Molly's presenting symptoms
SMC Molly is known to been arthritic in her hocks and also lost a foal this year. Kerstin our Team Whitethorn Vet completed a pre-session examination and found no obvious issues other than arthritis in the hocks.

Day One of the workshop - Molly's selections
Molly is an old hand at Zoopharmacognosy and was very forthright in what she did and didnt want. She was very clear in her selections and became very frustrated when they students were not quick enough to offer the correct extract she was looking for! To the point she would paw the ground and get quite agitated so we removed the box of herbs and reintroduced them one by one from the adjoining tack room. She selected extracts for nutritional supplementation - mainly Rosehips, Barley grass and a tiny lick of Dandelion root powder. She also took 500ml of Comfrey macerate and inhaled and licked Arnica CO2 (both are often selected for arthritis). She also selected Mimosa ab, Violet Leaf ab and Clary sage essential oils. These extracts are often selected for grief, anticipation of pain and hormonal imbalances in that respective order. Just to note, that Molly had a choice of outlets (window and door) from which she could extend her head as well as a large stable should she wish to remove herself from the process.

Day Two of the Workshop - Molly's selections
On the second day of the workshop Molly's selections were similar but she went much deeper with the emotional oils. Again she took Comfrey macerate and Arnica CO2 and she demolished the Dandelion root powder whereas the day before she only wanted a single lick. She also gorged less on the Rosehips and infact when offered Rose otto she stilled and lost interest in them. Our onsite participant Trish offered Mimosa and as Molly took an interest she continued to offer  supporting oils to help her work with the Mimosa. Molly went into a deep process. However, it was obvious that Molly had trouble letting go and kept dipping in and out of a state of process. This could be possibly because she is the matriarchial mare as pointed out by Alison online. The supporting oils offered to enable Molly to process were Sandalwood, Violet Leaf Ab and Rose otto. We will never know for what particular issue or trauma that Molly selected the Mimosa and supporting oils for but afterwards she was much brighter. Well done Molly and Level 2 students Trish, Aurelie, Carol, Alison and Majella! And to Izzy for holding the gimbal still for so long despite her numb fingers!

On Saturday night residential students went for a fun lively meal at a local restaurant where we discussed the days events and more! :)

If you wish to join us at our next Level 1 workshop to learn how you can work with medicinal herbs and essential oils to help your horse restore and maintain health, or if you wish to continue your studies in this amazing way of working with horses, click on the following link:  EQUINE WORKSHOPS

Equine Zoopharmacognosy Level 2 Hybrid Workshop
SMC Sporthorse Angel was one of our equine participants for the Level 2 Zoopharmacognosy workshop held recently in Sligo at our Whitethorn Clinic and online through Zoom. Angel is a 16.3" RID 3yr old Filly with a beautiful gentle temperament and was an absolute joy to work with! This particular workshop was the first of our hybrid workshops and on many levels it was very successful. Two wide angle cameras were set up in each stable so that attendees online could clearly view the session. They also had the ability to contribute with regards to suggestions of extracts to offer to Angel which they all did splendidly. Silke and Gemma (Onsite attendees coming from Galway and the UK respectively) worked with online participants Trish and Ruth to offer extracts to Angel.

Carly is delighted to have been asked to represent the Equine Zoopharmacognosy Industry at the Equine Touch UK Conference in October. She will give a talk on how and why horses self-medicate on herbs and essential oils, along with looking at Case studies of horses that have benefited from this modality. Animal self-medication (or Applied Zoopharmacognosy) compliments bodywork modalities such as Equine Touch, Physiotherapy, Chiropractic, and Shiatsu. Extracts are offered during a body work session in order to support the releasing process. For example, Yarrow, Sweet Marjoram and Peppermint essential oils are known muscle relaxants and are often selected whilst bodywork is in progress. Black Pepper is also often selected for sore muscles whilst Rose otto is known to reduce adrenalin and can support the horse in letting go during a session. Carly is  looking forward to spreading the word  further and continuing to inspire Body workers on the benefits of Equine self-medication at this years Equine Touch Conference! A big 'Thank you' to all at Equine Touch Uk for this fine opportunity!

