My personal Story
I have always been an animal and plant lover with a deep connection and strong desire to help those in need.
Very much to the annoyance of my parents, I have always been an empath.
When I was about 9 years old, I brought a real, living chicken home because I felt it needed rescuing from its pen. Needless to say, the chicken wasn't allowed to stay with us and I had to hand it back to its rightful owner. But I could not understand why, because the chicken had told me it wanted to be free!
On the good side, after the chicken incident and to stop me from bringing more animals that needed rescuing home, my parents got me an albino pet rabbit for Christmas. I named her Mucki. I loved Mucki very much but I soon realised that just having her and keeping her in a cage for most of the day wasn't quite right and subsequently, things weren't going to plan. Mucki started to have behavioural issues which caused us various trips to the doctors – that was to stitch back up OUR wounds! She was aggressive, would charge at everything that moved, bite, scratch and was generally not much fun to be around. I knew back then that I was doing something wrong but I just couldn't figure out what it was. There was no internet in the 1970's and information was hard to come by.
Over the following years (and many pet rabbits, gerbils, hamsters and even a canary later) I learnt a lot more about the true needs of my animal friends and was able to give them a good and happy life, including freedom and a much more appropriate and nutritional diet. The result spoke for itself – no more behavioural problems.
In 1991 I followed my passion for health and herbs and started work in a Reformhaus (the equivalent to a natural health shop) where I collected a huge amount of knowledge about natural health, herbs, organic foods and supplements and so much more. My passion shone through and I connected to many many like minded people, realising I was not alone.
Years later I got my first cat. What an excitement! Her name was Luna, she was 4 years old and from a rescue center. Oh my.
That's when I started learning again!
Luna was emotionally so damaged that it took me a good year for her to start trusting me so that I could just stroke her without her breaking into a panic. But I persisted. I learnt as much as I could about cats, their behaviours and needs (slightly different from rabbits, I guess) and over the years we became inseperable. It went so far, that when I moved to the UK in 2002, Luna came with me!
How could I leave that nervous and anxious bundle of fur that would hide everytime someone came into my home, behind?
Luna stayed with me until 2012 when she reached the proud age of 22. We had developed a very deep and intuitive relationship and one day she just told me that it was time for her to go. My heart broke into millions of small pieces but I knew, I had to put my own needs back in order to allow her a peaceful and dignified passing. With a very heavy heart I called the vet for an appointment. I stayed with Luna until she peacefully and quietly passed over the rainbow bridge. This was the least I could do for my best friend. I still miss her, she was a true little angel on four paws and now she has wings.
Today I am the proud hooman mom to three beautiful little hunters – Piggy, Darcy and Charlie. Sometimes I think they have a better life than me – well, certainly better food! I am a strong believer in a
species appropriate diet
so my little tigers are fed raw food with the occasional herbal addition.
Realing the wheel of time back to 2007, the universe however decided to provide me with my next challenge. I was introduced to Yorik, a then 3.5 year old, 15 hh Welsh x Cob x Appaloosa gelding. Oh my! My heart jumped out of my chest when I bought him - my very first horse! My childhood dream! I have a pony! Hoooray!
But life is never straight forward and so wasn't Yorik.
I didn't know it then but now I know that on the day I got him home I really entered into one of the biggest challenges of my life when it comes to animal ownership. To read Yorik's heartfelt story and my numerous broken bones (click here).
Shortly before Luna left in 2012, Pixie came into my life. Pixie was a purebred Pixie-Bobtail cat. He was a truly special cat with endless love to give and the most intense cuddles I have EVER experienced! As is typical for his breed, he would retrieve items like a dog, go for a walk with me and he was there for me when life didn't go well. Apart from his very boyish behaviour (Pixie Bobs are quite large!) by getting into constant fights with the wild tomcats in the neighbourhood, he was as good as gold. A true rock at the time I experienced a stormy sea. In spring/early summer 2016, right in the middle of my own very bad health, I noticed that he was walking with a bit of a 'hunchback'. I didn't pay much attention to it initially but then noticed that he became very quiet and even more cuddly. One day I noticed that he had diarrhoe. I was in the middle of my Naturopathy studies and so I got him some natural tablets to ease off the diarrhoea – I assumed then that this was just an upset tummy. Over the next few weeks he got gradually worse. He became very thin and couldn't hold anything inside. I took him to my trusted vet and after a host of very intense investigations by the vet Pixie was diagnosed with FIP – Feline Infectious Peritonitis. There was then, and still is, no cure for FIP, no vaccination that could have saved him. Nothing. The vet sent us back home with a lot of info on FIP and the more I read through this, the more it sunk in: there was nothing I could do to save him. And here we go again, I rang the vet for the dreaded appointment. I do remember going into the practice, I was calm and collected. But as soon as the vet came with the trimmers to clear a patch on Pixie's paw for the injection, I started crying. No, I was sobbing. I could not speak I could not put a clear thought or sentence together. I couldn't even hear what the vet said and when she left the room, tears in her eyes, to allow me to say my good-bye to my beloved Pixie. All I could see were Pixie's calm, loving and trusting eyes. He was telling me that all was going to be ok but the pain in my heart was too strong to hear it. Pixie crossed over the rainbow bridge in my arms. And since then, he is sitting next to Luna, both with their little wings shining brightly.
