Dr. Edward Bach was a traditionally trained physician who developed his own form of therapeutic remedies using flower essences in the 1930s. Bach tested each of his remedies on himself and then offered them to other medical practitioners to use in their practices.

Bach believed that a positive mindset could be restored by using the energy found in flowers, plants, and trees. Flower essences work on the mental and emotional states of an individual rather than their physical symptoms. The theory is that physical issues start with an emotional imbalance.

In simple terms, flower essences are used to correct emotional imbalances by replacing negative emotions with positive ones.

Nora Weeks, who was Dr. Bach’s assistant, was the first person to document the use of flower essences in the treatment of animals. She said, “Animals suffer from moods in the same way as human beings, . . . the remedies help man and beast alike.”

Nowadays there is wide use of flower essences among veterinarians, pet owners, dog trainers animal behaviorists, and breeders. Please note that flower essences are not a substitute for proper veterinary care and nutrition.

Flower essences are prepared by floating freshly picked flowers in pure spring water for several hours in direct sunlight. The blossoms are then removed and the water is stored and preserved with alcohol in a small, dark bottle.

Several flower essences can be given at the same time, although a single-essence program is often very effective in treating common pet ailments. Flower essences are completely safe. There are no dangers of over-dosing your pet and there are no side effects. Flower essences can also be used in combination with other types of medication—both traditional and homeopathic.

Health food stores typically stock flower essences or they can be purchased on the Internet. They come in both oral and creams. They usually work best when given four times a day (every six hours), although the most important doses are those given in the early morning and late evening.

The liquid form can be given directly into the pet’s mouth. If your pet is fussy it can be dropped into its water bowl. If multiple pets in your household drink from the same water bowl, it will not hurt them at all.

Rescue Remedy is widely considered to be the most important flower remedy in periods of high emotional stress in animals. It consists of a mixture of five different flower essences: impatiens, clematis, rock rose, cherry plum, and Star of Bethlehem. Some vets use it to calm animals down before exams or surgeries.

Many pet owners also find that Rescue Remedy offers comfort to their pet in times of stress, such as during thunderstorms and fireworks.

There are many other types of flower essences available. Selecting the correct combination to give your pet can sometimes be a challenge. There are many books available on the topic as well as numerous veterinarians who could help you decide which flower essences are best for your pet.

Keeping a pet dog healthy is done very much in the same way keeping humans healthy is. Dogs need regular exercise and activity, healthy nutritional foods, and plenty of water too. Unfortunately, many dogs have adopted human lifestyle habits, and because of this we’ve seen increasingly more health problems occurring in dogs too. And the bad news is, even dog owners who think they’re feeding their pet healthy nutritional foods often find out that it’s not as good for them as they thought it was.

The answer lies in human food. But not quite what you might be thinking of. Truly healthy human food is rich in vitamins, minerals, good fats and protein. Dogs should not be fed fillers, junk foods, sugars, and starches though. These things can make them fat, and even cause internal damage to the organs and digestive system too. Dogs need to eat much more protein and fats than humans do though, because their bodies are made up of almost pure muscle mass, and they burn fat very fast.

One of the best foods you can feed your dog are raw meats and ground bone meal. Bones are extremely healthy for a dogs teeth, coat, eyes and muscles, but some types of full sized bones can tear or injure the dog’s stomach or intestinal tract, particularly if the dog swallows pieces of bones whole instead of chewing them up.

It’s also a good idea to add additional nutrition to your dogs meat based diet is to simply give them supplements. Kelp for instance, is packed with minerals and nutrients that are essential for any animals health. Garlic and onion are also packed with vitamins and nutrients, plus they have the added benefit of helping keep fleas and ticks away.

Cooked meats are a better dog food than store bought processed version too, so if you’re reluctant to give the dog raw meats then simply cook enough meat at dinner time to share.

Some types of vegetables are excellent sources of nutrition for dogs too. Like humans though, certain types of foods may give the dog gas or indigestion, so introduce new human foods a little at a time to be sure nothing is making them feel ill.

