Animals are an important part of the lives of many people; they contribute to our emotional health and well-being and are loving companions. We want to give them the best care possible and ensure that they live healthy, well-balanced lives, both emotionally and physically. Flower essences are a marvellous and natural way to help your pet live a harmonious and balanced life. Flower essences contain the energetic healing pattern of flowers, infused in water. Dr. Edward Bach discovered the first 38 flower essences in England in the 1930s. Today, thousands of other flower essences are being made all over the world. Animals have an immediate and very open response to the energetic qualities of flower essences as they are not subject to the placebo effect or the types of doubt or scepticism that are present in humans. While we tend to think of treating only dogs or cats, all animals (wild or domesticated) can greatly benefit from flower essences.

Although all flower essences are suitable for animals several flower essence producers have considerable experience working with animals, in particular Lila Devi of the Master's Flower essences and Molly Sheehan of Green Hope Farm. Lila Devi has written a book Flower essences for Animals: Remedies for Helping the Pets You Love (available in English in October, 2000) which describes in detail the use of the 20 Master's Flower essences for treating animals. The Green Hope Farm essences are stabilised without alcohol in a base of organically grown red shiso and a small amount of white vinegar. Molly Sheehan has brought out a special range of 22 combination essences which she calls the Animal Wellness Collection to meet the needs of animals in situations ranging from overcoming the scars of abandonment or abuse to helping a dying animal pass on in peace.

Animals possess thoughts, feelings and emotions which are similar to those experienced by humans, and in many cases mirror the emotional state of their «owners». They help us by absorbing energetically some of our own disharmony when we are stressed, emotionally distraught or physically ill. One of my dogs develops stomach problems if someone in the family or a visitor is unwell, so I am particularly attentive to his essence needs at such times. essences which protect  animals from absorbing negativity from humans include Flee Free (Green Hope Farm) and Blackberry (Master's).

Once absorbed, some animals discharge this negativity in aggressive behaviour or spraying. One woman noticed that every time she and her husband had an argument, her two cats would fight. She overcame this problem by using Crystal Clear (a space clearing essence from Petaltone)  to clean the energy of her home. Outburst or Spraying essences from Green Hope Farm also help animals discharge negativity in a benign manner.

Animals also have their own issues such as sadness, timidity, jealousy, fear. essences can be an effective means of helping them deal with these complex emotions. The Master's Pineapple essence helps an animal to overcome shyness and a lack of self-confidence, while Tomato essence is good for fear-based behaviour. A friend used flower essences to cure a horse who had the nasty habit of biting anyone who approached him (an issue of fear and lack of self-confidence). Not only did he lick the essences from her hand but asked for more. Animals who have been abandoned or abused can be treated with the Master's Pear and Grape essences or the Green Hope Farm Abandonment and Abuse essence. Think of using Grief & Loss essence from Green Hope Farm or Orange essence from the Master's  when a caretaker, friend or animal companion dies, break-up of family, for despair, depression, and grief. Animals also need help adjusting to change.  I recently used flower essences with my two dogs, a 10 year old Dalmatian and a 7 year old Malinois, when introducing a kitten at home.  I selected Jealousy, Neediness and New Beginnings from Green Hope Farm, and Boab from Australian Bush to break the instinctive behaviour of chasing cats.

The most useful all-round essences are rescue remedy-type essences like Pear (Masters) and Animal Emergency Care (Green Hope Farm). Use these essences to deal with any shock, anxiety, panic, change in normal routine, traumatic situation (like a visit to the vet, accident, illness), as well as for birthing (give to both mother and baby). These essences are also good for treating stunned birds who fly into glass windows and also for quieting nervous horses.

When selecting essences for animals, the same basic principle is applied as when selecting essences for humans: treat the individual and not the disease. What is looked at is the situation and behaviour of the animal, not the physical symptoms that may be present. But it is important to realise that a certain behaviour such as excessive barking, will not always have the same cause in all animals. Therefore there is not just one essence that is for excessive barking, but rather a variety of essences that may be appropriate, depending on the underlying reason for the behaviour (fear, need for attention, hypersensitivity to some stimulus etc). It is important to note that flower essences do not replace proper veterinary treatment although they can be used along side any type of veterinary care.

One of the best ways to find out what your animal needs is to use kinesiology or pendulum dowsing. Another way is to carefully observe the behaviour of the animal and try to find an essence description that fits. Getting in touch with your own feelings may show you what is going on with your pet. It is not uncommon for «owner» and pet to need the same remedies.

Administering Essences

For the essences to work, they must be introduced into the animal's energy field at least 2 or 3 times a day. There are various ways to accomplish this:

• You can put the drops directly in the animal's mouth, have him lick the drops out of your hand, or place the drops on his skin.
   
• You can put the drops in the animal's water.
   
• You can put 7 drops in 50 ml of water in a spray bottle and mist over the animal (my preferred method).