Had I known then, what I do know now, Pixie's FIP would have very likely taken a very different path. I would have recognised the signs much earlier and could have acted upon the upcoming, fatal infection much earlier. But I didn't.
Just before Pixie came into my life I had started to become ill. It all began with a nervours breakdown, went into full blown severe depression and anxiety, followed by constant inflammation of my colon, severe IBS and eventually I was further diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Bang! I felt that my life had reached a point of no return. I couldn't move without being in constant pain, I didn't want to leave the house let alone face the challenges of the work I was doing back then. I just couldn't face it. I was on anti-biotics 4 times a year and very heavy pain medication, including morphine and, of course, the highest dose of anti-depressants my docotor could prescribe. At some stage I walked around like a zoombie! Nothing worked and I started to spiral deeper and deeper into a dark abyss until I reached the point where I seriously wanted to end my life. Luckily, a colleague picked up on this and within an hour I had the police knocking on my door for a welfare check.
This shook me deeply to the core and
I suddenly realised the mess I was in!
But this is where, thankfully, my stubbornness, my very strong survival instinct kicked back in. Despite all the medication and endless hospital visits and procedures I instinctively knew I had looked at my health from the wrong angle. I realised that I had assumed that 'someone' or 'something' would just come and safe me but that this wasn't going to happen.
The universe stepped in again and presented me with a study opportunity for Naturopathic Practitioner. At the time I had no intention to become a Naturopathic Practitioner but I just wanted to heal myself. For that, I needed to understand my body and learn where things had gone out of wag. Despite all the previous knowledge I had gained, the study was hard. I had no support from tutors as this was a complete self study course, but luckily, a wonderful friend spent endless hours with me, explaining things in a way I could understand with my foggy depressive mind. And slowly but surely it dawned on me what was going on with my body! I continued studying, qualified as a Master Herbalist and attended more seminars and webinars and short courses than I can count.
Almost 3 years later, I was ready to take matters, in fact MY HEALTH and MY LIFE, into my own hands and take responsibility for myself.
In a hard, cold turkey kind of fashion, I stopped ALL medication and started fasting in order to clear my body, my mind and my spirit. I had learnt so much, about natural health, herbs and the power of will and a positive mindset, that I knew I could make it.
And I did it - I healed myself!
For a bit more than 4 years I am now pain free, fibromyalgia free, depression and anxiety free, no more medications unless there is no other option! I sorted my gut and today, although at times it can play up, I can deal with it – I know what my triggers are and can act before things get bad because I have learnt to listen to my body.
In those desperate times of need, my herbs and my animals have been my absolute best friends and closest allies.
In 2015 a very dear friend introduced me to Caroline Ingraham and the principles of Applied Zoopharmacognosy. As soon as I started reading Caroline's book I was absolutely hooked. That was it! It all made so much sense to me! I contacted Caroline who was based literally just 'up the road' and was deeply touched and very inspired by her huge knowledge and her absolute passion for animal health and the subject of zoopharmacognosy. I learnt a lot from speaking with Caroline and attending workshops, as well as having the opportunity to assisting Caroline's students in their practical studies by letting them practice on my horses Yorik and Thor. It was amazing to watch zoopharmacognosy and the innate knowledge of my horses first hand. It left such a deep feeling of 'this is right' in my heart that I decided that this is what I really wanted to learn! But a year later and by the time I was financially ready to take up the studies with Caroline to become a qualified practitioner in Applied Zoopharmacognosy, Caroline seized the courses. What now? Shall I sit in the corner and feel sorry for myself or shall I follow my principle of taking matters into my own hand?
If it is to be, it's up to me!
Of course, I went for the latter and in July 2016, just after Pixie died, I set up SamoVila – my very own business, following my absolute passion combining herbs and animals. Maybe Pixie's death was the straw the broke the camel's back, however, I knew that I wanted to help animals, I wanted to do the best I could to prevent another Pixie case.
And all those animals and herbs became my teachers ...
Today I can look back at many years of learning. Not just from studies, courses, webinars and seminars and an ever increasing range of books, but from my own experience with animals, with herbs and natural health and of course, my own experience of healing my body.
In those years I learnt that nothing is ever as it seems and to never, ever, take anything for granted. Animals have a very different perception of healing and well-being than we have and I encountered numerous times when animals, through self selection, clearly showed me and their guardian what THEIR priority was – and that didn't always line up with how we thought it ought to be.
I have learnt that animals have a very explicit and truly amazing 'knowledge' about herbs, roots, barks, clays and even essential oils that cannot be learned from any book out there. How often have I stood in amazement about a herbal formula a horse had just 'put together' that would have made even the most experienced herbalist stood back in awe!
Every time I visit a new client or even revisit an existing client I learn something new. It is the endless and free flowing wisdom of all animals that teach me a little more each time.
And for that I am forever grateful.
With all the best wishes
Michaela Ritter
Dipl Master Herbalist, Dipl Naturopath, Tierheilpraktiker i.T.