My Journey to Becoming a Zoopharmacognosy Practitioner

My name is Kirsty and caring for animals has been my life-long passion. I began my journey into holistic animal care in 2018. Since then I have gained a variety of qualifications, while learning different complementary therapies. My aim is to offer a complementary therapy service for animals of all species, while supporting their guardians every step of the way. I believe that all sentient beings should be respected, loved and cared for.

I first came across Applied Zoopharmacognosy in 2018 when my horse, Baldrick, became very ill with an aggressive cancerous tumour in his respiratory tract. The veterinary hospital deemed the tumour to be inoperable and that there was no alternative other than to euthanise Baldrick.  Baldrick however had other ideas as he was still charging round his paddock very much enjoying his life and clearly was not ready to pass at that time. The only  practical assistance I could find to ensure Baldrick remained comfortable for aslong as possible was from a Zoopharmacognosy Practitioner (Taychje Paul). With the help of this wonderful therapist I was able to keep Baldrick both looking well and feeling contented until the end of our physical journey together. To this day, I remain truly impressed by how the self-selection process from a wide range of botanicals was able to enhance my beloved boy's wellbeing and quality of life and gift  us both more precious time together.

In due course, I adopted Bonnie my firey ‘fur-daughter’, from a rescue centre. Bonnie, was very timid from the outset, becoming  very attached to me from the moment I brought her home and she developed extreme  separation anxiety. To make matters worse, she also suffered complications from her spay surgery that resulted in five operations and months of antibiotics for recurrent staph infections. This took a huge toll on her health and a few months after the last course of antibiotics, Bonnie developed severe and varying allergic reactions. A vet advised an exclusion diet that arrested the symptoms within a few days. Luckily for Bonnie and I, I then discovered Nayana Morag of the Essential Animals Academy, Neomi David - TCM teacher and Rachel Knott of  'My Animal Matters' and immediately realised that studying with Nayana, Neomi and Rachel was the next stage of my healing journey.  I can now say that the knowledge I have gained as a result, has been genuinely eye-opening and life changing, for both of Bonnie and I. Not only has it given me invaluable tools to assist me in supporting Bonnie's physical and emotional wellbeing, but it has connected me with many amazing people around the globe and opened up my own world in a way I never would have thought possible. Now I look forward to sharing my passion for natural animal care with others and their fur-families.