Our Services

Our vets are experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of illness and disease affecting cats and dogs. As holistic vets, our focus is on improving the health, wellbeing and quality of life of your pets. Often the focus of conventional medicine is on addressing the symptoms of illness, and in doing so the whole animal is not considered. As holistic vets, our focus is not just on treating disease, but in working toward achieving wellness, taking the whole animal, their environment, lifestyle and diet into consideration.

As holistic vets, we choose natural and less invasive methods of treatment whenever they are safe and appropriate to do so. There are times when conventional medicines and surgery are needed, especially when rapid results are required. Conventional and natural medicines all form part of an integrated treatment approach to treating your animal. Our vets, wherever appropriate, are qualified to choose natural treatment techniques, which includes the use of natural diets, supplements, nutraceuticals, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, herbal medicine and homeopathy.

Our vets also provide advice on appropriate parasite protection (intestinal worms, heartworm, fleas, ticks, mites etc).

Lifetime care plans

Our vets provide advice to owners about animals of all ages and life stages. Our vets can look after the care of your animal from when you first bring them home, providing guidance about how best to support the growing stages of young animals, maintain good health and wellness during adult life, and how to maintain a healthy weight range. Our vets can also provide valuable advice to people about caring for their animals in their senior years, maintaining good health, vitality, joint health and quality of life.

Vaccinations & Titre Testing 

We encourage Annual Wellness Consultations rather than routine annual revaccination for your pets. An annual check up allows our vets to monitor for many breed- and age-related illnesses and diseases. These regular check ups are important.

We offer titre testing for dogs and cats in order to assesses whether or not revaccination is necessary.  Titre testing is a simple blood test, which will help us determine if your dog or cat really does need that booster vaccination.

Veterinary Behaviour Services

Dr Kathy is a qualified Veterinary Behaviourist with over 20 years’ experience. Dr Kathy is available for consultation regarding behavioural issues in any species but works primarily with dogs and cats. Common problems include anxiety, aggression and house soiling.

Behaviour issues are complicated and many people are reluctant to seek assistance because they feel that it is all their fault. That is rarely the case. Rather than getting better with time, behavioural issues tend to get worse over time. The best chance of success is when appropriate, qualified advice is obtained early.

Successful treatment involves understanding why the behaviour is occurring and developing strategies to make positive changes. Treatment may include medications, lifestyle adjustments, referral to appropriate therapeutic trainers and a variety of other strategies which will vary from case to case. Each treatment plan is highly individualised, working together with the animal and their family.

Dr Kathy is able to provide reports to councils regarding dangerous or menacing dogs, following appropriate assessment.

Natural, balanced nutritional advice

Our vets are passionate advocates for the feeding of real, natural foods - not the usual processed foods recommended by most vets. Our vets provide advice to owners about transitioning to a natural, balanced diet appropriate for their animals. Our vets can also provide advice and support to experienced raw and natural feeders. We support the use of homemade balanced raw and/or cooked diets, and/or commercially prepared raw, cooked, air-dried and freeze dried options. For owners with pets with specific medical conditions, our vets can provide advice regarding specific, therapeutic diets for your animal.

Rather than the usual processed kibble, our online shop stocks a range of minimally processed, natural foods. Click here to view.

Acupuncture 

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medical technique that is widely used by people and can also be used very successfully with animals.  Acupuncture involves the insertion of very fine needles into specific points on the body to help to bring the body back into a state of equilibrium. This is very well tolerated by most animals.

Acupuncture is used all around the world, either alone or in conjunction with Western medicine, to treat a wide variety of conditions in every species of animal. Acupuncture can be beneficial for a range of ailments. It is particularly useful for conditions of the musculoskeletal system such as arthritis, lameness, spinal disease and muscular pain. It can also be used to treat diseases of the nervous, gastrointestinal, cardiac, respiratory, reproductive, urinary and immune systems as well as skin conditions. Both Dr Kathy and Dr Caroline treat many animals regularly using acupuncture.

How does acupuncture work?

