It is called Armonie animali, but one could write "armonie anima-li", to emphasise how our four-legged friends also possess a soul and must therefore be considered a central part of the nature and ecosystem that surrounds us. It is a network of professionals working together towards a single goal: the wellbeing of humans, animals and the environment.

Made up of veterinarians with expertise in unconventional medicine and consultants in the human/animal relationship (systemic facilitators, dog trainers and instructors, ethologists, animal communicators, naturalists, holistic practitioners and specialists in animal-assisted interventions, etc.), the association operates throughout Italy. The cross-disciplinary expertise of Armonie animali makes it possible to address situations of imbalance and pathology in a cross-disciplinary, interdisciplinary and systemic manner, ensuring not only respect for the needs of our small companions, but also for the surrounding environment and nature.

Armonie animali, the guiding principles

Armonie animali is based on a series of axioms that guide its work. Here they are.

• Harmony: respect, love and gratitude for animals and nature, for ourselves, for those close to us and for the global health of the earth (one health).
• Health: an individualised, gentle and in-depth therapeutic pathway is proposed for our animal companions; through unconventional medicines (mnc), balance is restored by encouraging adequate living spaces and proper nutrition.
• Anima-li: animals enter our lives to give them meaning on various levels, including the spiritual one: we learn from them.
• Teamwork: a network of professionals that interacts, collaborates, shares ethical values and their own lives with animals.
• Challenge: the aim is to promote a new awareness and an innovative approach to life in general, and specifically with animals.

The goal of Armonie animali is to spread the concepts of multidimensionality and systemic vision so that every simple gesture is transformed into a conscious action leading to healing.

A network of professionals

Founded five years ago by Stefano Cattinelli and Pietro Venezia, both veterinary surgeons, Armonie animali is based on an unconventional approach to illness and wellbeing, drawing on disciplines and knowledge that respect the environment. Pet animals in Italy number approximately 60 million, a figure that has remained stable in recent years; of these, at least 14 million are dogs and cats.

Organic production in Italy has reached almost 2 million hectares out of 13 million total under cultivation; millions of people recognise integrative medicine as a great aid on the path to healing; many pets are, to all intents and purposes, family members and are cared for as such. And it is now a fact that many people choose to let their four-legged friend live in a natural, low-environmental-impact way, thereby also reducing waste, refuse and pollution.

"Let us take the case of homeopathy, which is one of the branches of medicine we try to promote alongside Chinese medicine, anthroposophy, Bach flower remedies, etc. In this way the environment is respected because there are no chemical residues that are released into nature through excretions (antibiotic therapies, for example, contribute greatly to pollution and the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance in humans too); respect for animals is heightened because they are not subjected to testing through the standard process followed for pharmaceutical drugs; and respect for nature is encouraged because disciplines such as homeopathy do not simply suppress the symptom but, by recognising the intelligence of the organism, stimulate it to react in the right way", explains Dr Cattinelli.

Not to mention the economic impact of medicines that are, at times, considerably more expensive than the classic homeopathic remedy, which for just a few euros guarantees a lengthy and effective course of treatment. "Beyond this, in the systemic approach the focus is above all on maintaining health, without waiting for our four-legged friend to fall ill and then suppressing the symptoms, but instead putting in place a whole range of practices so that the animal becomes ill as rarely as possible. This means that a significant number of medicines will be avoided, to the benefit of both the individual and the environment", adds Cattinelli.

Armonie animali also pursues this vision through proposals and training projects open to all. From seminars on natural nutrition for dogs and cats to those on managing elderly animals; from diversified approaches to ethological breeding techniques to the training of professionals specialised in managing animals at a professional level. In his book Vite connesse – written with Valentina Armani and Pietro Venezia, published by Terranuova edizioni – Dr Cattinelli explains in detail the applicability of this new vision. And he ventures into the intricacies of a different kind of philosophy, one that takes into account the indispensable relationship binding human beings to other species and to the nature that surrounds them.