From a very early age, I was in awe of nature and the fact that man is completely weak and powerless against the force of the elements. He can do nothing to prevent biting cold frost, rainy summers, devastating storms or the ferocious appetites of rodents and thieving birds.

As often as we could, we would go off to comfort, pet, spoil and brush all the animals in the neighbourhood. Horses, goats, sheep and cows – none were forgotten. My grandfather, Henri, was passionate about birds, like his father, Gustave, before him. Our house was a permanent refuge for crippled and injured birds and fledglings that had fallen from their nests.

That was when I decided I was going to be a vet or an agricultural engineer.

I was going to work relentlessly to understand, analyse and find solutions to problems others considered to be unsolvable.

As a teenager, and while I was studying to become a vet, I crossed paths with many impassioned people. These were brilliant human beings who took their lives into their own hands, people who did not need wine or sea air to lift their mood. They were intoxicated by their work. These people gave me an appetite for learning, understanding, giving unconditionally, excelling and sharing. I owe them so much and think of them often.

Practising medicine brought me face-to-face with the realities of life: victories, hope, self-sacrifice, suffering, perseverance, injustice and sleepless nights, watching over my patients or wracking my brains to find the best treatment.

As all my colleagues do on a daily basis, I have fought the hardest battles, the ones with the inevitable final outcome. When recovery is not possible. And in each of these battles I have tried to snatch a little more time, and most importantly peace of mind, for my patients and their human companions. For us, death can be likened to Charles Baudelaire’s description of time: “It wins without cheating, every round! It’s the law“.

I have also met lots of extraordinary, courageous, loving, generous, cooperative and affectionate dogs, cats, horses, donkeys, cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks, tortoises and elephants. I have dedicated my life to them. They give me energy and strength to tirelessly work on developing new and ever-more innovative and effective solutions.

It was for them that I set up a laboratory in February 2011. After five years of research, and with three additional qualifications under my belt (Diploma of Advanced Studies in Nutrition and a Master’s degree in Laboratory Animals from the University of Liège and a University Diploma in Phytotherapy and Aromatherapy from Clermont-Ferrand University), the time was right. And the founding principle of this, my very own laboratory, is “Passion without concession“.

Plants grow everywhere, even in the most extreme conditions: the desert, the summits of mountains, at the seaside, in the craters of volcanoes, geysers, etc. They have no legs so rely on animals and the wind for their travels.

They fascinate us with their delicate fragrances, we marvel at their beauty, and they are a source of nutrition. They look defenceless… and yet, when their survival is at stake, they can load up with poison and produce substances that resemble antibodies. And they hold many more precious secrets.

Miloa uses all their properties to support the health of our faithful companions.

When I established Miloa, I fulfilled a promise: one I made in May 1994 to my old Bouvier des Flandres. Stone, my sweet, gentle companion, died of a generalised cancer that began in her mammary glands and spread to her lungs. I promised her that I would dedicate my life to combating the diseases that were unjustly taking our best friends from us. I dedicate myself to keeping this promise, each and every day.

Doctor Veterinary Medicine Estelle Lhoëst,
Post-Graduate diploma in Nutrition | University Degree in Herbal Medicine and Aromatherapy

Why Miloa?

During my five years of research, I became convinced that my greatest ally in improving the health and well-being of my beloved patients was plants.

So, I based the name on a nutritious fruit, the apple.

Because apples are delicious, good for you, sweet and sometimes tart or sharp.

Because “ an apple a day keeps the doctor away ”.

Did you know that apples are rich in the antioxidants quercetin, catechins, epicatechins, procyanidins and flavonoids? And that, in the Middle Ages, ointments were made from apple pulp?

Because apples, round and plump, have come to symbolise abundance.

Because, with over 20,000 varieties of apples worldwide, growing on every continent except Antarctica, and the many and varied sizes, colours and flavours available, it is the fruit of diversity and tolerance. Did you know that apple trees originated in the primal forests of Kazakhstan, close to the Chinese border, in the celestial mountains of Tian Shan? There are 27 varieties of Malus sieversii, which are the ancestors of all the apples grown throughout the world and are resistant to all diseases. These trees, which first appeared more than 65 million years ago, are sometimes 300 years old, grow to a height of 30 metres and have a circumference of 2 metres. Natural selection was aided by bears, which ate only the sweetest and plumpest of the apples and excreted the pips. Nomads travelling the Silk Road did the rest…

Because it is the symbol of forbidden knowledge.

Because it is the symbol of love.