Holistic animal consultant and advocate Jan Allegretti was deeply bonded to her first family dog. As a child, when she attended the Kiddy Land Fair in the Chicago suburbs, Allegretti saved all her ride tickets to ride the ponies.
Allegretti’s love of horses led her on a life journey where the care and concern for animals became her passion and vocation.
“I began working with horses at a barn where they lived in ‘tie-stalls’ where their heads were tied up all day, except for lessons. Their owner of the barn asked me to teach, or he would bring me a young horse that needed some work. Those were my first training experiences.”
Allegretti studied with a classical French dressage trainer, who used innovative techniques that included relaxing tight muscles in horses. “It was about using a loose rein, using mental communication instead of physical of force, and helping to release trauma in horses.”
The dressage training inspired Allegretti to create a business where she could practice natural animal care and her horses could have an optimum living environment. She obtained a loan, designed and built a 34-stall barn and indoor area on a 48-acre parcel.
Allegretti ran her business almost single-handedly, acting as trainer, accountant, instructor, marketing person and more. She appreciated the animals’ deep, grounded presence that horse lovers understand. With that awareness came work in the advocacy space.
“Horses are less encumbered by the trappings of our material world, making them more connected to their inherent spiritual nature. These enormous beings have the capacity to kill us, yet they submit to so much that isn’t good for them, and are so generous in the way they enter into relationship with us.” She began to observe less-than-stellar practices in the dressage world and began writing about them.
Around that time, Allegretti met veterinary homeopath Carol Maza. Through Maza’s training, she began introducing homeopathic remedies to the horses.
“I was in the mainstream, middle-class Midwest, so there was very little training of this kind available. Carol would go through the whole barn with me, looking at the horses, the cats, dogs and our pygmy goat. We’d use homeopathy to address issues. Over time, I noticed the horses weren’t as colicky. They were less lame. I began seeing the life-changing impact of homeopathy.”
Two incidents resulted in another important decision for Allegretti.
“Maisie was my loving, affectionate Tortoiseshell cat. She disappeared for a few days, and when she turned back up at the barn, I realized she must have been hit by a car. Her front nails were worn out from dragging herself back up my road. The orthopedic surgeon said her pelvis was shattered and she needed surgery.”
Allegretti used homeopathic remedies during Maisie’s recovery. “That may have been when I really fell in love with homeopathy. This was the first of so many incredible cures I have witnessed over 4 decades.”
Around that time, a mare in Allegretti’s barn gave birth, hemorrhaged and died. “I milked the colostrum from the mother’s dead body for the foal. Fortunately, we found another mare who adopted the baby.” The two experiences left their mark on Allegretti. “I knew long before this that I was committed to doing everything I could to protect and help animals, but I was still eating cows and chickens. The incidents with Mazie and the mare exposed the stark difference between what I did ‘reflexively’ for them, while simultaneously ignoring the plight of the animals I was eating. In that context, I had to become a vegetarian.”
Allegretti found herself becoming less comfortable with the horse business.
“I remember picking up a horse I was purchasing. I loaded him into this foreign trailer. I was a stranger to him. He had no idea where he was going or what his life would be like. The other horses in his barn were all whinnying. What bonds was I severing between him and those horses, or the people in his life?” This horse was going to a wonderful home with Allegretti, but she realized she could not be involved with the purchasing and selling of animals. “I just couldn’t do it anymore.” She sold her property and moved to California, first to Sonoma and then to Mendocino County.
Allegretti’s training was such that her horse would canter from a non-physical request. “I began observing more, paying attention more. I noticed that when I rode Brandy, even a soft rubber bit made her gums black and blue. When you sit on a horse, even with the best quality saddle, you’re still pressing on nerves. Horses tolerate these things. They accept it, but is it in their best interest? I stopped riding my horses, and then stopped training them.”
While working at the Mendocino Environmental Center, Allegretti discovered that people craved her expertise with homeopathy and herbal medicine. “People arrived with colds or sniffles, or maybe they’d bring in a sick dog. My friend Lynda McClure encouraged me to expand my homeopathic work. I’d already been teaching for many years, so I started doing workshops and writing.” Allegretti’s first publication: “Listen to the Silence: Lessons from the Trees and Other Masters found its way to author, writing coach and editor Hal Bennett. “Hal asked me if I’d ever thought of being an editor of other people’s books, and he began referring clients to me. This became my career for the next 26 years.”
