Purely Animals

"The power of smell should never be underestimated."

Ever wondered why a horse seeks out the plants in the hedge over the fence? Ever wondered why a cat or dog chews the grass in the garden?  In the wild animals would naturally use their innate sense of smell to seek out aromatic plant extracts that have theraputic values to maintain their own health. 

This animal self selection process is termed Zoopharmacognosy.

The Ingraham Method of Self-Selection uses that innate knowledge to let the animal self-select the medicinal non-nutritional properties within plant and aromatic extracts that they would have previously sought in the wild to maintain their own health. 

The olfactory system in animals is much more powerful than in humans and it can take only a small inhalation to produce a profound reaction or change in the animal.  An animal must always be able to walk away from an aroma and not be forced to inhale or ingest plant extracts.  An unwanted aroma can be toxic to the body if not required.  Essential Oils, Macerated Oils and other plant extracts are used.  They are bitter to taste and the animal would not ingest or inhale them if not required. 

This therapy should not be confused with Aromatherapy.  The Ingraham Method of Self-Selection is completely different to how Aromatherapy is used in human practice.  The term "Aromatherapy" implies a massage of essential oils on to the body. This is inappropriate for an animal as it cannot wash the aroma off when it has had enough of it and due to an increased number of hair follicles, dermal absorption is higher than in humans. Using aromatic extracts in this way would not enable self medication as the animal would in the wild and can cause toxicity issues. By using the Self-Selection process, an animal is guiding the healing itself. 

Owners can be taught the key principles so that they can play a major part in helping their animal to maintain health through using  appropriate aromatic extracts. This includes

• How to offer the aromatic extract using the Ingraham Method of Self-Selection.
• How to recognise and interpret the response the animal makes to the extract.
• Information on the properties of the aromatic extract.
• Safety and contraindications.
• Ongoing support and advice

Only the highest quality essential oils and plant extracts are used. Adulteration or lesser quality commercial products purchased over the counter may not produce the same theraputic effect and can degrade if not stored correctly producing toxic effects.

Safety notes and response interpretation information given by the aromatics specialist should always be followed. 

To arrange a session for your animal or a group demonstration, lecture or workshop, please contact tricia@purelyanimals.co.uk or call 07880 715157.

If you have any concerns for the health of your animal, always contact your Vet. Veterinary permission or a veterinary referral must always be obtained before you seek any complementary therapy for your animal. This is not an alternative to Veterinary care.

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