From the Chinese perspective, acupuncture works by balancing the flow of energy in the body. Disease is a manifestation of an imbalance of energy in the body, and acupuncture treatment aims to get the energy flowing again. Acupuncture theory says that energy flows around the body along pathways called meridians. Specific points along the meridians that are close to the body’s surface can be needled to influence the flow of energy along the meridian, and thus bring about balance. There are 14 major meridians on the body and over 300 acupuncture points. The location of the meridians and specific points are remarkably consistent between species, and the actions are always the same.

Acupuncture has been closely studied over the last few decades to try to explain the mechanism of acupuncture within the framework of the Western medical model. Acupuncture points have been shown to be different to surrounding tissue, as these areas have special arrangements of nerves and blood vessels. The association with major organs has been confirmed also, using dye studies. Acupuncture has been shown to block painful stimuli at the level of the spinal cord and also to influence the release of a number of natural substances in the body that help to relieve pain and inflammation, such as endorphins, change blood flow, and to influence brain neurotransmitters and a variety of hormone levels.

What does acupuncture treatment involve?
Each treatment lasts 10-30 minutes and most frequently occur at weekly intervals. Some animals will improve rapidly after one treatment, while others will need several treatments before any improvement is noted.

The number of sessions involved is dependent on the problem being treated.

The treatments are generally well tolerated by the animal and are normally performed in a consultation room with the owner present.

Are there any side effects?
The most common side effect is animals going home and sleeping. In some cases, animals are a little worse for 24-48 hours following treatment, as muscles relax and readjust, and then they will start to improve.

Laser Therapy

Laser therapy is the non-invasive use of laser energy (ie light) to generate a photo-chemical response in damaged or dysfunctional tissue. Laser is an acronym for Light Amplified by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.  

• Class IV lasers emits monochromatic red light at 980nm (nano metres) wavelength (red).
• Super pulsed multi radiance lasers use three clinically proved wavelengths: 660nm, 875 nm and 905nm for optimal tissue saturation WITHOUT any increase in thermal temperature.

What does treatment involve?
Your animal will need to sit still or lie down quietly for 10-20 minutes while the treatment is administered. Usually the owner will be present to hold the animal during treatment, while the vet is operating the laser. Special glasses will be worn during the operation. Most animals find the treatment a pleasant experience.

Dr Kathy and Dr Caroline treat dogs and cats regularly with laser therapy, often in conjunction with acupuncture treatment.

What conditions can laser be used for?
Laser is useful in the treatment of a multitude of conditions.  Laser therapy is particularly useful where there is inflammation in the body e.g. osteoarthritis, dermatitis etc, and for wound healing, including post surgical incisions. 

The benefits of laser therapies are: increased cellular energy, analgesia (pain relief), reduced inflammation, accelerated tissue repair and cell growth, and improved circulation in a non-invasive treatment.    

Herbal Medicine 

Our vets are trained in Traditional Chinese and Western Herbal medicine.  

Used appropriately within the framework of a treatment plan, herbal medicine can improve the health of your animal by supporting the body’s own, natural healing processes. Our vets use evidence-based medical knowledge to assess whether natural supplements, nutraceuticals, or herbal formulations can be used in the treatment of your animal.

Many herbs have been extensively studied worldwide for their efficacy in treating a number of conditions, such as:
• liver disease
• kidney disease
• skin diseases, allergies and infections
• digestive disorders including IBD, colitis, vomiting & diarrhoea, pancreatitis
• heart disease
• cognitive decline including dementia
• endocrine disorders including Cushing's disease, hypothyroidism and diabetes
• immune mediated diseases and immune deficiencies
• respiratory infections/diseases
• cystitis, bladder stones, FLUTD

Although herbal formulations can be sold online, the safety and efficacy of off-the-shelf products can vary.  It is better to consult with one of our vets, who are trained in herbal medicine, and can provide tailored advice for the health of your pets.  Our vets dispense practitioner-grade herbal formulations that go through extensive testing for safety, efficacy and potency.

Herbal formulations can be used as a valuable adjunct to chemotherapy/ radiation in palliative care. Our vets can provide advice as to the safety of herbs used in conjunction with conventional medications and treatments and can liaise with Oncology and other Specialist vets in treatment protocols.

Herbal formulas include liquid that can be mixed with your pet’s food, powder and tablets.