We are delighted to give a big Welcome to Tilly and Greta to Whitethorn Farm. They are joining the Team as part of our commitment to the non-use of herbicides or pesticides which we have never used here at Whitethorn Farm. They are primarily in charge of weed control and are great candidates for our interspecies grazing programme! They are experts in self-selection and the first extract that Greta (brown goat - British Alpine) selected was Arnica, whereupon the stiffness in her gait completely disappeared. Tilly's initial selection (the white Saanen Goat) was Yarrow essential oil (ingested) and later on Garlic and Clove essential oil (possibly for worms). At one point we noticed Greta itching and so offered  Neem powder. She requested a topical application and the itching ceased. She also inhaled Neem oil but did not choose to ingest. They both enjoy seaweed and rosehips every day and now as the weather is getting colder, some cereal. An interesting behaviour with goats, is that when they select an oil, they often request a topical application between their horns on their poll by lowering their head to the bottle. The picture above is  of them shortly after they arrived. They are now enjoying rest, recuperation and retirement after a very productive life producing many kids and much milk.  See below for more recent pictures of them - a lot done but more to do! They are in their senior years but great characters and a huge addition to the farm. We love them!

At last weeks online Canine Level 1 Zoopharmacognosy workshop we worked with Pippi. Pippi, as you can see,  is a beautiful very friendly 3yr old Otter hound and as a dog is rather anxious and always on alert. Pippi selected analgesics which was surprising as she showed no obvious symptoms of pain. On the first day she selected Cornflower Floral Water, Rose Floral Water, Wintergreen essential oil, St John's wort macerate, Sandalwood essential oil and then promptly went to process at the other end of the room. On the next day she selected similarly (analgesics) but had less St John's wort than the previous day and added Comfrey macerate to her selection as well as Arnica Co2. She processed a lot more deeply on the second day with deep leg and body twitching. Izzy intends to continue offering at home and we look forward to hearing how she reduces her intake of analgesics as the healing progresses. She was a model demo dog and we are very grateful to Izzy for bringing Pippi along!
Please note: Aromatherapy oils are not suitable for the zoopharmacognosy approach. All our extracts are specifically sourced for the self-selection method.

Click here if you like to learn how to help your dogs restore and maintain emotional and physical health through the use of herbs at one of our workshops!

I am a great believer in serendipity and when I overheard the words 'Dogs' and 'Skin issues' in a conversation whilst sitting waiting in the Covid vaccination centre in Sligo my ears pricked up. This is because I had 3 dog clients to go to that following week all with skin issues! So of course I looked around to see from whose mouth those two important words had come from and I saw a man sporting a jacket with the words Coastal Nutrients on it. I googled it then and there and I liked what I read. To cut a long story short we got chatting and did a deal in the Covid centre car park (I know, of all the places!) and came away with a case of the said Mackerel oil. Visiting my clients the following week 2 out of 3 dogs with skin and gut issues and selected it with gusto.  It seems Mackerel is rich in the Omegas 3, 6 & 9 which are critical for the well-being of joints, gut and skin integrity for dogs. Not only do dogs benefit from it when needed but it is organic, produced in Ireland by a small family business in Donegal and so ticks a lot of boxes for me! It is available at the following link or click on the picture to take you to the product page. 
Dog Supplement: The Diva Dog

CASE STUDY : Remarkable resolution of PANNUS. So this is 'Dog' as she is affectionately known! A beautiful GS that came to me for Zoopharmacognosy after being diagnosed by her Vet with Pannus (autoimmune disease resulting in blindness normally considered incurable). Dog was knocking into walls etc and needless to say, she and all her human family members were finding this rapidly progressive blindness extremely distressing (deteriorated within 3 weeks).  They took Dog to the vet whom prescribed an immunosuppressant to be applied topically which Berenice and her family administered as directed. Berenice then contacted me to see if there was anything Zoopharmacognosy could do. After consultation with our Team Vet Annett, we decided it would be safe to offer plant extracts to see how/if they could help. Annett said that the key to resolution was to redirect the immune response. Within 10 days of the Zoopharmacognosy session, Dog's eyes became fully clear and to date her sight is fully restored. Berenice says: "Before zoopharmacognosy her coat was completely dry and dull and she was so skinny you could see and feel her bones. In a few days she’s basically back to normal with her eyesight fully restored, and her personality is bigger than ever , and even the vet is shocked, her words were she’s never seen any recovery that quick."
It is important to note that the initial session starts the process of resolution in motion. It is the willingness of 'Dog' to engage and the dedication of her owner over the following week or so to continue offering the extracts that creates the best possible outcome - which happily in Dog's case was her eyesight being restored.
​So well done Team Dog! ​