How to Find the Best Treats for Your Dog or Cat: A TCVM Guide to Food Therapy and Elemental Balance

Finding the best treat for your dog or cat isn’t just about flavor or fun. It’s about helping your pet thrive naturally. Using Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM), treats can become a simple, powerful way to balance your pet’s energy and support overall wellness.

Instead of choosing random snacks, you simply select pet treats that match your pet’s unique energetic needs. When chosen wisely, each bite nourishes body, mind, and spirit. Consequently, you'll be helping your pet live a longer, happier, and more vibrant life. 

Why Pets Need More Than “Just a Treat”

TCVM teaches that every animal’s health depends on balance: the smooth flow of Qi (energy) through the body. When Qi is strong and unobstructed, your pet feels calm, strong, and joyful. When it’s weak or stuck, symptoms like itching, digestive upset, fatigue, or anxiety can appear.

Food is one of the easiest, most natural ways to restore harmony. That's why TCVM practitioners use "food as medicine." Even pet treats can help rebalance the body when selected intentionally. 

Understanding the Five Elements

In Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, every animal’s health depends on the natural rhythm of the Five Elements: Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal. 

Every animal’s overall wellness is guided by the natural rhythm of the Five Elements. These elements describe more than the physical forces found in nature; they represent the dynamic flow of energy (Qi) within your pet’s body. When the elements are in harmony, your pet enjoys balanced health, calm emotions, and steady vitality.

Each element corresponds to specific organs, tissues, emotions, and seasons, creating an intricate web of relationships. For example, Wood governs the Liver and Gallbladder, supporting flexibility, movement, and emotional expression. Fire influences the Heart and Small Intestine, representing joy, connection, and circulation. Earth relates to the Spleen and Stomach, nourishing digestion, stability, and nurturing behavior. Metal rules the Lung and Large Intestine, overseeing immunity, boundaries, and the release of grief. Finally, Water connects to the Kidneys and Bladder, representing courage, endurance, and the deep reserves of life energy known as Jing, or Essence.

When one element becomes excessive or deficient, it affects the others, just like natural changes ripple through the environment. TCVM therapies, such as food therapy, herbal medicine, acupuncture, and emotional balancing, work to restore the natural flow of energy among the Five Elements. Understanding how the elements interact helps you choose the most supportive diet, lifestyle, and even treats to help your pet feel calm, strong, and energetically balanced all year.

The Five Elements and Your Pet's Physical Health

In TCVM, your pet’s physical health is deeply connected to the balance of the Five Elements. Each element governs specific organs, body systems, and vital functions, working together to maintain overall harmony. When the Five Elements flow smoothly, your dog or cat enjoys strong immunity, steady energy, efficient digestion, and vibrant longevity. Balanced elements also help the body naturally adapt to stress, seasonal changes, and aging.

However, when one element becomes weak or overactive, imbalances develop and physical signs begin to surface. Common indicators include stiffness or joint pain, coughing or breathing issues, fatigue, digestive upset, changes in appetite, or skin problems. Recognizing these patterns early allows you to choose the best treats for your dog or cat and adjust their diet to help restore energetic balance and long-term wellness.

The chart below helps you quickly identify which element may be out of balance and shows how to restore harmony naturally through food therapy and organ-specific treats. By supporting its elemental health, you help your pet thrive easily, naturally, and powerfully from the inside out.

The Five Elements & Pet Physical Conditions Chart

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How The Five Elements Influence Your Pet's Emotional Balance

In Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, emotional and physical health are deeply connected. Each of the Five Elements governs specific organs and carries its own emotional energy. When these elements flow harmoniously, your dog or cat feels calm, joyful, and emotionally balanced.

However, when one element becomes excessive or deficient, the imbalance can also surface as emotional stress. You might notice emotional changes like fear, anxiety, agitation, sadness, or depression. 

The chart below illustrates how each element shapes your pet’s emotional world and how imbalances influence mood, behavior, and emotional wellness. By choosing foods and treats that harmonize the elements, you can naturally help your pet feel centered, happy, and at peace. 

The Five Elements & Pet Emotional Health Chart

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“Like Treats Like”: A Powerful TCVM Secret

In TCVM, food is more than fuel for the body. It’s a form of medicine that carries both physical nutrients and energetic information. One of the most fascinating and time-honored TCVM principles is “like treats like.” The "like treats like" concept teaches that feeding a particular organ from an animal helps nourish and strengthen the same organ within your own pet.