Giving your dog omega 3 fatty acids in supplement or seafood form will do wonders for both his skin and his coat too. The skin becomes softer, dryness and flakiness problems clear up, and the coat shines beautifully.

As previously mentioned, many flea and tick medications warn us to use rubber gloves when applying. Often the package warnings say to apply in a well ventilated area, or while wearing a mask. Surely something so toxic shouldn’t be put on our closest friends and companions.

Thankfully, there are many ways to naturally help control or repel fleas and ticks on your dog. These natural alternatives are much safer and healthier for both people and the animals we love. Let’s look at several home and natural flea and tick remedies:

Easy Flea Collar for dogs and Cats

Place 4 drops of cedar essential oil (use Cedrus atlantica, not Juniperus mexicana or Juniperus virginia as they can be toxic to pets) on a fabric collar, piece of rope, or bandanna. Seal it in an airtight plastic bag or jar and leave overnight. It will permeate the entire cloth and remain effective for two weeks. Just tie it around the animal’s neck. When it needs charging up, place it back in the jar and repeat.

To make a tick repelling collar, follow the same directions above but also add 1 to 2 drops each of opopanax and palmarosa essential oils.

Flea Powder

You can also dilute essential oils in powders. Baking soda, which also deoderizes, is great for this; however you can also use rice flower, cornstarch, or any other non toxic powder. If you use clay, use a mild one that won’t dry the skin excessively.

Flea Powder (for dogs & cats)

Combine 3 parts atlas cedar, 2 parts pine, and 1 part niaouli or tea trea oil.

Other Natural Flea and Tick Remedies

Vinegar. Use organic white, red, or apple cider vinegar only. Mix one part vinegar to one part water, and put it in a spray bottle to spritz the spots which are itching the most. Vinegar soothes and relieves skin irritations and itching.

You can also mix vinegar into the bath water for you dog, and you can even add a small teaspoon to his water bowl to help repel fleas and ticks internally. When using vinegar in spray bottle or both form, try to avoid getting it in the dog’s ear or eyes because it can sting.

Lemon. Lemon juice or essential oils work wonderfully to naturally repel ticks and fleas from your dog. Just mix one part lemon juice to one part water, then dab it on the problem areas. You can also use a spray bottle to apply the lemon water mix, or simply dip the dog’s brush into the mixture and apply it while brushing him. Like vinegar, the lemon juice can sting the dog’s eyes and ears, so be careful around those areas.

An alternative to lemon juice is to use lemon based essential oils such as lemon balm or lemongrass. Simply put a drop or two at the back of the neck and on the dog’s rump, and this will help keep the fleas and ticks at bay. If you grow fresh herbs, you can tuck a fresh leaf of lemon balm into his collar too.

Garlic. This is an excellent natural repellant that most dogs love. Simply feed them a little garlic several times each week, and their body will naturally have an odor that repels the fleas and ticks.

Garlic comes in large bulbs which contain multiple smaller pieces called cloves. Feeding one clove at a time about three times each week is usually more than enough for dogs up to 50 pounds. You can chop or grind the garlic into the dog’s food if you’d like, but many dogs will eat a clove of garlic whole anytime it’s offered to them. Garlic will also give your dog additional nutrient and boost his immune system.

Reference: Flea Control Secrets

Sad to say, but many pet’s develop emotional problems that turn into a deathly disease. Each year millions of otherwise healthy pets are destroyed so that their owners can get some relief from their pet’s behavior problems. Unruliness, excessive barking, aggressiveness, urinating in the home, and destructiveness top the list of crimes punishable by death.

Even when pet owners don’t choose euthanasia for behavior problems, pets are often abandoned to animal shelters. However, in many cases a pet’s behavior problem can be changed and even solved completely without the use of expensive behavior therapy and training. In fact, a problem can be solved quite simply using little money with the help of flower essences.

