Week 49: Understanding Pets in Germany with Tierheilpraktikerin Katja HerbstNeue Episode

00:00:00: We went as notches because let's face it, it doesn't matter at what time you're hearing this, it probably feels like in the middle of the night.

00:00:13: Welcome to another edition of plus forty nine, your weekly guide to life here in Germany.

00:00:18: I am Sigrid and we're moving into the last bit of this year, December.

00:00:25: Things are getting colder, darker.

00:00:28: We already discussed that and much more festive.

00:00:32: Maybe you're already lighting some candles, doing some Christmas shopping or maybe just trying to make it through the last busy stretch of the year.

00:00:41: We've got a little bit of stories and a conversation to guide you through this.

00:00:46: Today we're gonna be taking a look at two surprising new trends.

00:00:50: One of them about people in Germany asking AI about their healthy questions.

00:00:56: We already know it.

00:00:57: If you Google it, it's probably crepes or cancer.

00:01:02: And another about a viral German drugstore video in South Korea that is taking the end by storm.

00:01:10: In culture, we're exploring something a bit unusual, but on the other side also very seasonally perfect.

00:01:18: Sein Patrizia, yes, that exists.

00:01:21: And it is the winter costume surrounding her.

00:01:24: I've never heard about this, so I'm very thankful that somebody pointed this out to me.

00:01:30: Our guest this week is Katja Herbs.

00:01:32: She is Tia Heil Praktikerin, another long German word.

00:01:37: We're talking about what analistic animal protectionary oh god that's also another very complicated word in English.

00:01:45: Animal practitioner actually does and the practical steps you need to take if you want to get a pet here in Germany.

00:01:53: So let's get started.

00:01:56: I am probably not the only one that keeps telling their parents not to google their symptoms because we already know it.

00:02:04: If you type to Google your symptoms, they will come out as you're already gonna be dying in the next couple of hours.

00:02:14: But they're not alone, since people here in Germany are using AI to manage their health.

00:02:21: A new bitcom study shows that seventy-three percent of Germans are searching online for symptoms or health questions, and forty-five percent have already asked an AI chatbot like ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot for advice.

00:02:38: One in ten does this very frequently.

00:02:42: More than a half of the users say they can trust the answers they get from AI.

00:02:47: Half of them say they do understand their symptoms better when asking a chatbot to compare to traditional googling.

00:02:55: And for about a third, the chatbot feels almost like a second medical opinion.

00:03:01: But of course, it is not all enthusiasm.

00:03:04: Seventy-one percent worry about data misuse and nearly seventy percent fear a loss of human contact in medical care.

00:03:12: Still, the overall sentiment is very clear.

00:03:16: Eighty-one percent believe Germany's health system cannot survive without digitalization.

00:03:22: And seventy-six percent want doctors to use AI to support whenever is possible.

00:03:30: percent of smartphone users already rely on health and fitness apps to track sleep, exercise, nutrition and stress.

00:03:40: Our second story this week brings us to a completely different kind of trend and this is because a viral DM video from Germany has gone viral in South Korea.

00:03:52: A Korean exchange student filmed her shopping trip to the end and she shared her favorite ballet products from vitamin C serums to hair oils.

00:04:03: The clip exploded and suddenly German drugsters became a tourist destination.

00:04:09: Why the hype?

00:04:10: Well, price and quality.

00:04:12: German drugstore brands like Balea, Mi Volis and Profissimo are much cheaper than comparable Korean products, which is weird considering the fact that we think that Korean skin product is so much better, but apparently it's not.

00:04:28: Over a hundred Balilla items are now officially sold in South Korea via the retailer Lotte.

00:04:35: While South Korea is discovering D-Beauty, Germany is loving K-Beauty right back.

00:04:41: It's a skincare exchange that shows no signs of slowing.

00:04:46: We're taking a look at something very unexpected this December.

00:04:50: And this is Saint Patricia.

00:04:53: She's not as famous as Saint Nicholas or the Christkind, but in parts of Europe, especially in Italy and regions with strong folk traditions, Saint Patricia pops up in Adventful Chlor as a ringer of protection, warmth, and small winter blessings.

00:05:09: And there are a couple of places here in Germany that also celebrate her.

00:05:14: Who is she?