Every organ has an energetic signature that resonates with its counterpart in the body. When your pet eats a freeze-dried organ such as liver, kidney, or heart, they absorb not only the proteins, vitamins, and minerals from that tissue but also its vibrational essence (the Qi or life-force energy) that supports that organ system.

Modern research now echoes what ancient healers observed thousands of years ago: organ meats are naturally rich in the very nutrients the body needs to heal those same tissues.

• Liver is packed with iron, B vitamins, and CoQ10 which is vital for blood building and detoxification.
• Kidney contains selenium and omega-3s that help maintain hormonal balance and fluid regulation.
• Heart is rich in taurine and CoQ10, compounds essential for strong cardiac and muscle function.
• Spleen offers iron and immune-supportive peptides that aid digestion and vitality.
• Lung provides amino acids and antioxidants that promote respiratory and skin health.

When you align these foods with your pet’s Five Element constitution, you amplify the healing effect.

For example:

• Feeding liver nourishes the Wood element, supporting the liver system and helping your pet stay flexible, creative, and calm.
• Feeding kidney strengthens the Water element, enhancing vitality, courage, and healthy aging.
• Feeding heart nourishes the Fire element, strengthening circulation, vitality, and emotional balance. 
• Feeding spleen stabilizes the Earth element, improving digestion, immunity, and emotional grounding.
• Feeding lung supports the Metal element, promoting healthy respiration, skin, and grief release. 

The beauty of “like treats like” lies in its simplicity. You can naturally help your dog or cat heal from within through something as joyful as giving a treat. Each bite becomes more than a reward; it’s an energetically balanced act of care that helps your companion thrive, restore harmony, and radiate health from the inside out.

Choosing the Best Treats for Your Dog or Cat

At TCVM Pet Supply, our top choice for organ treats is PET | TAO Freeze-Dried Raw Dog and Cat Treats. PET | TAO treats are made from a single, pure ingredient: the organ itself. Then, it is gently freeze-dried to preserve nutrients, flavor, and Qi. 

Freeze-drying is one of the least processed ways to prepare food, keeping it closest to what ancient dogs and cats would have eaten in the wild. This gentle preservation method locks in the organ’s energetic essence, making it both biologically and energetically nourishing.

Freeze-drying offers several advantages:

• Keeps natural vitamins, minerals, and enzymes intact
• Preserves Qi and nutritional energy without cooking or additives
• Prevents spoilage naturally with no preservatives needed
• Retains the authentic aroma and taste pets instinctively crave
• Provides a lightweight, easy-to-store treat ideal for home or travel

While freeze-dried raw treats offer the most energetically vibrant option, you can still achieve good TCVM results using dehydrated treats or homemade organ treats. If you home-cook for your pet, consider incorporating more of the appropriate organ into their diet or offering it as a topper to reinforce elemental balance.

How to Use the Chart

• Observe your pet’s physical signs and emotional tendencies.
• Identify the related element and organ system.
• Select the corresponding organ treat to support and rebalance that element.
• Rotate through all five treats for comprehensive elemental nourishment and prevention.

By feeding in harmony with your pet’s elemental constitution, you’re truly practicing food as medicine. Choosing the best treats for your dog or cat supports balance on every level: physical, emotional, and energetic. This time-tested approach helps your pet thrive naturally, joyfully, and in perfect rhythm with nature.

The Five Element Treat Chart

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Not Sure Where to Start? Rotate for Balance!

If your dog or cat is generally healthy, the easiest way to maintain harmony is to rotate through all five organ treats. Remember, each organ represents one of the Five Elements in TCVM (Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal) and supports its corresponding organ system. By rotating treats, you help your pet stay energetically balanced while naturally providing a complete spectrum of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and organ-specific nutrients.

Just like seasonal changes in nature, your pet’s internal energy shifts throughout the year. Rotating treats also provides the body with what it needs in each phase. For example, cooling and detoxifying in spring, nourishing and strengthening in winter, grounding in late summer, and so on. This simple rotation mimics nature’s rhythm, helping your pet adapt easily, stay resilient, and thrive all year long.

