A CAM supporter was kind enough to allow us share her testimonial for Dr Iris Ege, the vet who gave Holly a new lease of life. Contact information on Iris is at the end of the article.


Holly’s Story – Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, Laser and Physiotherapy

Holly is a Labrador cross Collie – always active and loved agility. Once osteoarthritis in both hips was diagnosed, at age four years, we switched from agility to Scurry Training (gun-dog dummy retrieval). She is a dog who loves to work, and needs the mental stimulation that this activity involves. Even though the work was tailored with the aim of not putting excessive strain on her hips, she slowly declined. Conventional veterinary medication was never agreeable to her digestive system.

On the first consultation, I expected Iris to tell me the kindest thing to do for Holly was to put her to sleep. She was in so much pain; unable to put her one rear leg to the ground. Life was miserable for her.

Even after the first session, Holly made remarkable progress, and with continual treatment, over the past years, she has improved. Iris found a local physiotherapist who makes home visits to give her regular physio and laser treatment.

Holly can over-work her muscles sometimes and will visibly flinch when stroking her back – Iris suggested acupuncture. I was sceptical at first and worried that Holly would not accept needles being inserted. It is truly AMAZING. The needles are painlessly put in place and the effect is almost instant.

You can stroke her with no reaction and visibly see she is more fluid in her movements, and she loves the attention.

We all work together to keep Holly fit and active, with regular communication between us all. Holly was also prescribed a herbal tincture, which she loves, and we are able to continue with Scurry Training, even though, now at age 12 years, it is done in an even more leisurely way. Both Holly and I are able to continue to enjoy our weekly training sessions with our mates, both four- and two-legged!

The image at the top is a stock image


 Iris Ege, Dr med vet, MRCVS, Cert Vet Ac

Iris has loved animals since childhood on a smallholding in Germany 
where she developed an interest in herbs. She has built on this 
knowledge ever since. Qualifying as a vet in 2003, Iris started her journey 
in holistic veterinary medicine a year later. In 2008 she moved to the UK 
and started working in a mixed practice in Herefordshire. She reduced 
her conventional workload in 2012 to mostly small animal locum jobs. 
This has enabled her to stay in touch with the latest developments in 
veterinary medicine while focusing on alternative veterinary medicine.


She founded A.P. Vet LTD in 2013. Iris sees a variety of species, mainly 
treating dogs, cats and horses. Her specialisms are:

  • Acupuncture (Attained IVAS Certification 2013). She is interested in 
    Traditional and Western Acupuncture as well as Low-Level Laser Therapy.
  • Veterinary Herbal Medicine (In-depth training, Integrate, 2012; 
    Certificate in Veterinary Herbal Medicine, CIVT, 2020.)
  • Wings® Animal-Kinesiology (Practitioner Exam 2007). This enables her to 
    access other complementary therapy forms, especially for chronic cases.

In her spare time, Iris enjoys the great outdoors, especially horse riding and walking her whippet, Blossom, with her family.


Disclaimer – Where blogs have been created by a guest author, CAM4Animals has reproduced this in good faith but cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies of information in it or any use you make of this information

The veterinary Surgeon’s Act 1966 restricts the treatment of animals (usually other than your own*) by anyone other than a qualified vet. Always consult a veterinary surgeon if you are concerned about your animal’s health. *For full details visit the RCVS website