CBD in Naturopathy – An Interview with Veterinary Naturopath Uschi Wilke

Uschi Wilke is an animal naturopath and nutritionist specializing in dogs, cats, and horses. We met her in 2022 at the Interzoo trade show—the start of an inspiring collaboration. Since then, she has been supporting us with her extensive expertise and years of practical experience, particularly in the development of our CBD herbal blends.

In this interview, we wanted to learn more about the woman behind the expertise: What drives her? What does her daily work look like? And exactly how were our herbal blends created? Look forward to fascinating insights and a wealth of animal knowledge!

About Uschi and her work as a naturopath

nacani: Dear Uschi, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself? Who are you and what do you do?

Uschi Wilke: “My name is Uschi Wilke, and I’ve been working as an animal naturopath and nutritionist for dogs, cats, and horses since 2021. I live in Nuremberg with my family, my dog, and my three cats.”

How did you end up becoming an animal naturopath?

“I actually come from a completely different field. I have a business background and worked in purchasing for many years. At some point, though, I realized that it wasn’t fulfilling for me. Animals have always played a big role in my life, and I’ve just always had a connection with them. That’s why I decided to train as an animal naturopath. After that, I went on to train as a nutritionist for dogs and cats, because nutrition is simply the be-all and end-all of health—not just for us humans.”

I chose the path of naturopathy because you can achieve so much with natural remedies, and even though the process often takes longer, the results are more lasting. You don’t just treat the symptom, but the underlying cause. That doesn’t mean I’m against conventional medicine. On the contrary, conventional medicine is so important for us and our animals, because especially in acute cases, it can save lives! I see it much more as my role to support the animals from the very beginning, for example, with proper nutrition and advice on various health topics such as vaccinations, deworming, or gut health. Furthermore ,we animal naturopathsare often called upon when conventional medicine reaches its limits.”

Do you have a practice? Or do you make house calls?

“I work exclusively on a mobile basis, since most pet owners are happy not to have to drive their animals all over the place. This allows me to see them in their familiar surroundings. It saves the animals a lot of stress, which in turn makes treatment easier for me. So it’s a win-win for everyone.”

Can you walk us through what happens during an appointment with you?

“At the beginning, there’s always an initial consultation, and it takes quite a while—usually about an hour and a half. It’s not just about examining the animal. Of course, I want to see my patients, but the main focus here is actually on talking with the owners. Details that are essential for treatment often come up in passing. Owners often don’t realize that it’s precisely these little details that play a major role in treatment. And that’s why the information that’s important to me and those “aha moments” sometimes only come once the owners have opened up a bit. You actually reach that point much more easily at home in a private setting, because animals and owners are generally much more relaxed in their familiar surroundings.”

Is there a topic that is particularly close to your heart?

“It’s clear: nutrition and gut health! These areas often present challenges, such as allergies and food intolerances linked to other issues like skin or digestive problems. These days, almost every animal has some kind of issue in this area. So there’s definitely a great need.”

Why do you think so many animals have gastrointestinal problems?

“There are many reasons for this. For one thing, there’s the animals’ background. Former stray dogs, for example, often have health issues or simply lack a strong immune system. Then there are other factors like overbreeding, environmental toxins, and poornutrition…Especially when nutritional mistakes have been made over the course of years, it’s often very difficult to resolve the problems all at once. That takes time, of course. I would say that it is precisely the combination of these various factors that causes the animals to become increasingly sensitive.”

Who is naturopathy suitable for? Who might it not be suitable for?

“For anyone who is open to the idea. Time is also a major factor here, because you have to realize that naturopathy generally takes some time and is designed to produce lasting results. With antibiotics, for example, symptoms may disappear after about 24 hours, but the underlying cause often remains. So you really need to be patient when it comes to naturopathy.”

What is your absolute “must-have” in naturopathy?

“I’d say everything related to gut health and nutrition. You can take the best supplements, but if your gut isn’t healthy, even the best supplements won’t be absorbed. No wonder, since a very large part of the immune system is located in the gut.”

About our partnership with nacani 

You helped develop the nacani herbal blends. How did you go about it?

“I’ve combined my practical experience with the knowledge I gained during my training. I know what works well and which ingredients really make sense. Of course, I’m also familiar with many competing products and wanted to see how we could do better. Often, those products contain two or three good ingredients, but not exactly in the combination I’d prefer and that makes sense.”

So what makes nacani herbal blends so special?

“For one thing, of course, it contains CBD. But above all, they combine many active ingredients into a single product—ingredients that are often only present in small amounts in many other supplements. We’ve handpicked the best ingredients from the nacani herbal blends and packed them into one product.”

What is the unique potential of CBD?

“It’s even more potent than many other products. And in my experience, the desired effect is often achieved more quickly.”

What advice would you give to pet owners who are hesitant about CBD?

“That concern is completely unfounded. When I encounter people who are a bit skeptical, I usually direct them to the nacani website or suggest they look up CBD online to help ease their fears.”

We're actually working on a new project right now. Can you tell us a little bit about it?

“We’re currently using a herbal blend for the stomach and intestines, which is intended as a course of treatment. By the way, it’s not just for animals that have recently had a gastrointestinal infection or been on antibiotics; I also recommend it once a year for healthy animals that aren’t experiencing any problems— simply to keep them healthy.” 

Learn more about Uschi & the Wilke Animal Wellness Clinic

Where can people learn more about you and see your work?

“You can find me on my website, https://www.tierheilpraxis-wilke.de, on Instagram @tierheilpraxis_wilke, or I also teach seminars at adult education centers in the Nuremberg area. I believe it’s important to raise awareness so that as many pet owners as possible can learn about certain topics.”

We're excited to see what the future holds! Thank you for your time and this fascinating interview, Uschi!

“Thank you, too!”