HOLISTIC medicine is a practice that involves all aspects of the patients’ life when diagnosing and treating a particular condition. It is not a method of treatment but rather an approach to how treatment should be applied.

Just as holistic medicine applies to humans, it can also be a tool to treat animals. With so many people using alternative medicine, the demand for products and information on holistic veterinarian medicine has increased.

Zoe Gan, 29, an Engineering graduate who holds a certificate on dog massage from the Ohio-based PetMassage Training and Research Institute, is the owner of Pawsitive Sensations (which dubs itself Singapore’s First Holistic Canine Care Centre).

Pawsitive Sensations was started in California, USA, in 2004 to provide professional and qualified canine massage techniques to the numerous dog lovers in Silicon Valley. Zoe says, “having moved back to Singapore, we hope to provide to Singaporeans what many dog loving owners in America have taken advantage of for so many years.”

She opened her shop near Turf City in September and now treats an average of 15 dogs a week - including her youngest client, a three-month-old puppy.

So what are the products that she uses on her “patients”?
“Mainly organic and homeopathic products to help the dog's well-being without the use of synthetic and man-made additives or substances. It supplements the basic dog's diet and health needs. For example, organic oil supplements are good for their dietary and skin requirements,” says Zoe. “Homeopathic medicines can address emotional anxieties which may be the cause of certain physical ailments.”

Zoe’s shop carries 4 categories of products: Bach Flower Remedies, Nelson Remedies, Nova Products and Virogone Sprays. She says, “these products are complementary to vet care and good for the sustenance of the dog's health. Owners can go beyond the basic care of just food and water and use these items to treat small problems themselves.”

“We recommend that you always get a health-check by a good veterinarian to ascertain the good physical health of the pet,” she adds. “Sometimes the negative behaviour is a sign of an underlying medical problem.”