Bennett had been working with Ten Speed Press, and brought Allegretti the idea for writing a book about holistic health for pets. Her next book: The Complete Holistic Dog Book: Home Health Care for Our Canine Companions included the perspective of local veterinarian Katy Sommers.
The 400-page book includes a guide to treating illness and injury, including three “materia medica” sections on nutrition, homeopathy and herbs and more.
The book enabled Allegretti to focus on what she loved- helping animals live their best lives. She has spent years providing consultations with people who are interested in trying alternate methods of animal care.
“Sometimes, people can’t afford a veterinarian. Other times, the vet says there’s nothing more to do. Sometimes an animal is not getting better, and sometimes families just want to try something different.”
Allegretti began to posit that just as for humans, diet played a major role in animal healing. What began as almost trial and error developed into a dietary plan based on feeding animals fresh, homemade foods.
“My cat had a number of food allergies, so I started feeding her homemade food. That was my foray into providing fresh foods to animals. My first Great Dane had a neurological issue. Even shadows could make her tremble, almost like she was having a mild seizure. I’d heard anecdotally that a vegan diet could help alleviate seizures. I put her on a fresh food regimen. It didn’t stop the issue completely, but it helped a great deal.”
Her next dog- also a Great Dane, came to her with a number of issues.
“She had a terrible coat, and she smelled like she had a dead animal in her mouth,” she laughs. Allegretti provided her first with vegetarian, home-prepared meals, and then vegan food. “Everything got better. Her coat improved, her movement improved, her teeth improved.”
Allegretti didn’t cook “special meals” for her animals.
“I didn’t create recipes. I just fed them fresh, homemade organic food.” She began recommending the protocol to her clients. “People would come to me with animals that had skin, mobility or respiratory problems. Usually they would want herbs or a homeopathic remedy. I began to suggest changing their diet for a few weeks before trying anything else. More times than not, the new diet would significantly improve the problems.”
Allegretti says dogs readily embrace the fresh food diet. “A client would say, ‘My dog will never eat broccoli!’ But in a follow-up appointment, I’d hear the same person say their dogs loved their new diet. Why do dogs beg at our tables? Because animals know what good food is.”
According to Allegretti, the most profound health changes occur when animals transition to fresh food from kibble. “Now that we know how harmful processed food is, this makes so much sense. Nutrients are damaged in the processing of kibble and other commercial animal foods, whereas they are readily available through fresh foods.”
Some of Allegretti’s clients have dogs with kidney issues, In those cases, vets often recommend a prescription diet. “I’ve seen countless examples of improved kidney values simply by providing dogs with the same wholesome foods we eat at the table.”
Her successes resulted in the publication of her next book: The Fresh & Flexible Meal PlanTM: The Easiest, Most Nutritious Way to Feed Your Dog and Cat.
“Because this issue is so important, I decided to write a book specifically on the diet.” She was contacted by Dr. Richard Pitcairn, DVM, PhD. Pitcairn is one of the pioneers of holistic veterinary medicine. “He had seen me at conferences and asked if I could teach about vegan diets for dogs and cats.” Allegretti was invited to teach at the Pitcairn Institute of Veterinary Homeopathy.
“At my first class, there were 70 veterinarians in the room, and they were skeptical,” she smiles. “By the last hour of the class, we had to hold dinner because I was answering questions for hours. Their biggest question was, ‘How do you know an animal is getting all the nutrients they need?’ My answer: by eating the colors of the rainbow- proteins, carbs, veggies and fruits- just like us.”
Following the conference, old-time vets approached Allegretti. “They said over the past couple decades, they’d seen an explosion of chronic illnesses- things like cancer and early arthritis. “They realized the food the animals had been eating could be the culprit—and a change in diet could provide a viable solution.”
The conference and others like it led to veterinarians all over the country teaching Allegretti’s methods to their clients, with continuing successful results.
“To me, it’s obvious that if we want our animals to be healthy, we need to feed them healthy food.”
As an animal advocate, Allegretti is passionate about elevating the place of animals in society. “Despite the fact that we communicate with animals at this rich, deep level, we continue to treat their lives as not as important as ours. We see this in our relationship with feeding them. Food is more than nutrients- it’s a love language rooted in celebrations, healing and cultural sharing. Think about having that holiday dinner, where everyone is sharing family traditions. Then we throw a cup of kibble in their bowl. “If instead we share our holiday meal with them, we invite them to join in our culture and traditions as well.”
Allegretti’s books are available at local and online outlets, and she is available for consultation. Visit her website at janallegretti.com.
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