Holistic Consultations
Available Nationwide
What is the Holistic Consultation process?
Congratulations on looking into a more holistic approach to your companion’s health problems.
It really can make such a difference to the management of disease and improving overall health.
When my own dog Jack was diagnosed with anal adenocarcinoma and it returned after surgery, he was started on the cancer drug Palladia. This drug caused him awful colitis and in ordinary circumstances this would have meant stopping Palladia but Jack was given herbal medicine to counteract these drug side effects. We used a herbal formula to improve his overall gut health, slow the cancer growth and improve his overall energy. I also treated him with a natural diet, Omega 3, probiotics, mushrooms and other supplements.
As a result he lived a lot longer than expected and his quality of life was amazing. There is no doubt the weekly acupuncture also contributed to his overall wellbeing. I learnt a lot from helping Jack and it is important to me that other animals also get to benefit from the amazing potential of herbal medicine.
Herbal medicine will optimise an animal’s healing, health and vitality over time.
How The Process Works
Once you contact me for help, I will ask you to get your current vet(s) to email me the clinical history for your companion. You will also need to complete and send in a detailed questionnaire on your pet’s current health and well-being, any prior illnesses, as well as information on diet ( including food allergies/intolerances), supplements and medication, environment, vaccinations, parasiticides administered, toxin exposure and life stresses.
We then meet with your pet for a one hour consultation. We will examine him or her in a conventional veterinary way as well as holistically.
Holistic assessment includes assessing their vitality, tongue and pulse quality and energetics. It may be that your pet would benefit from certain lab tests or imaging and this would be discussed with you at the time. We then discuss what specific herbs, nutraceuticals, diet and environmental
modifications would be optimal for your pet. I use herbs in liquid form which are easily administered mixed in a tasty treat at breakfast and dinner. They also come as tablets which can be hidden in food.
It is important to reassess your companion after 3 weeks to see how they are coming along and tweak any changes they need with their herbs or overall plan.
You can always contact me by email or phone for extra support along the way. The length of time animals need to be on herbs depends on the type of condition and how long it has been occurring for and this will be discussed at the time. You will also receive a report with examination findings and recommendations.
If you live outside of Auckland we can do a phone or video consultation. I will ask you to send me
specific photos of your pet and videos of them moving etc prior to the consult so I can get as much
information about them as possible.
I look forward to helping you and your companion.
History
I will ask you to get your current vet to email me the clinical history for your companion. You will also need to complete a detailed questionnaire.
Consult
Available in person in our clinic in Auckland, or online, our holistic consult is a 1 hour session where we cover the history of your pet and their current situation, we will examine your companion in a conventional veterinary way as well as holistically.
Plam
I will form a plan for treatment, with specific herbs, nutraceuticals, diet and environmental modifications that would be optimal for your pet.
Action & Follow Up
You action the plan set, and then we will reassess your companion after 3 weeks and tweak the plan if needed. You can also contact me by phone or email for support along the way.
Benefits of Herbal Medicine
- Alleviates symptoms
- Improves immune function
- Improves organ function
- Corrects underlying imbalances in other organ systems
- Speeds healing of tissues and reduces inflammation
- Addresses predisposing and perpetuating causes of disease
- All while working in a safe and gentle fashion
T“Betty is a 17 year old British Shorthair tortie girlcat. She is very loved. Kym came into Betty’s life 9 months ago. We had been searching for help with pain and aging joints. Betty had stopped jumping up on her favourite places. She had a limp and was faltering when climbing stairs. She was uncomfortable sitting back on her haunches. She was not happy in herself and quite withdrawn.
Our search was for someone we could trust. Someone qualified, with wisdom and experience in dealing with aging and pain management. Someone who had empathy and intuition, understood cats and believed in treating the cause and not just the symptoms. Someone who understood the balance of treating holistically, where possible, and with medication – if needed. Someone who understands quality of life over quantity of life.
Kym is this person. Betty visits every two weeks for laser therapy and acupuncture for an hour. We would never have believed Betty would be so tolerant of both procedures. A true testament to Kym’s skill. Betty is so calm and relaxed in the car ride there – she knows this is a safe place that makes her feel so much better afterwards.
