{"id":521083,"date":"2026-04-09T08:29:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/521083\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T08:29:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:29:12","slug":"vet-turns-to-herbal-medicine-to-tackle-pet-health-issues-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/521083\/","title":{"rendered":"Vet turns to herbal medicine to tackle pet health issues \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chronic health issues, such as recurrent skin and digestive problems<\/a>, are not confined to humans. Some cats and dogs are also prone to itchy skin and tummy upsets. <\/p>\n

Having seen conventional treatments fail to treat these ailments, Dr Sine\u0301ad Mellett began studying veterinary herbal medicine in search of a more effective alternative. <\/p>\n

Mellett is a UCD graduate who spent more than a decade in companion animal practice in Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. She grew up in the west of Ireland, where she learned a healthy respect for nature\u2019s potency and its healing ingredients. <\/p>\n

Her interest in alternative therapies was further piqued while abroad, where she studied a degree in western herbal veterinary medicine and began incorporating what she had learnt into her work, making up bespoke tinctures for her furry clients. <\/p>\n

When she returned to Ireland, she started offering holistic veterinary consultations, and as the demand for her services grew, Mellett was increasingly convinced that there was a gap in the market for a company offering holistic solutions for everyday pet health and behavioural support. <\/p>\n

She began teasing out the idea for her start-up in 2022, and the Natural Vet Company was unveiled towards the end of 2024. <\/p>\n

\u201cI am passionate about bridging the gap between traditional veterinary medicine and herbal care, providing safe, effective, and natural options for cats and dogs, while empowering their owners with the choice of integrative health support,\u201d Mellett says.<\/p>\n

\u201cHerbal-based remedies can be used solely or in conjunction with conventional medicine when appropriate, with the ultimate goal of restoring and supporting ongoing optimal health. <\/p>\n

\u201cAt the Natural Vet Company, we are offering a range of herbal and marine-based supports for cats and dogs created to support long-term health,\u201d she adds. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe range is easy to use with each formula added directly to a pet\u2019s food. We use high-strength natural ingredients selected for their proven benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are seven products in the range (with more to come, including a natural tick and flea repellent), including products to improve skin, coat and digestion, as well as a green-lipped mussel and organic seaweed anti-inflammatory blend for painful joints and long-term joint care. Skin problems, Mellett says, account for a third of consultations, while arthritis is very common in older animals. <\/p>\n

There is also a remedy called Calm, aimed at pets affected by anxiety (which animal behaviourists say has peaked in domestic pets since Covid) or stressful situations. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn the US alone, 2.8 million dog owners give their pets anti-anxiety medications every year, yet many of these animals do not require heavy sedation or long-term psychotropic intervention,\u201d Mellett says. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy aim with Calm is not sedation but rather gentle nervous system regulation allowing them to remain alert and engaged while feeling calmer and more secure in their environment over time.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Natural Vet Company sells online and through a growing number of retailers, but Mellett is also targeting veterinary practices, which involves a certain amount of time \u201ceducating\u201d fellow vets about the benefits of natural remedies. <\/p>\n

\u201cI found the overuse of steroids, antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories to be prevalent in clinical practice with a significant lack of effective, alternative supports for cats and dogs, and this is what drove me down the holistic path,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe holistic approach involves a different kind of medical assessment of patients as we look at the root cause of disease rather than repetitively treating the presenting symptoms. Our aim is to support long-term health with minimal side effects or reliance on other supportive medications. <\/p>\n

\u201cI originally set out to create a better offering for my own patients, and it sort of grew organically into the idea for the Natural Vet Company as I was already making all the remedies myself,\u201d Mellett adds. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur formulations draw on my clinical experience alongside current, evidence-informed research into effective natural ingredients for pet health. In terms of what does exist when it comes to natural supports, I\u2019ve found the doses to be wrong and the ingredients unreliable. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur ingredients are premium grade, sustainably sourced and administered at the correct therapeutic doses,\u201d adds Mellett, who is producing her products at a small facility in Cork. <\/p>\n

Mellett has had a handy in-house sounding post for her venture, as her husband, Eoghan O\u2019Connor, is also a vet with entrepreneurial leanings. In 2024, he too started a new business when he set up Home Vetcare, a fully equipped mobile clinic that treats small animals at home. <\/p>\n

Starting any type of small manufacturing operation in Ireland is a brave move between overheads and raw material costs, but having invested around \u20ac75,000 in the business so far, Mellett is determined to push ahead. <\/p>\n

\u201cTaxes, VAT and overheads are a challenge for sure, especially if you\u2019re not prepared to cut corners on the quality of ingredients,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe moved into the UK market last autumn, and that was a big investment in time and money, but we have a distributor there now and are hoping to break into the EU this year. Ultimately, I would like to scale the company quite significantly, but for now it\u2019s getting to know our market and building a solid base,\u201d says Mellett, who has just begun paying herself a wage after two years in business. <\/p>\n

Asked about the hardest part of getting the Natural Vet Company off the ground, Mellett says: \u201cSometimes I miss clinical work, especially the surgical side of things, and there are days when everything seems to be an uphill battle. Adjusting to self-employment after spending the previous decade in employment has also brought its own challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chronic health issues, such as recurrent skin and digestive problems, are not confined to humans. Some cats and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":521084,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[181253,102,5489,175126,6591,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-521083","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-consumer-lifestyle","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-health-wellness","11":"tag-innovators-to-watch","12":"tag-medication","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom","15":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/521083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=521083"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/521083\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/521084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=521083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=521083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=521083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}