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Flower Remedies for Your Pet

By Brian Puterman

Bach's Rescue Remedies are known for their ability to produce a powerful calming effect on stressed and injured animals. Similar in preparation to homeopathic remedies, Bach flower remedies use diluted extracts of a variety of flowers and plants that have been “potentized”. This is a process of dilution and vigorous shaking that increases the potency of the essence from which the remedy is derived.

Dr. Edward Bach (1890-1936), a prominent English physician, developed the Bach Flower Remedies while he was working as a homeopathic practitioner. Dr. Bach used to sit and meditate in the woods while holding different types of flowers. He alleged to have felt very specific negative emotions when holding certain types of flowers. One flower would be associated with one particular negative emotion. He felt that the flower which caused him to feel the negative emotion could be used to treat a patient feeling that same emotion (a theory based on homeopathic principles). He went on to mix tincture solutions from the flowers and found that these diluted blends of flowers and tree buds could be as effective as the homeopathic remedies he was currently using in the treatment of emotional problems.

Dr. Bach theorized that the diseases people and animals experience are the result of imbalances or negativity on a spiritual level and that by rectifying these problems, healing would result on every level. Flower remedies act to balance emotional and spiritual well-being. Essences work on an energetic level. In treating animals, it is essential to find the proper essences that resonate with the animal's energy field.

Dr. Bach’s research would produce thirty-eight flower remedies, each of which would address a specific emotional condition. There are now over four thousand flower essences available worldwide. These remedies come from the Australian Bush, the wilds of Alaska, the Arizona desert, and other diverse locations.

Flower essences can be used individually or in combination depending upon what the problem is. Quite often it can be most effective to use a single essence. Many practitioners choose to use more than one flower essence, but the number used in a blend of remedies should not exceed seven. An example of using flower essences in combination can be seen in putting together a remedy for treating fear composed of three different Bach Flower Remedies. Mimulus is used for fear of known causes, Aspen for groundless fears and Rock Rose for acute fear or panic. Used in concert these three flower essences will address most areas of fear, making this combination a good general remedy. If the fear was due to a past trauma then another remedy called Star of Bethlehem might be added.

The most popular Bach Flower Remedy is actually a combination of five remedies that work together to relieve stress and fear called Rescue Remedy. Rescue Remedy can be safely used before visiting the vet office or following any kind of injury. It is used to revive animals that are in shock and help with their subsequent recovery. It has undeniably saved many pets and is safe flower remedy. The five flower essences used in Rescue Remedy are: Star of Bethlehem for trauma, Clematis to help ground the patient and prevent passing out, Rock Rose for panic, Impatiens for tension and irritability and Cherry Plum. Four drops are added to a one-ounce glass dropper bottle of spring water and then shaken up. Three or four drops of Rescue Remedy can be given into the mouth or onto the gums every five minutes until a response is seen. Treatment with Rescue Remedy can continue for up to six to eight weeks in order to achieve the desired effect.

The flowers used in these remedies are harvested at the point when they are at their healthiest and in fullest bloom. It’s crucial that these flowers be free of chemicals of any kind. The flowers are left in the sun until the essence is extracted and diluted with water and then preserved with alcohol in order to make a mother tincture. This is then further diluted in spring water to make a solution that can be taken by an animal or person.

Subsequent to Bach's work other Flower Essence Societies have been formed and remedies have been developed that are appropriate to particular areas or the times we are living in. One example is the California Flower Essences that are developed from Native American plants in the Sierra Nevada foothills in California. The Flower Essence Society has developed a vast research program and has been very important in helping people understand and use Flower Remedies as a healing tool.

SOME REMEDIES TO REMEMBER

Aspen
For animals that are very fearful for no apparent reason and are very sensitive to Anxiety and apprehension.

Bleeding Heart
This remedy is good for grieving animals that have suffered a loss of either another animal or person.

Centaury
For overly submissive animals that are eager to please, tending to be bullied by other animals or animals that grovel and urinate from submissive behavior when petted.

Chamomile
Used as a calming remedy that helps irritable animals. It is also useful for teething animals.

Cherry Plum
This is godsend for animals that cannot control their behavior such as aggression and biting, and tend to have violent impulses toward other animals and people.

Chicory
A good flower essence for the overly possessive and maternal animal that wants attention all the time and is also jealous of other animals or people.

Crab Apple
This remedy is for cleansing the body and getting rid of toxins. It acts more on the physical body than any of the other essences and is good for any situation where cleansing is required.

