS focuses on helping pet owners find the best ways to keep their fur-family healthy and happy.

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From healthy eating to daily supplements to therapeutic services, the staff at IAS is taking 20-plus years of experience in the veterinary industry and bringing their knowledge to the pet owners in the Upper Cumberland.

“At IAS, our goal is not to take the place of veterinary advice, and we do not diagnose or treat your animals, but we can empower you to help your pet overcome illness and injury more quickly and efficiently,” Tracy Farley, the shop’s owner, said. “We can also help you prevent disease and illness with educational information, natural diet, and herbs rather than chemicals and pharmaceuticals.”

IAS combines natural diets and homeopathic therapies with science-based methods of treatment to help owners provide a level of care and quality of life for their pets.

“There are many ways to feed a species-appropriate (raw or homemade) diet to pets. It’s the very first step in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but it doesn’t have be messy, difficult, or expensive,” Farley said.

 She said most pet parents are concerned with both the difficulty and the cost of feeding their pets raw foods, but that it is, in fact, quite economical to purchase raw foods and provide a healthy diet for domesticated pets.

“Information is the key to feeling impowered to help your pet thrive,” she said. “You can schedule a consultation with us so we can take the fear out of getting your dog or cat started on a healthier diet.”

In addition to raw meats, which IAS offers a variety of – all at wholesale prices, Farley said it’s important to consider vegetables in a diet for dogs.

“Dogs cannot break down raw vegetable matter, so we have ground and dehydrated veggies for you to choose from,” she said, and also discussed the price of feeding a dog using the methods offered through IAS. “The cost of feeding a 50-pound dog, on average, can be lower than $3.50 per day. This is higher than some of your big box store foods, but savings will show in the health of the pet.”

IAS also offers a large apothecary with many hard-to-find items that can help maintain your pet’s health. The showroom is stocked with items that have been selected based on years of researching the best and most cost-effective supplements that add to the health and well-being of a pet.

Since integrative refers to combining “allopathic and complementary therapies,” IAS doesn’t just offer pet food, but they also offer a variety of therapies - both for at-home use and in-store options.

“We have therapeutic items – such as cold laser and ozone therapy – for rent,” Farley explained, saying that both items could be used at home, and then listed the benefits of some of the items for rent or sale through IAS.

• Pets with arthritis, wounds and soft tissue injuries are just a few who can benefit from laser therapy. We have a super pulsed, safe, nonburning laser that you can rent to use in your home every day
• Ozone therapy is a modality that uses activated oxygen (ozone) to assist with many chronic and acute diseases, especially cancer. It increases oxygen levels and utilization, and it activates the immune system. It can be introduced by various means. We supply the owner with the tools and information to utilize the ozone themselves.
• Targeted Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (tPEMF) therapy centers around the use of electromagnetic waves, targeted at specific frequencies, to stimulate an animal’s natural recovery process. The clinically-proven, peer-reviewed tPEMF technology in the Assisi LOOP product is a safe, FDA-cleared, drug-free alternative for treating pain, inflammation and enhance tissue repair. Assisi Loop units are available for purchase only

In addition, IAS offers the opportunity for pet owners to consult with a visiting holistic veterinarian, schedule appointments with a chiropractor, and use the store’s micro-bubble bath station. IAS also now offers seminars with visiting professionals whose goal is to educate pet owners on the advantages of different therapies, feeding schedules, and other non-traditional veterinary practices.

While IAS is neither a veterinary clinic nor a traditional pet-supply store, they are quickly becoming an essential stop for pet owners in the area. Whether looking to maintain the health of a pet, help aid in the recovery from an illness, or simply to enhance the quality of living for those fur-family members, Farley and the staff at IAS are happy to offer advice, share knowledge, or simply enjoy visiting with White County’s pets.