An Edinburgh mum has been nominated for a number of prestigious awards in her unique field.
Gillian Leung, 44, originally from Glasgow but now living in Cramond, has been nominated in four categories in the 'Scottish Pet Industry Awards' having only been in business for a year. After relocating to Edinburgh four years ago with her husband and two children, she started working towards her unique dream job.
Gillian worked in the NHS for nearly 20 years in Glasgow but once she moved to the capital, she decided it was time to take the plunge. She learned how to be a Veterinary Physiotherapist, merging together her passion of caring and animals and a year ago The Animal Physiotherapist was born.
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Inspired by her own pets, and taking on a course at Liverpool University, while raising her twin toddlers, she launched her business a year ago and has just been nominated for Best Newcomer, Best Pet Therapy/massage, Best Pet Business and Best Innovative Pet Business in the Scottish Pet Industry Awards.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live she said: "I have always loved animals, as we have had dogs literally my whole life. And when I was a baby, there was a dog in the house. And I've always loved horses as well. So there's photos of me as a child being held on a horse. And I did consider it as a career. But I couldn't face the kind of end of life aspect of being a vet. I then wanted to help people, which is why I went into physio. But then I became aware of animal physio, it was just a little seed that planted itself, and then it just grew and grew.
"When we moved to Edinburgh, which was only for my husband's job here as a surgeon at the Western General, I had to leave my job at the NHS and obviously I could have got a job here, but it just seemed a good opportunity, with all the change and then in order to stay home with my family and bring up my little twins, who were less than two years old when we moved, and I thought well, this was my chance."
She studied at the University of Liverpool and the course was hybrid which allowed her to be home with her daughter, Cara and son Tom. She admitted the studying was tough at times, but her passion for animals pulled her through.
Gillian said: "It was really hard to juggle. They would go to playgroup in the morning for a few hours. So I would do a few hours in the morning and then as soon as they were in bed at night, I would be working. My neighbour's would say to me, 'can't believe your light was still on at midnight, we could see you're at your desk', so it wasn't it was easy and the course was very intense.
"I think that's where your your drive and you're passion for animals and knowing what your end goal is helps. And also it was a choice - nobody was making me do it. But I just really wanted that end goal of working with animals and that really helped me through."
Gillian's own pets helped her through and inspired The Animal Physiotherapist. She used to compete in agility competitions with her old pup Tess, who has sadly passed but seeing how physiotherapy gave her so much strength and helped her, the mum-of-two wanted to help other animals in the same way.
She explained: "I look at various aspects of the dog's movement. And then I do a palpatory assessment, looking just at how the muscles are feeling and how well the joints are moving, as well. And then from that, I make up our problem list based on the findings of the physio assessment and then turn the problem into a goal, my goal setting list and then forms the basis of your treatment plan."
However, naturally in this job, there will be challenges. While Gillian's clients usually have a successful programme and recovery, there are some animals who come into her care that are more complex.
"People, they're bonded so closely to their animals that even the idea that something could go wrong, like surgery, for example, it's an understandable fear. And I've had that fear as well, dogs going under anaesthetic or that needs an operation. It's just a worry and a fear about what might happen, because the thought of that anything is going to happen to your animal, it can be devastating," she said.
While she has a new puppy, Gillian shared that she has sadly seen three of her own dogs pass away, around Christmas last year, two died suddenly.
"When I started the course I had three dogs. So I had Tess, Riley and Leo. Tess and Riley were Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Leo was a Shetland Sheepdog and sadly they have all they've all died since we moved here, it was an intense two weeks into the course. Tess was the main inspiration. She was the reason why I went to this field. She was just just a wonderful dog. We did so much together. And I think she's probably my dog of a lifetime. And then Riley and Leo died very suddenly, less than a year ago. So they died four months apart.
"It was just it was horrendous. Like Riley was happy loving little dog. And he deteriorated over 40 hours just before Christmas, last year, so it was not a happy Christmas for me. And then Leo was diagnosed with kidney disease that day after Riley dying, the very next day. He was basically given weeks to month to live."
She said: "Often, I do find part of my role is to support the owner as well, which you do in the NHS to some degree, but then I'm drawing a lot on my own experiences as a pet owner. And I've got a lot of empathy and understanding of what people are going through, which again, just just makes you a better therapist, and the more you can support the owner, then the better able they then feel to do the physio plan to help their pet and they trust you as well. So it's really important that you do have a strong, strong working relationship with the owner is exactly then they can best help prepare."
Leo's memory has been carried through her business now as she still uses videos of him to demonstrate exercises to her clients, which she calls Leo's Library.
It was Gillian's dedication, empathy and skill that led to her nominations. Only a year after starting her own business, she admits she has to 'pinch herself' to make sure it's not a dream.
She said: "I was so delighted and surprised. And also somebody you had taken the trouble to nominate me. I've got on really well been lucky enough to get this far. I've had lovely clients, and everybody has been very easy to work with, and just keen to do the best for their pets, I've met some wonderful animal owners. It's a privilege really to help help them with their animals. That is enough, but then to go the stage further and be recognised during the Scottish Pet Industry Awards. It's the icing on the cake of this dream. The dream was to work with animals. It wasn't to win awards. But you know, it's lovely to be recognised.
Reflecting on her journey, she said: "The drive was strong enough to make me apply and do the course, and then see it through. And now I've got my own business and it's crazy. I do have to pinch myself that this is what I do."
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