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New pet therapy centre Paws Connect offers holistic treatments for pets

Most of us have tried holistic remedies to cure ailments, and now your furry friend can too. A wellbeing centre for pets has opened in Port Melbourne offering hydrotherapy, herbal remedies, kinesiology and more.

Paws Connect founder Jenny Vulcan’s boxer Maddy gets treated by animal kinesiologist Penny Fitzgerald. Picture: Hamish Blair
Paws Connect founder Jenny Vulcan’s boxer Maddy gets treated by animal kinesiologist Penny Fitzgerald. Picture: Hamish Blair

A pet wellbeing centre complete with a hydrotherapy treadmill has opened in Port Melbourne, offering many of the holistic therapies available to humans.

Paws Connect employs animal health experts and natural therapies and aims to give pets happier, healthier and longer lives.

Oscar on the hydrotherapy treadmill.
Oscar on the hydrotherapy treadmill.

The first of its kind in Australia, the centre was borne out a woman’s grief after losing her beloved pooch.

Jenny Vulcan, from Port Melbourne, spent countless hours researching and running across town to find specialist health practitioners and products to help her boxer, Jazz, in her lifelong struggle with complex medical conditions.

Caroline Pope gives Holly craniosacral therapy.
Caroline Pope gives Holly craniosacral therapy.

After researching the right therapies for years, Ms Vulcan decided to bring them together under one roof to help pet owners support their furry friends when they’re not at the top of their game.

“When Jazz was sick, my mission was to get the right health care for her and I can now offer other pet owners the ability to access the best care for their loved pets all in the one location,” she said.

The centre’s offering includes acupuncture and chiropractic services, a canine herbalist, a nutritionist, homoeopathy, kinesiology, shiatsu, and oriental medicine.

Ms Vulcan said the water therapy had similar benefits for dogs as it did for humans.

“Our hydrotherapy treadmill can assist those (pets) with mobility issues from surgery or degenerative joint disease, help build fitness, or as part of a weight reduction program,” she said.

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Ms Vulcan said specialist practitioners were passionate about caring for pets and offered a range of natural therapies to work in conjunction with veterinary treatments.

“We don’t replace your vet; they are an incredibly important part of your pet’s wellbeing,” she said.

“We can assist with key problem areas including calming anxious pets (and) … caring for an ageing pet as they slow down.”

Natural products and therapies are also available to help pets with allergies and itchy skin conditions, while the on-site shop also sells car harnesses, calming sprays and pet first aid kits.

More information on the services on offer and specialist practitioners can be found here.

jordana.atkinson@news.com.au

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/inner-south/paws-connect-offers-holistic-therapies-for-pets/news-story/680d20997256c5dfec98d6649e1b15ea