TREATING ANIMALS WITH BACH FLOWER ESSENCES

an article by Kim Rockshaw, DIHom, BFRP

In the last thirty years or so, treating our beloved animal companions with holistic healing methods has become increasing popular. There are many reasons for this, including the increasing expense of allopathic treatment, side effects of many conventional drugs and of course, the over-all well being and comfort of these dear creatures. One area that I am pleased to see becoming more widely accepted and used is the use of Bach Flower Essences in treating emotional and behavioral problems. While many traditional veterinarians are increasingly prescribing drugs like Prozac, Elavil and other medications, many of my clients come to me looking for an alternative. Some come because the drugs did not help(i.e.,the animal would be appear quieter, or more sedate, but the emotional problem still existed, as noticed when the drug was discontinued). Many are not happy with the side effects they are witnessing. Many are also seeking a permanent improvement or cure, that cannot be achieved by drug therapy. Allopathic medicine (nor even herbal treatment) cannot get to the reason and cause behind an emotional imbalance.

At the time Dr. Bach was developing his essences (1931-1936) in Europe and England , Wales , etc, homeopathy had already been employed in the treatment of domestic and farm animals. Dr. Bach, a homeopath, as well as a bacteriologist and pathologist,was quite adamant that the essences would be helpful to animals and plants, as well as people. Though it was not common practice at the time, to treat animals with essences, his assistant Nora Weeks was quoted as saying in 1942, “Animals suffer from moods in the same way as human beings, . . . The Remedies help man and beast alike”. But unfortunately, it has only been in the last 30 years or so, that we have seen the use of flower essence treatment with animals flourish and grow.

My first exposure to the Bach essences, was in 1990, when I was working at an Animal Shelter in Illinois . One of our more progressive volunteers would give the dogs and cats Rescue Remedy before they would go before the cameras on our weekly adoption TV show. Once I moved to California , I began learning more about essences and attended a few seminars. I then started using them on my own animals (I have a small, licensed sanctuary for special needs cats), with amazing success. In 2003, after going through the wonderful training of the Nelson Bach Foundation, I earned the right to become a BFRP. Now, using essences on both animals and humans is a integral part of my practice and with my own animals or those who are rescued.

The beauty of the essences, to me, is their simplicity. No matter where you are in your work with animals, the essences will always help. It can be as simple as just using Rescue Remedy, say, to spray on feral cats in traps, or putting in the food and water of a nervous, frightened shelter dog. It is also most helpful for your own pets prior to vet trips or any stressful situation. Because it is a remedy for panic and trauma, I have also had success in using it for more serious situations. For instance, on numerous occasions, I have been able (and under my direction, clients have been able) to, pull animals out of seizures, by dropping a few drops of Rescue Remedy onto their tongue. It is amazing how quickly the seizure either stops or is greatly reduced in severity. By no means do I think this is curing the tendency to seizures, but it quickly helps diffuse an often terror- filled episode! Another situation where the “anti-panic” action of Rescue Remedy can help is when an animal with asthma is stressed and goes into an attack. The fear of not breathing compounds the problem of course, and can be greatly helped with a few drops of Rescue Remedy, on the tongue of the animal. (It can also be rubbed into the ears, paw pads, etc., but I find it does not work as quickly as the oral route; more doses may be needed.) Always be careful not to put your fingers too close to the animal's mouth, especially in the case of seizures. . . try to drop from above. (I might add that I also have seen Rescue Remedy help human beings in the midst of an asthma attack.)

Another wonderful quality of use flower essences, is that they are extremely safe and gentle. Even if you choose the wrong essences, you will not hurt your animal. Also, unlike certain herbal treatments, they are safe and effective, to use in conjunction with allopathic drugs, with no fear of drug interaction.

