Helping Your Service Dog with Bach Remedies
Support the Health of Your Working Dog with an Alternative Technique
Oct 12, 2009
Service animals (hearing dogs, guide dogs, mobility dogs and other types of assistance dogs for the disabled) and working dogs (search and rescue dogs, law enforcement dogs, show dogs, and others) have challenges placed on them on a daily basis which most pets never have to face. They can benefit from the special support offered by some of the Bach flower essences.
What Types of Challenges Does My Working Dog Face?
- Most working dogs are quite happy to be doing tasks that help us humans, but like our regular pets they can absorb our moods fairly easily. So be aware that if you become depressed, traumatized, or burned out from either your type of work or your disability, your dog can experience these feelings as well.
- The canines who assist us physically in various ways work hard. Even if you care for your service animal exceptionally well, s/he can become depleted of energy from physical work.
- Many of our four-legged assistants are required to watch over us and/or watch their surroundings on our behalf continuously while awake. They naturally develop the quality of hypervigilance. The longer they must carry out this task, the more they can use up their energy. Energy is utilized for more than just physical tasks--concentration and focus take energy too.
- Our working dogs tend to be periodically involved in a crisis, such as when an owner goes into a seizure, or when its police officer partner is attacked. The dog may even become injured during a crisis, depending on its job. Think of the search and rescue dogs called in to help after September 11th. They faced hazardous conditions and physical obstacles, long hours, wounded paws, and unsuccessful outcomes.
- Owners may become hospitalized and absent from their dogs for extended periods of time. Broken bonds are stressful to our animals.
- Even show dogs have their challenges. They often spend much of their time traveling and confined in order to gather the wins needed for them to qualify for the most important competitions.
- Service animals and working dogs can become particularly stressed when they perceive their humans to be in danger.
Bach (pronounced Batch) flower essences are gentle homeopathic remedies in liquid drop form They can delicately restore your service dog's emotional strength and psychological equilibrium. The bottles, available in 38 essences and one composite (Rescue Remedy), are filled with "mother tinctures" which can be further diluted depending upon need and situation. The manufacturers of the essences have also recently produced a pocket pack of five doses of Rescue Remedy, which is very handy to have on hand in emergency situations to calm a stressed or agitated animal.
Place two drops of any single essence or composite formula, or four drops of Rescue Remedy into your dog's water dish, on his nose or paws to lick off, in his bath water, or on your hands (diluted with spring water only) to stroke on the ears and body. Single essences may be used or you can make up a composite formula with three or four of them tailored to the dog's needs. Use spring water and glass, ceramic, or stainless steel as containers for a remedy formula. Plastic can leach into the formula and render it contaminated.
Which Essence to Choose
Always check with your veterinarian to rule out or treat physical ailments first. Below are some suggestions for which essences to use in specific situations.
- shock, trauma, or severe stress--Rescue Remedy (may be added to other essences)
- excessive agitation or unaccountable fears--Aspen (Vervain may be added)
- overwhelmed by a sense of responsibility (especially good for service and working dogs)--Elm (can add Hornbeam)
- exhaustion due to overwork--Olive
- loss of sense of purpose (excellent for retiring working, service, and show dogs)-- Wild Oat plus Walnut and/or Honeysuckle
- difficulty learning; repeated mistakes--Chestnut Bud
- disinterest in surroundings, difficulty paying attention--Clematis (if a symptom of burnout, give with Rescue Remedy and Olive or Hornbeam)
- excessive grooming--Crab Apple (if a symptom of burnout or traumatization, give with Rescue Remedy and Aspen)
- lack of confidence or avoidance of work--Larch
- apprehension--Mimulus (add Rescue Remedy if this is the result of a service-related trauma)
- lack of tolerance of events and situations--Beech (can be given prior to carrying out a work task; search and rescue dogs can also benefit from Crab Apple afterward)
- depression--Mustard (may add Elm and/or Pine)
- loss of strength (especially for search and rescue dogs and service animals)--Oak
- overcare of others, hypervigilance--Red Chestnut (may add Oak)
- grief or despondency due to separation or loss--Gentian
It may not seem that such a gentle liquid in tiny doses can be the huge help that it can be for your service or working dog. Since it can't harm the animal, give it a try and observe the relief and support it brings. You may be surprised and decide to take some too!
Resource: nelsons natural world
 |