Many people believe that an animal’s true nature becomes distorted after spending an extended period of time with humans. As a result, certain behavior problems can emerge. Flower essences can be used to restore balance in our pet’s lives.

Pets often respond to flower essence treatments more quickly than people do, perhaps because they don’t come equipped with the emotional baggage we all know as ‘skepticism’. Nothing makes a believer out of a nonbeliever better than seeing firsthand a pet’s dramatic response to a flower essence program.

Many veterinarians and other animal behaviorists recommend flower essences to the owner of a trouble pet. Sometimes only treating the owner results in a positive behavioral change in the pet! Animals are very sensitive to their owner’s emotional state. Pets, by nature, will both absorb and reflect the emotional climate of their household, whether good or bad. Animal behaviorist Michael Fox refers to this phenomenon as ‘sympathetic resonance’.

Pets seem to read human body language better than people do. Most pet owners also do not understand the real world of animal behavior and therefore consider it normal for animals to act in human ways. Therefore, they inappropriately apply human qualities to them.

For example, when Fido destroys the house he’s doing it because ‘he’s mad at me’ or when Fifi pees on the boyfriend’s coat she’s doing it because she’s ‘jealous’. Animal behaviorists are only too aware of this problem. Most agree that at least 50% of their work involves treating owners. This includes discovering to what extent the animal’s problem has been influenced by the owner’s behavior and educating them so that the pet doesn’t get into the same state again.

People often fail to recognize stress in their pets because they have come to regard the conditions they impose on them to be normal. It is not normal for a dog to be kept in a crate for hours and hours at a time with no exercise. Many pet owners mis-use the crate as a training tool.

I’m not saying that crates shouldn’t be used for training purposes. They are very effective when used properly. Pet owners simply need to understand that this is only one example of how we have removed from animals their natural territory, pack, pack leader, working and hunting opportunities and substituted a quite unnatural domestic situation. And the only reason we do it is because it works in OUR favor — not theirs.

Behaviors such as biting, chewing, smelling, barking, and scratching occur quite normally in the animalís natural environment. However, they are considered problems when they are used in our environment.

When using flower essences to treat your pet’s behavior problems try putting yourself in your pet’s place. Try to imagine what it feels and senses. Study the indications for each flower essence either by yourself or with a practitioner. You can then determine which are appropriate to use based on your pet’s behavior patterns, personality traits, and emotions.

If your dog is constantly scratching itself, it could mean it has fleas, allergies, ticks or other skin problems. You have to ask yourself if it’s worth it to use harsh chemicals that will remain in the environment and travel throughout the animal’s system.

Because dogs and people generally share the same environment, you have to wonder how it will affect your health. Even something as simple as a flea collar will say in the instructions to wash your hands well after handling it. Most flea or tick medications tell you to wear rubber gloves when applying them.

If these products are so dangerous to humans, why in the world do we continuously put them on our pet dogs?

Dogs are subject to get skin problems just as people do. The skin can become irritated, dry, or flaky due to some irritant in the environment. Fleas and ticks can add to an animal’s misery. Some breeds are more prone to skin problems such as mange, which must be treated properly in order to give the dog some relief and to protect your own health as well.

Many canine skin medications and over-the-counter solutions have harsh dangerous chemicals in them. There are many more natural ways to help relieve your dog’s itching. Which method will work best depends a lot on why the dog is itching to begin with though. Keep in mind that just like humans, many of the most common dog skin problems are related to poor nutrition or health. By boosting their vitamin and mineral intake, you can often relieve these problems completely naturally.

A quick soothing relief for itching and irritation is to use diluted organic vinegar applied externally. Put it on with a cotton ball, or simply spray the dog’s most irritating itching spots with it. You can also pour the solution over the worst areas, but be sure not to let it get in his eyes or ears. Another way to easily apply it is to simply dip his brush into the solution, then brush it onto him.

