Hozho Hounds

18/09/2025

When I first spotted a lump on Ted’s muzzle, my heart sank. On closer inspection, I saw not just one, but five little clusters of tiny red/orange dots. At first, I panicked, fearing something far more sinister.

After research (and many photos), I realised they were harvest mites, something I’d never seen before. It made me pause and wonder: why had they chosen him? Was it a lowered immune response? A sign his body was under stress?

Because Ted also experiences seizures, I wasn’t comfortable reaching straight for pharmaceuticals. Instead, I turned to something gentler, coconut oil, rich in lauric acid. Within two days, the mites began to die off and scab over.

This experience reminded me of the importance of slowing down, observing, and trusting that healing can sometimes be found in small, natural interventions. Of course, there’s always a place for veterinary support, but tuning into the bigger picture of Ted’s health felt essential here 🌿

As we move into autumn, I’m being mindful about supporting Ted’s immune system with a gentle seasonal detox and rotating in supportive supplements and herbs, like zinc, vitamin C, and others that help nourish his resilience from the inside out 🍂✨

✨ Sometimes healing asks us to look beyond the obvious, to listen more closely, and to honour the body’s wisdom in its own timing.

16/09/2025

Lately, life has felt heavy and I haven’t been as present as I’d like to be. But moments like today remind me how important it is to pause, breathe, and let joy back in 🌿💫

Even on the hardest days, there are little sparks of beauty waiting for us, laughter shared, the sun on our skin, the reminder that balance is possible.

Here’s to finding those moments and holding onto them ✨

 

01/09/2025

🚪✨ The Doorbell of Dreams

Back in April, Alexia & I rang the bell. Literally.

We stood in front of HelpBnk and Simon Squibb, and pitched Learn FETCH, not just as a project, but as a paradigm shift.

Because for too long, dog guardians have been caught in the crossfire of a broken system:

⚕️ Sickness over prevention
🥫 Convenience over nourishment
🌍 Extraction over care

We didn’t create Learn FETCH to add more noise. We created it to change the conversation.

To show that dogs are not just pets, but portals, into better food systems, healthier ecosystems, and ways of living that honour life rather than deplete it.

That’s what we shared in our pitch.

And it’s just the beginning.

We’re now looking forward to our mentoring session with Adam Smith, ready to shape Learn FETCH into something bigger, braver, and more impactful.

Because this isn’t about building a brand.

It’s about building a future where caring for dogs helps us care for everything.

29/08/2025

If I could sit with the version of me who brought Shadow home at 10 weeks old, I’d tell her this:

✨ Slow down.

✨ Don’t be afraid to question what you’re told.

✨ Your intuition matters as much as the protocols.

✨ And you don’t have to get it all “right”, you just have to keep listening.

Shadow taught me all of this the hard way.

And while I’d do so many things differently now, I know every choice, every mistake, every tear, shaped the work I do today.

If you’re welcoming a new pup, or already navigating the overwhelm of dog care, know this: you’re allowed to pause. You’re allowed to ask questions. You’re allowed to choose differently.

Because your dog doesn’t need perfection.

They need you, steady, curious, and willing to listen.

28/08/2025

Alexia & I are absolutely thrilled that Learn FETCH has been included in Olivia Shave's new piece, just published via her British Lifestyle column in Farming Monthly National & also live on Substack.

What makes this extra special is where it’s published. To see Learn FETCH featured in a farming magazine underlines something important: dogs can be a gateway into much bigger questions. Questions about food systems, care, sustainability and how our everyday choices ripple far beyond the bowl.

Olivia has done such a beautiful job capturing the essence of Learn FETCH: that it’s not only about feeding dogs, but about reimagining relationships with animals, with the land, and with the food we share.

At its heart, Learn FETCH is about asking different questions. And this piece shows just how vital (and timely) those questions are.

Link in the comments ⬇️

26/08/2025

🐾 Calling all dog lovers!

Join us tomorrow evening (Wed 27th Aug, 6-8 PM) at The Dog House - Horsham for the Helios Homoeopathy Pet Kit Workshop with holistic vet Chris Aukland - Holistic Lifepath.

Discover natural ways to support your dog’s health and wellbeing, and learn how to make the most of the Helios Pet Kit at home. 🐶

💛 Plus, every attendee receives a free gift from Helios!

Tickets are still available, don’t miss out on this pawsitive evening with fellow dog owners. 🐕✨

Grab your spot here⬇️

A practical workshop on natural pet care with vet Chris Aukland. Learn how to use the Helios Pet Kit with confidence.

07/08/2025

💩 Ted’s Poo Might Be Telling Me Something I Missed for 8 Years 💩

Yes, that’s Ted mid-poo. But this photo is more than just a funny moment, it’s a revelation.

Ted’s now 10, and he’s just two weeks into a pain med trial for hip issues (and possible cruciate ligament problems).

Here’s what I’ve noticed:

Before? He’d always ‘waddle’ when he pooed, sort of pacing and shifting around.