00:05:15: Well, Saint Patrice of Naples was a seventh-century noblewoman who gave up her wealth for a religious life.

00:05:23: After her death, she became associated with miracles and care, particularly for household, women, and sometimes even animals.

00:05:32: In Naples, she is one of the city patron saints.

00:05:36: While her official feast day is in August, her presence in the winter comes from folklore, the idea that San Patrizia watches over families as they prepare for the hardest part of the winter.

00:05:49: In some regions, this is a custom of lighting a Patrizia candle during advent, a small candle placed in the kitchen or near the home entrance.

00:05:58: This is meant to bring protection, calm and good luck through the coldest days.

00:06:04: It is usually late on a Sunday evening, often paired with a short moment of quiet or a simple wish for the coming week.

00:06:11: For many families, it is a gentle winter ritual, somewhere between a moment of reflection and good luck charm.

00:06:19: There's also a small patricia gift, which are tiny symbolic offerings exchanged among friends, like nuts, dried fruits or handmade ornaments.

00:06:30: They're not meant as present, but as a gesture of warmth, a reminder to look after each other during this time.

00:06:40: For internationals, this is one of those lesser-known traditions that gives December in Germany its layer meaning.

00:06:48: Not everything is loud, commercial or cover in lights.

00:06:51: Some traditions are humble, a candle, a moment of reflection.

00:06:56: A reminder that winter is easier when people take care of one another.

00:07:01: Probably you already know by now that I have a little dachshund, a little sausage dock.

00:07:07: Little is he not, definitely he's a little chubby and he's already almost twelve years old.

00:07:14: I do have to say that having Balu changed my life in Germany, it was the biggest thing ever because suddenly I had a reason to go out, I had a reason to talk to other people and of course my whole life has been right now or his Balu's whole life has been right now.

00:07:32: Me going around and trying for him to have a best life.

00:07:36: And it wasn't because of Balu that I got to meet.

00:07:41: Katja.

00:07:42: It was because she, she actually had before a business in the Margarita industry.

00:07:49: It was called Renta Rita.

00:07:51: And that's how we met.

00:07:52: And now she is Tiel Heil Praxis.

00:07:55: God, I have no idea how white Germans do keep doing this.

00:08:01: Katja, can you explain what actually what Tiel Heil Praxis is?

00:08:06: Hi, security.

00:08:07: I'm happy to explain this.

00:08:09: Tier Heil Praktikerin, that's like this German big words, is you could say a holistic animal health practitioner, again a quite big and gloomy word.

00:08:22: To put it short, I work with dogs, cats, horses and I try to help to bring the animals back into balance.

00:08:32: I work a lot with traditional Chinese veterinary medicine, which is acupuncture, phytotherapy, and yes, so I'm not a vet, but I'm a person who helps animals to get back into balance.

00:08:48: That sounds... the most amazing thing ever.

00:08:51: this is something that for instance for me in Mexico we don't have.

00:08:55: we just have the vet and that's pretty much it.

00:08:58: so when a dog or a cat or any other animal feels sick you only have the typical medicine style but with thanks to people like Katya we have other options for cat and dogs and horses as well and one of the reasons why I wanted to have this conversation with you was because, yes, we might as well want to have a cat or a dog here in Germany, but we have no idea how.

00:09:29: And especially on the other side, we don't have someone who talks in English.

00:09:34: So thank you so much for talking in English with us and trying to explain with us what actually, yeah.

00:09:40: So let's start with the basics.

00:09:43: Cats and dog in Germany, in Berlin.

00:09:48: How can I get a cat or a dog?

00:09:52: What are the things that I need to understand before getting a pet?

00:09:55: I think the first thing you have to think about is because if you get a pet, this will be a lifelong relationship, at least lifelong for the animal you're going to get.

00:10:10: And so it's important to think about that.

00:10:14: a good match.

00:10:15: So it's important to think what kind of breed, for example, if you get a dog, what kind of breed do I get?

00:10:22: What is the character of the dog?

00:10:24: Is it a very temperamental?

00:10:25: What's the energy level?

00:10:27: And what was the breed made for?

00:10:30: A bread for, for example, if you get a malinois or a border quality or livestock guard dog, they were bred to work.

00:10:38: So do you really want to work with the dog or do you just want to have a companion which goes to the office with you and you have a walk through the park.

00:10:47: So that's the first point to think about.

