IAZ Veterinary consultant

We are delighted to announce a new member of the team: Sarah Drawbridge

Sarah graduated from The Royal Veterinary College, London, in 2006, and since then has practiced as a small animal veterinary surgeon, in the UK and Sydney.

Sarah is a member of the British Association of Veterinary Herbalists and is also a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons ; and the Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law Veterinary Association. She has completed the Foundation in Veterinary Herbal Medicine, with Integrate, and attended the canine and feline Zoopharmacognosy practical courses with The Ingraham Academy and has also studied TTouch techniques.

Sarah is passionate about animal welfare, is conscious of the choices she makes, cares about our environment and has adopted a vegan lifestyle. She recently moved to Bath and is in the process of starting up her own business, "Harmony Vets." She will combine her experience, techniques taught by the Ingraham Academy, TTouch UK, Intergrate and conventional medicine to assist animals and their owners with health and healing. Sarah is particularly interested in human-animal bonds and how owners and animals influence each other.

New Apothecary date: 24.11.13

Due to the popularity of the Apothecary class, Jane is adding the following date to the schedule:

24th November 2013




Please contact the office for further details on: 0117 914 5689

Your Dog Magazine: July issue

Many thanks to Sue Corfield for her recent article on Applied Zoopharmacognosy.

Aromatic waters

We are delighted to be able to offer the following aromatic waters:

Orange Blossom (Neroli): Citrus aurantium

Damask Rose: Rosa damascena

Elderflower: Sambucus nigra

These are very different products compared to floral waters, which are often produced by adding an essential oil to water, or are by-products of the steam distillation of essential oils (officially called hydrosols).

Our aromatic waters are purposefully made in a unique still through a gentle and extended distillation process enabling both the oil and water-soluble volatile components to combine in the resultant product.

On the last two canine practical’s, dogs have chosen the Orange blossom water over the essential oil. The aromatic water enables them to enter a more playful energy that will then go on to often select mimosa. For equine’s it seems to be a 50-50 split between those that chose the water over the essential oil.

I worked with rose water for the first time last weekend, both the essential oil and the water were very often selected together, however it was much easier to use the water when they wanted it stroked on them. I have less experience with the elderflower water at this time, but in class most of the students as well as the dogs wanted to select it!

In traditional folklore elderflower is used for eye problems, so I am looking forward to seeing if this follows through in self-selection as it would be useful to have another remedy in addition to cornflower to offer. Elderflowers have long been considered to be a very healing and rejuvenating plant and it was used mainly for colds, flus, stomach and bowl problems. Emotionally it offers a sense of clarity and innocence.

www.thewildhealthshop.co.uk

Equine denistry

by Martina Egeler

Together with an equine dentist I did a small trial study to see how essential oils might help horses to cope better with dental treatment. I've been using violet leaf, frankincense and calmers such as valerian, hemp and hops.

The results were amazing.

Some of the 14 animals we saw that day had been quite difficult to treat during previous visits by the dentist. Others were basically fine but still quite tense. All of them were able to stand quietly or even relax when the rasp was in their mouth. All of them relaxed into the oils as soon as the rasp was removed. To those who had a more lengthy treatment I also offered oils to help with concentration, which also proved to be very helpful.



I had the same positive result with a pony who finds clipping very stressful. With a more lengthy dentistry or clipping session I have started introducing Black Pepper, Tobacco and Nutmeg. They definitely seem to help animals cope better.

Vasculitis

Results by Sue Guild

Treated for over 6 months with antibiotics and steroids (top pictures)

The vet agreed to try zoopharmacognosy, as conventional veterinary treatment did not appear to be working .

Vasculitis is a skin condition known to be difficult to treat successfully; there are different theories that associate the condition with the staphylococcus bacterial infection and lowered immunity. The horse has been kept in different locations and had never had any skin conditions such as mud fever until he went on a farm where the symptoms began. His owner felt it was triggered because the fields were contaminated with cattle and horse manure that wasn't correctly cleared. He believes that this together with the exceptionally wet weather experienced during the last year has led to the infection.

He was highly strung as he had been stabled consistently for over two weeks because his legs were so sore and the fields were wet and muddy.

Result after 2 weeks and 4 days (bottom pictures)

For further information please contact Sue: susan.guild@btinternet.com

Canine workshop BCDH: working with aggression towards men

We had a great couple of days working and teaching at Bath Cats and Dogs Home, which is one of the leading RSPCA Branches in the country, re-homing over 2,500 dogs, cats and small animals each year.

We worked with three dogs over the weekend, however it was working with Scoopie that brought tears to many of the students.

Scoopie was a nervous 8year old Collie who disliked men, she would lunge at them aggressively and was unpredictable around them. Scoopie  came to the centre as a puppy, but for the past four years he had been with a lady owner, who returned him due to his aggression towards men. During the past eight months at BCDH he could only be handled by female staff.

On the first day, while in the process of taking Scoopie into his subconscious mind, we gradually  introduced Steve (Head of Behaviour, below left). He lunged three times in succession aiming for Steve's jugular (he was wearing a muzzle!). Once fully in his subconscious mind and totally relaxed, Scoopie allowed Steve to get closer to him. We ended the session there for the day. After Steve left and we were tidying up, Scoopie got up and with his handler, came over to Martin and Alan (one of our students) and proceeded to walk calmly past both of them before returning to have a roll over Alan's feet! This was unheard of and the remaining students were left in amazement.

2 days following Scoopie's zoopharmacognosy session with Steve (left) and Dog handler (right)

Day 2 of course: Morning follow up: What we witnessed in the morning was incredible. Scoopie allowed both Alan and Steve to wipe his chosen oils onto his chest and then became very affectionate to Steve, rolling at this feet. Steve and Scoopie went into the garden area where they played fetch with a stick, with much exchange of affection. They looked like they had been together forever. Alan also joined them in the garden, again he was greeted with a wag of the tail. We then called a male stranger to come in (after replacing Scoopie's muzzle). This man had little behavioural experience and without knowing Scoopie's history, gave him some generous pats on his back, bent down looked straight into his eyes, kissed him on the nose and asked, "what was the problem with the dog?" All this time Scoopie stood there calmly wagging his tail.

Within 24hours Scoopie is muzzel free around men. Looking at these
 photos it is hard to beleive that there was ever a problem!

Feedback from Steve at BCDH:

Day one after course: Scoopie wags his tail when he sees me now even when I am not oiled up!

Day two after course: Scoopie has now met 4 more men. All went really well apart from one and that was the vet liason.


Follow-up on other the dogs that were on the course: from Steve BCDH

Chelsea:

Over the weekend was very stressed with visitors to the home. When she was put back in to her kennel she went and got one of the rags and took it to her bed then led down with it. I wasnt in work Sunday but when I went to see her today she did initially bark at me. I came back to see her with the oils and she was very keen to sniff all of them. Some she would bark at me straight after but was fine with me by the time I left her.

Larry:

We have not had time to do much with Larry today as Charlie is off this week but we are all looking forward to you coming down for the talk which me and Laura will be on as well as some of the other staff.