Examples of How to Rotate

If your pet has a specific health concern, you can start by choosing treats that target the related organ system and element:

• Allergies or skin issues: Lung Treats (Metal Element): supports respiratory health, skin vitality, and immune defense.
• Anxiety, restlessness, or agitation: Heart Treats (Fire Element): calms the spirit (Shen) and promotes emotional balance.
• Digestive issues or weak appetite: Spleen Treats (Earth Element):  strengthens digestion, boosts energy, and improves nutrient absorption.
• Aging, arthritis, or urinary issues: Kidney Treats (Water Element): nourishes essence (Jing), supports bones, and enhances vitality.
• Stiffness, eye problems, or irritability: Liver Treats (Wood Element): keeps Qi flowing smoothly and supports healthy ligaments and eyes.

Or, if emotional challenges are more of a concern:

• Sadness or grief: Lung Treats (Metal Element): promotes courage, emotional resilience, and the ability to let go.
• Anxiety, nervousness, or restlessness: Heart Treats (Fire Element): calms the spirit (Shen), encourages joy, and supports emotional connection.
• Worry, insecurity, or overthinking: Spleen Treats (Earth Element): nurtures emotional stability, grounding, and a sense of safety.
• Fear or lack of confidence: Kidney Treats (Water Element): strengthens willpower, courage, and emotional endurance.
• Frustration, irritability, or anger: Liver Treats (Wood Element): promotes flexibility, patience, and smooth emotional flow.

How to Rotate Treats

You can rotate treats weekly, monthly, or seasonally. Also, choose whatever rhythm feels most natural for your pet and routine. Rotation helps maintain energetic harmony by ensuring no single element becomes too strong or weak. For example, feeding

If your pet is generally healthy, a simple rotation through all five organs (Liver, Heart, Spleen, Lung, and Kidney) works beautifully. Start with one element per week or month, then move to the next in the order of the Five Element Cycle: Wood → Fire → Earth → Metal → Water, then back to Wood again. This cyclical pattern mirrors the natural flow of energy in the body and in nature, supporting balance year-round.

Rotating for More Than One Condition

If your pet has multiple conditions, focus on the most dominant imbalance first. For instance, a dog who has both anxiety (Heart/Fire) and digestive problems (Spleen/Earth) might start with Heart treats for two weeks, then transition to Spleen treats for the next two weeks. You can continue alternating in this way or adjust the timing depending on how your pet responds.

For chronic or complex conditions, such as arthritis (Kidney/Water) combined with irritability (Liver/Wood), consider rotating between the two elements or introducing a third supportive one, like Spleen (Earth), to stabilize energy during transitions. Always observe your pet’s mood, appetite, and energy levels.  Those subtle cues show how well their Qi is balancing.

Seasonal adjustments are also helpful. During hot summer months, for example, Heart (Fire) and Kidney (Water) treats can balance heat and preserve Yin, while in winter, Spleen (Earth) and Liver (Wood) treats help maintain warmth and flexibility.

Discover the Power of Food Therapy

When you choose treats that match your pet’s elemental needs, you go beyond ordinary snacks! You’re practicing Food Therapy, one of the most powerful principles in Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine.

Every organ-specific treat carries its own unique energetic signature, providing far more than protein or flavor. Each bite helps your pet:

• Rebalance internal energy (Qi) for overall harmony
• Support natural healing and longevity
• Strengthen immune defenses to resist illness
• Maintain emotional stability for calm, joyful well-being

In TCVM, food is medicine, and the right food can transform your pet’s health from the inside out. By selecting treats that match your pet’s element, you are choosing the best treats for your dog or cat. You’re also helping them live in tune with nature: energized, centered, and full of life.  

Want to Learn More About Food Therapy?

Download our free eBook, Food Therapy for Pets: How to Use Food as Medicine for Health and Harmony, to discover how to use energetically balanced foods to complement acupuncture, herbs, and other holistic treatments. You’ll learn how to identify your pet's imbalances, choose foods that restore harmony, and create simple meal plans for optimal wellness. You'll go beyond finding the best treats for your dog or cat and discover a whole new way to feed them!

Explore our complete line of PET | TAO Freeze Dried Raw Organ Treats and discover how simple it can be to help your dog or cat thrive with the powerful principles of TCVM Food Therapy.

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Sources: 

• Lucas, R. (1977). Secrets of the Chinese Herbalists. Prentice Hall.
• Williams, T. (1996). The Complete Illustrated Guide to Chinese Medicine: A Comprehensive System for Health and Fitness. Element Books Ltd.
• Xie, H., & Preast, V. (2010). Xie’s Chinese Veterinary Herbology. John Wiley & Sons.
• Xie, H., Wedemeyer, L., & Chrisman, C. (2014). Practical Guide to Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine Vol. 2 Small Animal Practice.