00:10:50: What kind of dog or cat do I get?

00:10:54: More than it with the dog than with the cats.

00:10:56: Second is think about where you get the dog from.

00:11:02: I would never recommend to get a dog from mass breeders.

00:11:05: I mean, you find it on the internet.

00:11:07: You find dogs which have a really, really tough start in the life, you know, where the mothers are both giving machines, you know, also with people who come to the first months of very, very first weeks are very important.

00:11:23: So look for a breeder that your pet grew up with love and knowledge and and a warm heart surrounding, you know, because that's the basic foundation of the life.

00:11:38: Then consider not really to take extreme breeds.

00:11:44: I think that not all fashionable dogs have a good precondition for a healthy life, you know.

00:11:50: I think you know about this very short noses.

00:11:54: small heads with bulping out eyes skin folds which tend to infect Really.

00:12:02: get some information about the breed you take because there are many breeds now and this are unfortunately the fashionable breeds right now which are Not healthy from the beginning because the gene game pool is

00:12:18: bad,

00:12:18: you know, so inform yourself and not follow looks and trends.

00:12:24: For instance right now I think dachshunds are very back into fashion.

00:12:31: I've seen when I got Baloo, nobody had a dachshund.

00:12:34: And now everywhere you go, there's dachshunds everywhere, everywhere.

00:12:39: And I mean, they're lovely.

00:12:40: This is my Baloo is my third dachshund.

00:12:44: So I already know the breed.

00:12:46: They're stubborn.

00:12:48: And at least in the first years of their life, you have to go out with them.

00:12:52: They're hunters, there are badgers, you need to go out with them, you need to let them run as much as they can and they will come back.

00:13:02: This is one of the things that I've learned from them.

00:13:04: It was kind of complicated at the beginning because Balu went into the Tiagat and like crazy behind something, but I knew he was going to come back because that's that's what they are hunters.

00:13:14: They bring, then you're there.

00:13:19: He actually once got a rabbit, which a Canadian, which was a little bit complicated for my heart, but he actually did it.

00:13:27: And he was so happy.

00:13:29: He was so, you know, so proud, like, look, look, I got it.

00:13:33: And they're not, I mean, they look lovely when they're puppies, but I would say they're not for backs.

00:13:41: They're not back on.

00:13:42: dogs are not And to carry just they need to walk.

00:13:47: they need to walk a lot and they don't.

00:13:49: they need to have a healthy weight.

00:13:52: I know my dogs that precisely the one that it has that but they also need to have.

00:14:00: they don't need to jump a lot because of the bags.

00:14:03: And that is also a genetic thing about the Daxons.

00:14:07: And so in case you're looking or thinking about having a Daxon, just think about that.

00:14:13: It is not a dog that you can just leave in your house.

00:14:19: They have the mind of their own and they have a lot of energy.

00:14:25: I love Daxons, but still you do need to work out with them a lot.

00:14:30: Yeah, and that's the same with other breeds.

00:14:32: For example, if you have a Siberian Husky, it's also a working dog, you know, and think if the German summers are the right thing for this kind of dog.

00:14:41: or if you have hunting dogs or many terriers, the terriers are also not, they might be small, but they are really strong characters, you know, like a tibetaria, they were bred for on their own autonomously.

00:14:58: take care of the cattle in the Tibet Highlands, you know, so they have a very strong mind that they might look very fluffy and sweet, but they are characters.

00:15:09: so just.

00:15:11: Inform yourself before you do before you get a breed dog, you know,

00:15:18: it is super important and.

00:15:21: In Germany, we have at least something that we don't see that much in Latin America is that you can actually adopt.

00:15:27: And there's this, there are a lot of centers where you can adopt.

00:15:32: There's one of the biggest ones here in Berlin.

00:15:35: It's a little bit outside and they're always there to inform you what type of doc you can adopt and they give you all the information.

00:15:44: But of course, you have to just keep in mind you don't go, you don't walk there and come out with a doc.

00:15:50: have to fill a paper and make it responsible also for you to that.

00:15:55: they know that the dog that they're gonna give you to adopt that they he or she will have the best life.

00:16:03: but just I think it's beautiful in Germany that we take we do take a lot of care of dogs.

00:16:10: a couple of people actually say that In Germany you like dog more than you like your kids.