In more chronic behavioral conditions, the essences can be extremely helpful. One of the main conditions I see and treat are hyperactive animals, especially dogs. The essences Impatiens or Vervain can be very helpful, depending on the animals individual behavior. Vervain is for very high energy dogs that never seems to stop! These dogs that chase cars or bark constantly; horses needing Vervain will break through or jump over fences just to run. A combination I seem to use a great deal is that of Vervain and White Chestnut. (White Chestnut is of course for compulsive, obsessive thinking and activity.) Animals needing this are those who are high energy and have repetitive behavior problems, such as focusing and/or trying to play/chase a ball constantly. Impatiens dogs have more nervous energy and an be described as edgy or “high strung”. Indeed, Impatiens can be helpful in treating dogs that tremble or nervously shake and is sometimes effective in treating various neurological problems. Gastrointestinal problems due to a nervous constitution, can be greatly helped by Impatiens, as well as skin afflictions. For instance, if you have a dog that bites or chews itself out of nervousness, and also has a sensitive stomach (will vomit easily when upset) and trembles, shakes a great deal, use Impatiens, for long term treatment. In these cases also consider Beech and possibly Crab Apple and/or White Chestnut. Impatiens is also helpful for irritable birds that preen themselves constantly or pull out feathers to the point of self destruction. In these situations, it would be wise to try combining with White Chestnut . (Also consider Crab Apple for any skin problems, or excessive chewing, itching, etc.). For birds, essences are easy to use, by making up a misting bottle and spraying the essence combination onto the bird as well as putting into clean drinking water, daily.

Another very common condition for which essences are beneficial, is that of separation anxiety. Dogs and cats can manifest this in many ways. Some are bored, and will become depressed and stop eating. Some bark and destroy the house or yard. A number of essences that can be helpful are: Red Chestnut, for the animal that is quite protective of their owner and becomes anxious for their well being. These animals will often sit by the window or door, waiting to see if their caretaker or even another animal companion comes home safely! Chicory, for the clingy animal that will actually exhibit attention seeking behavior if the owner leaves him alone or is not paying enough attention. These animals will often destroy the house or yard in protest! Heather, for the very talkative and clingy animal. Heather animals are can be reluctant to obey their owners or handlers as they want their own way. Walnut should also be considered to put in these combinations, since it is for change of any sort. Honeysuckle essence is another choice to consider, but it is more situational. Honeysuckle may be used with the essences mentioned above, but can also be used as a situational remedy, along with Walnut. An animal needing Honeysuckle is disturbed by the situation of being separated from a home or person; they do not share the deeper pathological neediness of these other remedies.

For those whose animals are having trouble getting along with others, always consider Beech and Holly. Beech is to instill tolerance and flexibility to new situations. These animals can sometimes, but not always, have numerous allergies, since they are intolerant of many things. They are often sensitive to noise, or changes in the weather or environment. Holly is more of a specific jealousy remedy; these animals usually display more aggressive tendencies than Beech. They can be really angry, suspicious and even revengeful about new people or animals in their environment. When introducing a new animal or person, always consider Beech, Walnut and possibly Holly. If you have an animal that is extremely dominant , pushy, territorial and aggressive, also consider Vine.

Grief is a condition that warrants the help of essences. The essence Honeysuckle is most helpful here, along with Walnut and Gentian. Also consider Heather or one of the other separation essences. However, remember that grief is situational, so deeper more pathological essences are not always appropriate. If the depression is severe and the animal seems go have given up hope (i.e., has stopped eating, or socializing), Gorse should be considered along with the three other essences.

One of the most commonly used essences when working with animals is Chestnut Bud. This is to help break bad habits and instill new behavior patterns. One can see how helpful this would be in so many situations: Training horses and dogs for show, house-training or other types of behavior modification work with dogs, inappropriate urination and/or spraying with cats. I highly suggest using Walnut along with Chestnut Bud in all cases.

The most important thing to remember when selecting an essence or essences for an animal is to ask “why”, the animal is behaving in a certain manner. In other words, it is most helpful to try to “get inside the animal's head”, so to speak, and figure out the underlying emotion. The more specific you can be in understanding your pets' behavior, the more successful you will be at picking out the correct essences.

On of the most common “errors” I find when people are new to using essences, is that of not giving the essences enough time to work. Many times, after I have suggested using Rescue Remedy prior to a stressful event, a person will report back that they did not see any results. If you are giving Rescue Remedy in anticipation of an event, you must dose two or three times (15 min. apart), starting at least 45 minutes before the event. Oral dosing always works best, but very sensitive animals will respond by rubbing it into their ear flaps, paw pads or on gums. If your animal friend objects to the alcohol taste, you can always mix a few drops into a teaspoon of purified water before dosing. When a situation is an acutely, occurring trauma (as described earlier when discussing seizures), often one dose of Rescue Remedy will stop the panic immediately. But if the stressful situation is happening in the future, please remember that often a few doses will be needed.