Kym is a fully qualified vet. She is also very intuitive. She understands the comorbidities that impact older animals. She understands pain and its management – she knows how and when to prescribe pain medication – if needed. Kym also advised us on balanced nutrition, and introduced BalanceIT to add to her raw food diet for correct supplementation. Kym can also refer to other trusted and experienced specialists.
Kym’s ability to diagnose beyond what we could see is lifesaving. Kym identified a major teeth issue – a source of toxic, organ-damaging pain. She introduced us to Dr Craig Hunger at MVRC – the teeth expert who resolved this. Kym also identified a heart murmur that led us to Dr Keaton, a brilliant cardiologist at VSA. Betty was found to have very high blood pressure and could have had a stroke or gone blind if we hadn’t addressed this.
We want Betty to live the optimum life for her age. We have always strived to be pre-emptive in our care of Betty – to never get into a crisis situation. Kym allows this to happen. She understands all aspects of animal health. Betty loves her. We couldn’t recommend her highly enough.“
T W
“Many thanks for Dr Kym Shrimpton’s kindness, interest and skills. Freddie (our dear old dachshund) in obvious pain, had injured his already deteriorating spine. With little hind leg control, great loss of mobility and little relief from anti-inflammatories, he was miserable. We too were distressed and wondered if Acupuncture could help. We found Kym, a qualified Vet and Animal Acupuncturist, with a holistic approach to Freddie’s problems who responded promptly to my email enquiry. A few days after Freddie’s first consultation, which involved a very thorough examination and Acupuncture treatment, we noted improvements in his hind leg strength and stability. A happier, brighter, stronger Freddie was emerging – very much a relief for us. Shortly after Acupuncture started, the anti-inflammatories stopped. Freddie no longer zonked by pain. Thanks to number of weekly, then fortnightly sessions he’s now back to being able to trot around, bound towards his toy-box, chase cats that dare to cross his yard, and, on occasion, roll on his back We’re grateful to Kym for not only making this treatment available and affordable but for her continuing professional assistance in keeping our beloved little fella as mobile and comfortable as possible in his senior years.“
Rachel Telfer
“I have had my precious dog Faye for almost 17 years. She is the first dog in my life and has come to change my world since the day that tiny baby arrived at our home! Faye had been a healthy and energetic dog until she was 14 when arthritis started to strike her gradually. It is however believed the pain started a lot earlier since she managed to hide her pain so well. She could no longer mask it when one day she sprang her leg very badly as she rushed to jump off from the bed to greet me at the door. Since then she had been having regular synovan injections, taking anti-inflammatory medications and joint supplements for more than a year until there was nothing more the vet could do. Her health further deteriorated with heart and dental diseases. She depended heavily on her bowed elbows to walk and could no longer function normally with the radiating joint and back pain.
I started searching for pet acupuncture and rehab in New Zealand and I found Kym. Instead of only looking at her limping problem, Kym used a holistic approach to look into the causes of Faye’s pain and her strange gait. Not only did Kym diagnose Faye’s chronic neck and back pain and the arthritis over her limbs, she also pointed out Faye is suffering from dementia disease and other neurological problems. Faye has had her needle treatments for almost a year now where we started from weekly then fortnightly. Kym also combined the treatment with herbal therapy and provided advice on different supplements that Faye may benefit from. Faye used to avoid me touching her incredibly stiff neck but now she loves me massaging her any time. Her blood circulation has also improved which has made her more alert to her surroundings, even though the dementia is incurable.
Kym’s work is very comprehensive. A few months ago when Faye seemed to have no coherent ability to walk with her hind legs due to her incurable neurological condition, Kym put her on laser therapy where a big improvement was seen within a few weeks.
Kym is so kind to animals and she shows genuine care to their overall well-being.
Faye is in her last span of years and I do understand that there is no miracle to continue fighting against aging ailments. Faye is however feeling more comfortable than before. I feel fortunate to have Kym on my team in providing palliative care of my Faye. I would not hesitate to recommend Kym and acupuncture to anyone.“