If your dog simply has dry flaky skin, then you’ll need to add some additional fat to his diet. You can use standard fish or flax oil supplements for instance, or feed the dog more fresh, real fish instead. Fish and flax oil are what’s called omega 3 fatty acids, and these are essential to daily health in both animals and humans. Feeding these to your dog will help his skin dryness go away, and his coat will become much glossier and softer too. As the skin dryness clears up though, his itching will be relieved.

Homeopathy

If hot spots are acute, try the following remedies in low potency:

• Belladonna – sudden onset; skin is very hot and red; dog is agitated
• Calendula – Soothes heat; promotes healing.
• Sulphur – Coat tends to be rough and dry.
• Urtica urens – Itching is intense.

Herbal Support

• Calendula-hypericum lotion. Apply with a cottonball as often as 5 times a day or every 30 minutes, as needed. If your dog is sensitive to be touched in the affected area, try putting the lotion in a mist sprayer for a more gentle application.
• Oatmeal soaks. If your dog is constantly scratching at the hot spot, an oatmeal soak is an excellent way to break the itch cycle and provide relief. Simply stuff a cotton sock with oatmeal and soak it in hot water until a gooey emulsion forms. Let it cool, and lay it gently over the area.
• Tea bag soak. Green and black tea have astringent properties that will help dry the hot spot.

As for fleas, bathing alone is ineffective. The best natural product is the flea comb. Try dipping it in soapy water before combing the dog. This will drown the fleas and prevent re-infestation. Oral remedies include garlic, brewer’s yeast, or thiamin supplements.

Topical remedies such as pennyroyal, citronella, and eucalyptus oils also repel fleas, but can be toxic to puppies and cats. A light flea repellent is 1/2 ounce citronella oil, 1 ounce eurcalyptus oil, 4 ounces aloe vera juice, and 4 ounces witch hazel extract. Cedar beds also make effective repellents as long as covers are washed regularly.

If you’re interested in holistic pet care, it’s only natural to have questions about how to give your pet flower essences. When you purchase a bottle of Bach flower remedies, or any other brand of flower essence, it will come in a small brown bottle.

You only need to use a little bit of the solution at a time. One bottle will probably last you for several years; however, remember to keep an eye on the expiration date. Store it at room temperature and away from direct sunlight. Also make sure you keep flower essences away from electrical appliances such as television sets, microwave ovens, and other electrical applicances.

There are actually multiple ways to give flower essences to your pet. Choose the method that is easiest for you and insures that your pet receives the correct dosage.

Method #1: Apply Directly by Mouth

Flower essences come with a medicine dropper attached to the lid. Just place four drops of the essence directly into your pet’s mouth — under the tongue if possible. Most animals don’t like the taste of flower essences and will probably not like this method too much!

Method #2: Apply to Lips, Nose, or Paw Pads

Place four drops either on your pet’s lips, nose, or paw pads. This way he will lick it off or it will be absorbed directly into the skin.

Method #3: Apply to Drinking Water

You can place 4 drops of the essence into your pet’s drinking water several times a day.

Method #4: Prepare a Therapeutic Spray Bottle

Add four drops to a small misting spray bottle containing water. Mist the air around your pet with the spray bottle. This may not work for some pets that don’t like being sprayed or misted with water as they have associated it with a form of punishment.

Feel free to use a combination of the above methods to ensure that your pet receives treatment as least four times daily. For example, if you are only able to apply the essences directly in his mouth in the morning and the evening that’s fine. Just place a couple of drops in his drinking water before you leave for work.

Giving more drops will not harm your pet but it probably won’t help him either. Only a small amount of flower essence is needed to have the desired effect. You are only wasting the flower essence by giving more than what’s needed.

Your pet should stay on the flower essences regimen until you see noticeable and stabilized results. Sometimes results will be seem immediately. In other cases this may take between five days and two weeks.

If no changes are seen within this period of time, it’s normally one of three problems: The correct essence(s) is not being used, dosage directions are not being properly followed, or (gasp!) the owner, not the pet, is the cause of the problem.