In chronic situations, I sometimes see people give up after a few days of using the essences. In many cases, these are old, embedded behaviors that originated years earlier and can not be corrected overnight. Also, working through chronic behavioral problems often takes more than one combinations of essences. On numerous occasions I have had to work four to six months with patients, using various essence combinations to achieve a complete cure.

The other factor that will help achieve success with treating animals (and people) for non acute or chronic situations is how the essences are administered and how frequently they are given. Success with essences is often based on the consistency of dosing. In humans, we recommend a few drops on the tongue four times a day, or put in a glass of water and sip throughout the day. When working with animals, we have to be a little creative in how we get the animal to absorb the essences. For instance, a healthy cat, does not drink much water. I have found the suggestion of putting essences in a water bowl, not very affective with cats (unlike dogs or birds). The essences will often evaporate before they are ingested. So, I encourage my feline owners to put a few drops on the animals canned or home prepared food* twice daily, then dose orally once or twice daily, and you can also rub into their ear flaps. Though sometimes difficult due to time and other constraints, I usually find the quickest and best results occur the more oral doses are given. The animal has to be ingesting or receiving the essences in some way, at least four times a day to start, at least for the first few days. After a week or so, sometimes the dosing can be reduced to three times. Once you have established a good dosing schedule please stay on this until you see maximum results have been achieved. In some cases the behavior may continue to improve through a whole bottle of essences. I have seen a few (though rare) cases where after a few days, the behavior will completely turn around. In any case, if the animals emotional progress has improved and then plateaued for a few days, it is time to stop the current essences and/or go on to other essence(s).

This article is not meant to be a comprehensive treatise on using the Bach essences for animals. If you do not have any books on treating animals with essences, I encourage you to purchase one or two. They will be greatly helpful in choosing the right essences, as well as learning how to dose properly. If you have a chronic behavioral problem with your animal companion, that you cannot resolve on your own, please consider consulting with an experienced BFRP who works with animals.

Be patient. Your animal friends are beautiful little individuals, and flower essence therapy is a highly individualized form of healing. It sometimes takes a few tries to find the right essences. Be consistent with your dosing. The time and effort you put into working with the essences will be so wonderfully rewarded. As you watch an animal personality blossom, fears dissolve, and emotional balance achieved, it will be all be worth it!

*(Author's note: Though this article is not meant to discuss animal nutrition, it is my opinion after many years of research and working with animals, especially cats, that a strictly dry food diet is neither appropriate or sufficient. Quality canned foods and/or a home prepared meat based diet is essential for numerous health functions, mainly those of the urinary tract and digestive system)

Kim Rockshaw, MM, DIHom, BFRP, is a homeopath and Bach Flower Essence Practitioner living in So. California . Ms. Rockshaw became interested in holistic medicine in 1988, after suffering her own severe health challenges. She started using Homeopathy and Flower Essences on animals while working as the Medical Director at an Animal Shelter in Illinois . After moving to California, in 1992, she earned her degree in homeopathy and later went through the Nelson Bach Foundation training to become a Bach Flower Essence Registered Practitioner. Besides this training, she has had a strong medical background in working with domesticated animals. Besides her consulting practice, she maintains a private, licensed sanctuary for cats with special needs. She is also currently authoring a book, entitled

“ Prozac Free Pets”: Simple, Safe Holistic Treatments for Your Pets Little (and not so Little) Behavioral and Emotional Problems. The book, which will be published in the late spring of 2008, advises on using homeopathy, flower essences and some behavior modification, to treat animals with emotional imbalances.

Ms. Rockshaw offers consultations for both physical ailments (chronic, serious illness as well as acute) and emotional problems. She uses homeopathy, Bach flower essences, supplements, herbs and nutrition. Currently, much of her practice is devoted to working with animals and she much of her work is done by phone consultations (many clients are long distance). For further information, you may visit her website at: www.kimrockshaw.com or call (949)-366-6818.

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