Flower Essences to Care for Pets' Medical Needs; How Do They Work?

Flower essences are currently being used as an alternative treatment for ailments in pets more than ever. What are they, you might be wondering. Flower essences are a natural remedy that can be used in both pets and their humans to help balance our mental and emotional well being. They use different kinds of flowers, plants and trees to make extracts, which are then diluted for use. The essences allow peace and happiness to return to the mind, so the body is free to heal itself.

How are flower essences made?

Dr. Edward Bach was the first to develop flower essences, for which he found a total of 38 healing plants. The plants are gathered from nature with great care. They can be prepared in one of two different ways. The first is to place them in a clean, glass bowl filled with spring water and left in the sun for three hours. Then the water is transferred to bottles and preserved with alcohol. This is later diluted again with spring water and preserved with more alcohol. The other way consists of boiling the plants in spring water before being treated in the same way as the sun method.

What are some flower essence blends?

There are too many blends to list them all here. The most common blend is the "Bach Rescue Remedy", which is a combination of five essences that acts to calm stress and fear; this blend is often used to revive animals that are in shock. There are also flower essence blends to help with both emotional and physical issues in pets. Emotional problems, for example, consist of separation anxiety, noise anxiety, bad habits and so on. They can also act as a pain reliever for arthritis, digestion problems, skin irritation and other forms of pain.

How are the essences administered?

You can either place a drop directly in your pet's mouth, or on his nose to lick off. Refrain from touching him with the dropper to avoid contaminating the bottle of essences. You can also place a few drops in his drinking water, or you can rub some directly onto non-irritated, unbroken skin. Another option is to drop some of the essences into a spritzer bottle and spray the vicinity.

How soon can I see results?

Animals typically respond well to flower essences, and you should be able to see the results fairly quickly. When administered correctly, you should start to see results in a couple days. This, however, depends entirely upon your individual pet. Of course, you should always monitor your pet's progress and watch for both positive and negative effects.

Where can I get flower essences?

You will find flower essences in virtually any health food store. You may even find them in pet stores; these essences were made especially with pets in mind. They can be formulated especially for separation anxiety, aggression and so on.

References
Flower Essences for Dogs
Flower Essence Blends for Dogs

** Note: Flower essences are not a replacement for other treatments and approaches; they are simply meant to enhance the effects of other remedies and to promote the overall well-being of your pet. If your pet is displaying any form of health or behavioral problems, please consult with your veterinarian.**