Gentian
For pets that are easily disheartened and give up easily or are easily set back. These animals may give up in training programs even if they make only a small mistake.

Heather
This is really good for animals that hate to be left alone and suffer from separation Anxiety.

Impatiens
This is useful for pets who are impatient, hyperactive animals that never seems to slow down. These animals can be snappy and irritable and they tend to rush ahead, or pull on the leash.

Larch
Larch is for animals that lack self-confidence and tend to be timid and shy. These may be animals that need to perform in the show ring but don’t have the confidence to show themselves well.

Mimulus
This remedy is for animals that are scared of known things, such as thunderstorms, other animals or people. It helps them to overcome their fears and not be timid and scared of the world.

Olive
This is for animals that are exhausted and drained by a long strain or a difficult illness, such as a chronic disease. This will help them handle the ordeal better and become stronger again.

Pink Yarrow
This remedy helps protect animals from negative emotional energy, as may be experienced when there is a divorce in the family, a stressful family situation, or when another animal or person is sick or draining their energy reserves.

Rescue Remedy
This single most useful flower remedy combination helps with any kind of stress or trauma, such as accidents, birthing, illness, or even recovery after a seizure.

Rock Rose
This is useful for animals that are very scared and prone to panic attacks for no known reason. They become totally rigid with fear and tend to be very high strung and nervous.

Self Heal
This is a wonderful remedy that can be used either alone or in combination. It helps healing by stimulating the innate healing reserves of the body and can be useful in any illness to bring about healing.

Special Yarrow Formula
The Special Yarrow formula helps protect animals and people from negative external influences such as environmental pollution, toxins, electromagnetic energy and other factors.

Star of Bethlehem
This remedy is good for animals that have suffered any kind of trauma, emotional or physical, such as an accident or abuse. It will help them to recover from this shock, regardless of how long ago it took place.

Tiger Lily
This remedy helps with aggression and is used for animals that tend to bite and snap. It helps them release aggression and become less hostile and opens them up to learning to co-operate with others.

Vervain
This is good for the very enthusiastic animal that is over-bearing and highly strung. It helps calm hyperactivity and restlessness and suits the animal that wears people out by their excess energy.

Vine
This remedy helps with the dominant animal that wants to be the boss of all the other animals and people. They are bullies to the other animals around them and hate to be disciplined.

Walnut
This is an extremely useful remedy for any time of transition, such as moving house, becoming pregnant, adjusting to new animals or family members, or entering into a new life situation.

Water Violet
This remedy tends to suit cats that are unusually introverted and detached, and it helps open them up to be more friendly and outgoing and less aloof and emotionally distant.

Wild Oat
Wild oat is used for the restless animal that never seems to know what they want or to settle down into anything. It helps them to focus their energies and be less scattered in their approach to life.

Willow
This remedy helps with resentment and bitterness and often helps cats that urinate everywhere due to a change in the household such as the arrival of another animal or a baby.

The primary difference between the application of these remedies for animals and humans is that cats, dogs, and other creatures, because of their innate harmony with their surroundings, don't usually get as out of balance as we do. The effects of flower remedies on them are often far more immediate. Some conditions that flower essences are used for.

• Abuse, neglect, or abandonment
• Pre- and post-surgical treatment
• Grief
• Fear
• Hyperactivity
• Aggressiveness
• Jealousy
• Possessiveness
• Inappropriate use of litter box (or nonuse)
• Changes in household
• Excessive Grooming

It’s best to have your veterinarian look into conditions that may have a physical cause such as lethargy, hyperactivity, litter box training, and other physical conditions. If a physical condition is found to be the at the root of the problem then flower essences can be used to aid the other healing modalities being used.

While some animals are perfectly willing to take a mixture, be sure that their mouths and tongues never touch the glass pipette. If the pipette does contact the animal’s mouth, be sure to rinse it in very hot water before returning it to the bottle. Do not administer flower remedies directly into the mouth of an animal whose problem is biting, as it may bite the glass dropper with disastrous results. A preferable option may be to put four drops of the chosen flower essences into the pet’s water bowl. Another method to consider would be to rub flower essences on pulse points, such as the throat or behind the ears. You can do this as often as every twenty minutes. For larger animals, it is appropriate to put up to 10 drops of a given flower essence into drinking water.

Flower essences are a great modality to integrate into your pets health care routine, but always keep in mind that you should never substitute flower essences for other necessary veterinary care.

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