Sarah Bignell Howse

I’ve been lucky enough to work with animals since I was 13 years old and inspired by the late great James Herriot, I qualified from the Royal Veterinary College, London in the year 2000. I always had a soft spot for my golden oldie patients who were so resilient despite the age related issues they faced and enjoyed working to make sure those later years were as enriched and comfy as possible.

It was however the unexpected arrival of Matty, my own personal labrador joy grenade, who really highlighted how much can be done to improve quality of life when faced with chronic mobility problems. He taught me that thriving with chronic osteoarthritis is possible as there are so many different ways to help.

Whilst recovering from a bit of a health plot twist myself I utilised many different modalities to return to wellness. It was a combination of this experience and Mattys’ ongoing health needs that refocused my clinical work towards addressing chronic pain and rehabilitation.

An important part of my new skill set was becoming a Galen myotherapist. It cannot be underestimated how much compensatory muscle pain affects quality of life and anything that we can do to decrease the pain experienced is so important. I chose to train with Galen due to the choice led approach to treatment which enables me to work as part of a team with the dog and their human family.

In addition to Galen myotherapy I am also trained in Western Veterinary Acupuncture and work alongside primary care Vets to ensure a multimodal approach to address pain management and rehabilitation. I am fortunate to be able to offer both of these modalities within a purposely designed space in Wye, Kent.