"ANIMALS IN THE MIDDLE AGES: CARE, HEALING AND BELIEF" with Kathleen Walker-Meikle

What did it mean to care for an animal in the Middle Ages?

Long before modern veterinary medicine, medieval people developed detailed systems for healing horses, hounds, livestock, and even household pets. Treatments ranged from practical wound care and herbal remedies to bloodletting, lunar timing, and deeply held spiritual beliefs about the body.

Medieval historian Kathleen Walker-Meikle explores how animals were understood, valued, and treated in a world where science, faith, folklore, and lived experience were inseparable. From war horses essential to power and survival, to beloved companion animals inside the home, care was not just medical — it was cultural.

How did people decide when to treat an animal?

What role did astrology and religion play?

Were medieval healers more sophisticated than we assume?

This episode uncovers a surprisingly complex world of animal medicine — where healing meant far more than technique, and where belief shaped the care animals received.

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Books:

Kathleen Walker-Meikle, Medieval Pets (Boydell and Brewer, 2012; paperback 2019)

Ibid, Dogs in Medieval Manuscripts (London: British Library Publications, 2020)

Ibid, Cats in Medieval Manuscripts (London: British Library Publications, 2019)

Ibid, The Horse Book: Horses of Historical Distinction (London: Bloomsbury, 2017);

Ibid, The Cat Book: Cats of Historical Distinction (London: Bloomsbury, 2015)

Ibid, The Dog Book: Dogs of Historical Distinction (London: Bloomsbury, 2014)

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