“Dog as My Doctor, Cat as My Nurse,” by Carlyn Montes De Oca (vegan), Part 2 of 2

Being vegan has also influenced Mrs. Montes De Oca’s connection with animal-people and her perspective on health. “It was always about the animals for me. So to me, it was a win-win-win. I am a vegan, and it’s allowing me to leave a smaller footprint in the world, and to affect my health in the most positive way, and to do the number one thing, which I wanted to do to begin with, which was not hurt an animal, not hurt an animal for my five minutes of pleasure. And also, I got a certification from the T. Colin Campbell school of nutritional studies (T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies). Because their focus was so science-based, it taught me so much about the power of this diet.” “They talked about a lot of different diseases, diabetes, cancers, and they were showing, just step by step, the benefits of eating nutritionally in this way. And the whole-food vegan diet is really, I think, our best opportunity to help in terms of nutrition with that.”

In the book, Mrs. Montes De Oca states: “You will discover that optimal health is not found in a pill but in the touch of a gentle paw, at the receiving end of a friendly snout, or riding shotgun in your car with ears flapping in the wind.” “If you’re feeling depressed, or anxious, or stressed, then that is going to affect your wellbeing in general, and of course, our spiritual wellbeing. And play benefits our immune system, it benefits our wellbeing, it benefits our confidence. And who better to play with than your dog or your cat?” “The third part of this trifecta was the nurturing of the spirit. All the rescue dogs I’ve ever had, they’ve all come from very difficult situations. It’s humans who have affected them in negative ways, whether it’s cruelty, neglect... But they forgive. They’ve gone through so much more than I have ever been through. And yet, they let go of the past and live in the moment, and show love again, and kindness, and gratitude. And I feel that that’s a huge opportunity to have a wellness guru in your house who shows you that every single day.”