Now? He’s still. Grounded. Effortless.

Here’s the thing:
He’s done that waddle since he came to me, just before his 2nd birthday. For 8 years, I thought it was just his quirky poo style. I never questioned it.

Even working in the holistic dog world… I never connected it to pain.

But the more I learn about canine pain, the more I realise:

What if the waddling wasn’t just “Ted being Ted”?

What if it was him coping, adapting – hurting?

Hip pain, cruciate issues, arthritis – all can change how a dog postures to p**p. Shifting weight, not being able to hold a squat, even straining, these aren’t always obvious signs of pain, but they matter.

This small change in Ted’s toilet posture is telling me something big. It’s making me rethink everything I thought was “just him.”

Has your dog ever had a “quirk” that turned out to be something more?

29/07/2025

Just a few thoughts after my little 'accident' yesterday at team sports day 🙈

I'm ok, nothing broken, just going to be a bit sore for a while whilst the soft tissue heals ✨️

But it got me thinking about our dogs & this was my musings on walkies this morning 🐾

25/07/2025

🐾 Got questions about your dog’s health but don’t know where to start?

This weekend I’m holding ‘Let’s Talk Dogs - Hozho Hounds Holistic Drop-In’ at and you’re invited!

🌀 30 minutes. £30. Ask me anything.

No overwhelm. No jargon. No pressure.

Just real conversations that help you feel more confident about the choices you're making for your dog.

You can bring your questions about:

✨ Food & fresh feeding

✨ Vaccines, titre testing, flea, tick & worm options

✨ Supplements you’re using (or wondering about)

✨ Fussy Dogs

✨ Skin/GI Issues

✨ Or how to start looking through the FETCH lens

This is for you if:

✔ You’re confused by conflicting advice online

✔ You’ve been told “everything’s fine” but something still feels off

✔ You want to take a more natural, informed approach but aren’t sure where to begin

✔ You’re just curious to learn more!

No handouts, no follow-ups, just you, your questions, and your notebook.

📍The Dog HQ Horsham

📅 This Saturday 12pm-4pm / Sunday 11am-3pm

💷 £30 for 30 minutes

👉 Message me to book your slot or pop in on the day (subject to availability).

Let’s make things simpler, together.

Because when we see more clearly, we can care more deeply.

23/07/2025

Winner winner, Forage Dinner 🍽

Life is a bit bonkers for me at the moment, which means I've not had much time to do Ted's food prep, so I'm currently feeding him the Forage range & he's loving it!

Tonight, he had their 'Senior' blend, which I have to say, has been beautifully put together. The Forage complete range is already a great product, using whole food ingredients, but the Senior blend has the addition of:

🐑 Lamb trachea - for chondroitin & glucosamine, pawfect for ageing joints

🍄 Lions Mane Mushroom - which contains compounds that may stimulate the production of nerve growth factor (NGF), which helps grow brain cells, pawfect for older doggos

Given that Naturaw is B Corp registered, it means that everything from their ingredients to packaging has been thoughtfully considered. Grass fed, organic, locally sourced ingredients where possible & fully compostable packaging! And as a Canine Nutrionist, I absolutely love that they don't use root veg - the bane of my life when dealing with itchy doggos!

This isn’t an ad, I'm not being sponsored to sing their praises, I just genuinely love giving a shout out to brands I'd happily feed Ted ✨️🐾

Purchased at 🐾

20/07/2025

Sitting… not so pretty these days 🧡🐾

Ageing is a complex, multi-factorial process - and in dogs, it moves fast. Things can change in a matter of months.

When we adopted Ted in 2017, I knew joint issues might surface later on. He was neutered at 6 months and had been a full-blown ball-chasing crackhead. We swapped fetch for sniffing + “find it” games, and with a fresh food diet, no boosters or pharma, I think we’ve had a good run of health.

But since March 2024, things have shifted:
🔹 9 seizures (not frequent enough for meds, but a clue something’s brewing)
🔹 Cramping in colder months in his front left leg
🔹 Gait changes - walking + running looking “off”
🔹 And most recently… the wonky sit (see pic 👀)

I’d already started building a support team - an osteopath + holistic vet - but in June (just before his 10th birthday), he jumped at the door after a walk and came down lame. Two days off his front left leg told me: we’re in new joint pain territory.

He had a week on anti-inflammatories, but I knew we needed to go deeper. Enter Luisa Greig - a brilliant McTimoney Animal Therapist + Canine Myotherapist. She’s now working with Ted and has just done a full vet report so we can start a pain med trial.

We're exploring whether there's a link between chronic pain and seizures - which came first, chicken or egg?

This post isn’t just about Ted. It’s a reminder to:
📸 Take photos + videos
📝 Note subtle changes
🧠 Trust your gut
🐕 Know your dog’s “normal”

All of that data is gold when you need to advocate for your ageing dog. There’s no one-size-fits-all plan - but I’ll be sharing Ted’s journey in the hope it helps someone else out there. ❤️