By Dr Tanya Grantham
Animal Health and Hydro was born in February 2009 out of a desire to offer
additional healing services to our animal companions, as well as a need to lead a
more balanced lifestyle. Initially, I did not even consider formalising my vision and
mission. This only began a few years ago. As individuals we grow and evolve, and it
is no different for my business.
The vision of Connecting Companions, has expanded to Connecting Companions
through Empowered Decisions. The core vision remains and expansion of that
theme can be viewed on my personal blog:
http://anothervetsopinion.blogspot.co.za/2015/07/visions-and- missions.html
I feel very strongly about information, education and empowerment. Too often I hear
how a client felt intimidated by their medical professional (general practitioner,
surgeon, veterinarian) and were afraid to ask for the information they need to make a
decision. At AHAH we strive to supply pertinent facts to enable our clients to make
an educated decision about their beloved companion. We focus on creating a safe
place in which to have a conversation as well as to build a relationship. Ultimately,
we wish to empower the guardian and enable them to be comfortable with the
decisions they are making about their animal’s health. This requires understanding,
time, communication skills and empathy.
Over the years I have been led to develop workshops aimed at teaching people how
to manage various conditions. I have also been invited to present at numerous public
meetings and aim to always make use of these opportunities. I am also passionate
about informing and encouraging my veterinary colleagues to embrace this new
branch of veterinary science in order to improve the quality of life of our patients. It is
a partnership – in all aspects and at all levels, a partnership between my team, the
veterinarian, the guardian and the companion.
This vision has resulted in the AHAH mission statement which can be viewed
elsewhere on our website https://ahah.co.za/about-us/
The crux of our mission statement is that we wish to serve our community in as many ways as
possible. We continue to expand our own knowledge, as well as to seek solutions which may not
be deemed conventional. Sometimes our role is to simply connect our client to
another health professional with different skills. Integral to this is maintaining quality
of life for the animal companion, but also considering the quality of life of the
person/s involved.
As AHAH has grown, the business has attracted like-minded individuals, each with a
unique set of healing skills. Each member of our carefully selected team has a
personal vision and mission which fits very well with that of the company. This has
led us to develop a set of company values which can be explored in another blog.