Applied Herbal Choices Sessions - How They Work
Make an appointment
We’ll arrange a suitable time for your appointments and I’ll ask you to complete a form to provide a full picture of your animal’s health and lifestyle.
Call your vet
Give your vet a quick call to check that they are happy for your animal to participate in the therapy. They may have questions about Applied Herbal Choices.
I’m always happy to speak to vets and explain what I do.
Home visit
I will come to your home with my Applied Herbal Choices kit which will include essential oils, floral waters, dried herbs and nutritional powders.
Preparation for the session
For dogs at home, it can get a bit messy if they spill powders or step in the spirulina! I can bring a mat, but if you are concerned about carpets and soft-furnishings, please make sure they are protected (same applies to your clothes).
Horses can be tethered, but it’s important that they can move as freely as possible and without disturbance from other animals. Horses are naturally curious, and it’s not uncommon for other horses to steal the products that are intended for your horse!
Time to relax and learn!
I will demonstrate how to offer a selection of oils and powders to your animal and then support and supervise you through the sessions as you work with your animal and observe their responses.
You may feel you already know what’s wrong with your animal, and wonder why it’s necessary to offer so many different products for the animal to respond to.
Even if you are certain that your animal has a particular physical problem, it is still necessary to begin by creating a calm environment. This enables your animal to relax and feel comfortable.
We will achieve this by offering calming essential oils or floral waters for inhalation. Floral waters, or hydrosols, are the by-product of essential oil production by distillation, and can offer a gentle introduction to the therapy.
Your animal will choose which oils they wish to work with and may even drink the waters. This process will maximise the benefit of the session because the animal will be relaxed and receptive.
What happens once the animal has relaxed?
Once the animal is ready, we will refer to the plan that I will have designed for your animal, based on your completed questionnaire.
Individual body language will indicate how they wish to proceed, and at what pace.
As we go along I will explain the properties of the herbs your animal chooses and how they can help the animal.
How will Applied Herbal Choices help you and your animal?
It can support the health of an animal with acute or chronic conditions
Support those in post-operative recovery
Help with emotional issues including anxiety, stress, fear, aggression and low mood
It can also be a meaningful way to support your animal towards the end of their life
Although only vets can make diagnoses, AHC can support life-long health and well-being.
How will we know when to stop?
Your animal’s body language will tell us. Usually, by the time the session is drawing to a close, owners are so in tune with what’s happening that they can either see or sense when their animal has had enough.
What happens afterwards?
Don’t plan on being busy after a session, as you and your animal will probably feel more in the mood to relax, particularly if you have been handling sedative oils.
I will send you a follow-up report which will cover the properties and uses of the herbs and oils your pet has selected during their session.
It will also include links to oils and products and advice about how you might use these to support your animal’s on-going health.
Follow up session
Even over a session of a couple of hours, your animal may not get the opportunity to select all the products that may be useful to them. Also, during the initial session, things can move quite slowly as the animal gets used to the process.
In the follow-up sessions, animals often show how they ‘get it’, even rooting through my kit to find the herb they want!
The follow-up can demonstrate how the animal has moved on in their health. They may even make an entirely different selection based on how their needs have changed between sessions.