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Pet owners who are keen to adopt a more back-to-basics health care regime for their dog or cat may find what they are looking for at a new centre in Moana Court, Orewa.
After working on animal health issues for more than 40 years, animal naturopath Sarndra Urwin is providing pet owners with choices that don’t include harsh drugs with side effects.
“Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease,” she says. “The argument that modalities such as homeopathy and herbal medicine have not been ‘scientifically proven’ is a myth perpetuated by drug companies.”
Not surprisingly, Sarndra says diet is key to keeping a pet healthy.
“Nutrition is the cornerstone of health so optimum wellbeing means feeding raw food or food with as little processing as possible. The gut absorbs this food better, so less stools and more utilisation makes more healthy and economic sense.”
The centre provides a source of integrative medicine and therapies that complement conventional medicine’s approach to health management.
It also has rehabilitation facilities, particularly for muscular and joint repair, using Bowen therapy and the Swiss-made Bioptron light.
“There is too much reliance on vaccinations, chemical parasite controls and drugs,” she says. “This has indirectly led to a rise in many of the auto-immune, skin and gastric conditions we see in pets.
“The current medical model for both human and animal health is clearly not working. Ill health is now an accepted ‘norm’ at some stage of our lives and we are trading quick-fix acutes for long-term chronic illness.”
Sarndra says she finds it professionally satisfying when she sees her pets achieving permanent wellness with the help of their enthusiastic owners.
“You only get this when you take an integrated approach, recognising that every pet is an individual. I find it really encouraging that more and more people are thinking about how to keep their pet healthy rather than waiting until something goes wrong.”
The centre stocks White Tui animal homeopathic and herbal preparations for natural parasite control, gastric ailments and skin problems.
Sarndra plans to run a series of monthly mini workshops next year covering issues such as skin problems and irritable bowel syndrome.