00:16:17: There's also a saying which says the last child has fur, you know?

00:16:23: So that people after the kids are out of the house often there is a dog then which brings the couple together, something you love jointly is always nice to have around, you know.

00:16:35: But think of it, if you have a dog, it will be your partner and will be around you the next ten to fifteen, sometimes eighteen years, you know.

00:16:43: So it's not like a decision for just the next year, which kind of pullover you're going to wear or which, you know, car you're going to drive.

00:16:53: It is an animal.

00:16:55: Yeah, it's a big decision.

00:16:58: Yeah, definitely.

00:16:59: So Balu had a bad back and you did acupuncture with him.

00:17:06: Tell us a little bit about acupuncture with dogs, well, with animals in general.

00:17:12: Yeah.

00:17:13: So puncture is part of the traditional Chinese medicine and it is like... was developed thousands of years ago in the far China.

00:17:23: And I think it's more and more also accepted in the normal school medicine.

00:17:30: And one thing to say, what I do is always in addition to the classical wet work.

00:17:38: It's nothing, either or, it's something together.

00:17:41: But what I do then with acupuncture is bring the body into balance again.

00:17:48: I look at the whole animal, I look at the history of the animal, I see, look at the tongue, at the pulse, at different points, and see if there are energy flows in the body, whether Chi, which you name it in the Chinese medicine, cannot flow.

00:18:06: So with my needles, which I put at then special points after a special diagnosis, helps.

00:18:16: to bring the energy back to areas where it was lost.

00:18:23: So the whole idea is to have the body in balance.

00:18:28: And that's also why the traditional Chinese medicine or the acupuncture is a great way for prevention.

00:18:34: Because you can see a disease already before it started.

00:18:39: You feel that there is something out of balance.

00:18:42: And then before the big disease comes, you can much easier help the animal to stay healthy.

00:18:55: And it is also not like this.

00:18:59: You see, for example, you have always eye infections.

00:19:02: It's not that you treat the eye, but you treat the organism.

00:19:05: because the idea behind this, it always the foundation of what comes is always much deeper.

00:19:12: And my aim is to go to the ground and start there to have to bring the body into balance again.

00:19:21: Sounds perfect.

00:19:22: And for Baloo, when you started putting the the needles in, he started relaxing.

00:19:30: And it was incredible to see because every time you think about needles, you're like, Oh my God, what's going to happen?

00:19:38: And what?

00:19:40: you can just see how the the pet What starts to relax which is I think a great element, especially if you're your little child or your third child is in pain and you can see that his body reacts so easily.

00:19:57: and You how do you work normally?

00:20:01: How is the process?

00:20:03: if someone wants to contact you where can I see you?

00:20:07: perhaps one word again to the relaxing.

00:20:09: it's always nice to see you might have the most energetic dogs and you put the needles at the right places and they just fall asleep you know.

00:20:17: and when the needles did their work after fifteen, twenty, ten minutes depending on the dog suddenly they stretch they wake up again and they say okay I'm ready again.

00:20:28: so they really feel in themselves.

00:20:30: and that's always the part of my job which I really love.

00:20:34: when you really feel you move something in the animal to a good part.

00:20:42: But how I do work, I mean, I have a mobile practice, that means I come to my patients at home, of course to horses anyhow, because they wouldn't come to me.

00:20:55: And so that's the surrounding, the natural surrounding of the dog, which is also nice for me to see, because sometimes there are little things where I say, why don't you put the bed there and there?

00:21:07: So I'm relaxed at home in a stressless atmosphere.

00:21:11: And first of all, I like to get a lot of information about the life of the dog, what the owner can tell me.

00:21:19: And the dog is already around there, but it's not like that I directly jump on him and do something with him.

00:21:26: So I need in the first time get a lot of information I collect and then I look at the animal and my way of diagnosis is I feel the pulse of the dog which gives me indications where there are imbalances.

00:21:46: I look at the tongue, I have some diagnostic points along the spine which I press.

00:21:52: And with all this information, I make a traditional Chinese diagnosis and then put my needles at special points.

00:22:03: Sometimes I also prescribe a phyto, Chinese phyto therapy, which supports the animal.

00:22:10: And in general, it's like this, to get into balance.

00:22:15: All I do is help the animal to get back into balance.

