A brief entry today to announce the extension of my Sale on Herbal Consultations – I did not have a chance to promote it as I hoped, so in fairness to those who might want to take advantage of this offer, I’m extending it for the whole month of July. Further to the extension, I thought I would talk a bit about the value of a consultation, what you can expect from it, and why it can be of such value to your companion – proactively as well as to address specific health challenges.

Many MANY folks in the dog world are very interested in nutrition – in raw diets, in learning how to meet nutrient requirements, in the various properties of foods beyond supplying  essentials, in choosing the best commercial diet – canine nutrition, which was a bit of an odd idea to many when I started out, has become a BIG business these days. I (of course) applaud this greatly – nutrition is one of the most powerful elements of health, your dog has a short life (relatively speaking) highly specific and important dietary needs, and individual quirks – it’s so important to provide dogs with an ideal diet, as best we know how. In my work as a therapeutic nutritionist I see complete turnarounds every single day – just with diet changes – not to mention, the less dramatic but still powerful smaller changes –  and let’s not forget the longterm insurance that a truly well formulated diet provides, in the absence of disease. I love dogs and cats with all my heart, and am as angered today by the poor diets  that became the norm, with the advent of kibble, and all the unnecessary suffering, as I was 25 years ago we I got my first copy of Dr. Pitcairn’s book and realized that the high end food I was buying wasn’t so high end after all. I’m also as excited and thrilled today, by every dog I work with and see the impact diet finetuning can offer, as I was  when I started out.

But (you knew there was one of those coming, right?)


Well…we’re waiting….


Little known fact; I’ve been working with dogs as a nutritionist for 19 years,  have been studying for 25, but I’ve been an herbalist since the mid- eighties. Herbs are a deep passion of mine, and while I see popularity of  herbal support growing, for dogs and cats, it’s nowhere near a popular as nutrition is. To some extent that makes sense – with nutrition, we are talking about life essentials,nutrients needed to keep the body well, and food choices that can heal or harm;  with herbs, most of the time we’re supporting health, adding benefits, helping prevent disease…wonderful, but not essential in the same way.  However – and this is big – the way in which herbs are presented in the popular dog sites, is most often very formulaic, and superficial – such as “slippery elm for colitis” or “milk thistle for the liver”. Please take me at my word, while this is a great start, it is ONLY a start; the topic of herbs is vast, it’s a science and an art, and can do far more for your dog or cat than settle an upset tummy or soothe a splinter in the paw.

In a nutshell: herbs offer so much in the way of support, prevention and helping manage all kinds of illness, I would love to see more people learn how to use them.

So, to that end I am going ahead with a fall tutorial – it had been planned for the summer, but my own health issues meant a postponement was necessary; I will write more about this in another post. I am also offering a  pretty major sale on my consultations, for the month of July. I want to promote this work in large part because so many people can benefit; many have optimized their dogs’ diets with the help of a nutritionist (there are plenty to choose from these days) or are using a great commercial product, but can still benefit from a personalized herbal consultation that provides support on a system by system basis. I trained and experienced herbalist can offer so much more than a commercial formula, with awareness of herbal interactions, breed predispositions/plant constituents (think oxalates, for example)  how to support longevity and more.  There is absolutely no substitute for what a trained herbalist can give you, and not everyone needs a diet plan. I am happy to do proactive consults OR develop an herbal strategy for your dog with cancer, liver disease, anxiety, IBD, heart disease and more.

Here’s a bit about what you receive:

“…As with the dietary consultations, you will need to fill in a detailed questionnaire and provide me with photographs as needed. I will make recommendations for using herbs and supplements to target any specific health conditions, support body systems, bolster overall well being and enhance quality of life for all dogs, all life stages, all health conditions. Herbs are selected with great care and over 30 years knowledge/experience, are always safe with any medication your dog may be on, and will work both quickly to relieve acute symptoms as well as over time, to restore balance and healing.

I work in the Western Herbal Tradition, which is often confused with Western allopathic medicine. The Western Herbal Tradition has ancient roots, and utilizes modern science to work optimally with diets that are also science based, such as NRC-balanced therapeutic recipes. Formulas are not predetermined but developed for the individual dog, according to multiple factors, including health issues, vaccination/medication history, apparent sensitivities, constitutional type (yes, we use energetics in the Western Tradition, too) and any medications in use. This method enables me to adjust proportions and dosage of each herb as we monitor your dog’s response. I also offer options, various forms of delivering the herbs to your dog, and utilize the very best sources for obtaining them. Please feel free to email me with any questions you might have before booking – I look forward to hearing from you.”

 

Monarda didyma,  common name Bee Balm, underused in veterinary herbalism but a powerhouse of actions… including relaxing nervine, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, carminative and anti-spasmodic – useful for a variety of digestive upset, for yeast infection, abscesses and other infections,  for nervous highstrung dogs who run to a cold constitution or as part of various formulas for anxiety

I will close by saying that I know many people who do use herbs for their dogs or cats, prefer Chinese – and if you have a thoroughly trained practitioner, veterinary or not, you will be in good hands. I am Western born and raised, European in background,and I want to bring the power and beauty of the Western Herbal Tradition to more dog and cat owners…not as “better but to clarify what it is – so often when I say “I work within the WHT” I  hear that it is “less powerful” than Asian herbal medicine, that we don’t have a system of energetics, that we us only “simples” and so on. All incorrect. I’m about to post an article on this, one I have worked on for some time, which may interest people, and perhaps open eyes as to what bioregional herbalism really entails. For now, I will leave you with a link to my FB group, and to the sale of course! Happy to take questions about herbal medicine, and looking forward to hearing from you.

Personalized Herbal Consultation: Herbal Consultation
and for cats, too: Herbal Consultation for your Cat

my Facebook group, for more discussion:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/756709917722083/