00:22:18: It's not that I... cut something off or put something over something.

00:22:23: It's to give energy in the body that the body can cure themselves.

00:22:29: And in general, it's like you need three or four appointments to have it stable.

00:22:35: Because usually the most of my clients, they come to me with chronic diseases after they tried a lot of things, you know, they went there, there, there.

00:22:45: And often it's like, oh, God, you are the last.

00:22:49: have last chance for our dog.

00:22:54: And so that's the way it works.

00:22:58: Of course, it's always on my side, much easier and better when people come before the disease is very severe, because it's always easier to cure when there's a little imbalance than if the whole body is in the imbalance.

00:23:15: But yeah, so that's the way I work.

00:23:23: How can we contact you?

00:23:27: So you can contact me either by mail.

00:23:32: This is info at THP-HERBST.DE.

00:23:40: That's also my website, www.thp-HERBST.

00:23:48: Perhaps you will also link it in the.

00:23:52: You can, of course, also call me.

00:23:54: I'll give you my number.

00:23:56: It's O-one, seven, two, three, two, two, six, five, two, two.

00:24:00: And then we see where we find time for an appointment.

00:24:03: And if you have questions, just call me.

00:24:05: I'm happy to talk to you.

00:24:10: Katja, thank you so much for being with us today.

00:24:13: And also thank you so much for being such a great help to Baloo.

00:24:18: I can only... I can only recommend to everybody to actually add to your life a dog or a cat or a pet and of course under the impression that it will be your companion that you will have a huge responsibility and that you are basically the person who can enable for them to have the best life possible.

00:24:43: And with that in mind, I think they will also do their very best to give you the best life possible with them.

00:24:52: Thank you, Katja.

00:24:53: Thank

00:24:53: you, Sigurd.

00:24:54: It

00:24:57: was a pleasure.

00:25:00: Today's question for Ask a German is related to dogs.

00:25:04: Verständlich.

00:25:05: And the question is, why do Germans take their pets paperwork more seriously than their own?

00:25:13: Welcome to one of Germany's deepest cultural truths.

00:25:17: Germans are capable of misplacing their meatvertrag, forgetting their own impasse from the fourth time and losing every romantic booklet they ever owned.

00:25:27: But the dog's paperwork untouchable.

00:25:31: There are a few reasons for this near-religious devotion.

00:25:35: First, the pet passport.

00:25:38: A German dog has more stamps, vaccinations and laminated documents than many experts.

00:25:44: The EU, hyped here also, is guarded like a sacred scroll.

00:25:49: Need a holiday?

00:25:50: Need to move apartments?

00:25:52: Need to visit grandma?

00:25:54: You can forget your luggage, but not that blue booklet.

00:25:58: Second, registration.

00:26:00: In Germany, even emotions feel like they need to be registered.

00:26:04: So of course the dog does too.

00:26:06: Every pet must be officially declared at the local municipality.

00:26:11: This makes your pet feel very important and you feel very stressed.

00:26:19: Yes, dogs must be insured properly.

00:26:25: It's taken so seriously that Germans often sign up for dog insurance before they even buy the dog.

00:26:30: And honestly, the paperwork for your pet is often clearer and cheaper.

00:26:35: than anything involving humans.

00:26:38: And finally, the Hundersteuermarke.

00:26:41: The Holy Tag.

00:26:43: This tiny metal text badge must hang from the Dark Scrawler at all times.

00:26:48: Losing it is a catastrophe.

00:26:51: Losing your own house keys is annoying.

00:26:54: Losing the Hundersteuermarke is a moral failure.

00:26:58: So why the obsession?

00:27:00: Because in Germany, pets are considered part of society.

00:27:04: League citizens with their own bureaucracy.

00:27:07: And as every German will proudly tell you, order must be, especially for the dog.

00:27:15: And that's it for this week's episode of Plus Forty-Nine.

00:27:18: If you want a simple, friendly news update every morning, subscribe to our morning espresso at plusforty-nine.de.

00:27:25: It is free and it lands in your inbox daily.

00:27:29: Follow us on Instagram at plus minus forty-nine.

00:27:34: And if you have questions, stories, or tips for us, send us an email to info at plus-forty-nine.de.

00:27:41: I'm Sigrid, stay warm, stay curious, and see you next week on Plus Forty-Nine.