Pets Tune in to Your Feelings

Last week we were talking about how the economy can make you sick - because according to a Stanford University study, 95% of all illness is caused by stress.

Have you thought about how your stress affects your pets? When you're ill or upset what do they do? A friend told me this evening that when she's sick, one of her dogs hovers - stays right by her side and "fusses" over her. The other one hides.

Both of these animals are reacting to her feelings, each in his or her own way.
And both are feeling stress because the person they love is under the stress of illness.

Pay attention to your pets. Are they behaving differently these days? It could be because they're picking up on your feelings about the economy - or about your illness or your worries about the illness of a loved one.

Keep an eye on them, and if you see behavior changes, consider treating them with Bach Flower Essences before their stress causes a physical ailment as well.

Feel Bach! has a questionnaire designed just for pets - and it will help you choose just the right combination of Bach flower essences to help them through this difficult time.

In addition to the fact that you love your pets and want them to be healthy and happy, having them become ill is a stress you just don't need!

Choosing the correct Bach flower remedy

Before I tell you about a letter we got this week, I have to do a little "Yippee" dance here regarding the weather.

Finally, today, it appears that maybe I'm NOT living in a land of perma-snow. Today I could actually see the piles melting - with puddles on the ground around them. AND I found a lily poking it's nose up in one of the flower beds that's finally melted off.

An even better sign of spring - I pulled my first weed of the season! (Leave it to me to be excited about weeds.)

There's still a good foot of snow out in the meadows, but around the house it's going away, and I'm celebrating!

Now... back to the pets.

We had a letter from a lady who was very concerned about her dog's fearfulness. She's afraid of everything outside, and alert to every little sound in the house - nervous all the time.

I recommended Feel5ive as a general remedy to calm her and lessen her anxiety, but then I thought more about it. Unfortunately she hadn't told us if this was a new problem, or something the dog had suffered with since puppy-hood.

If it was a new problem, it could have stemmed from some event in her life - or some event in the life of one or more of the humans around her. Dogs are so sensitive to our feelings, that this dog's problem could be along the lines of a sympathetic reaction.

I recommended using the questionaire to really examine all her dog's behavior traits in detail, so the correct blend could be prepared just for her. And then I suggested that she might want to do the same for herself.

As a dog lover, my heart went out to this lady, and my thanks. Some people would just send the dog off to the pound, but she's working to help her be happy. I'm so glad our world has people who care for their pets that way - and so glad that I get to "meet" them, if only through letters.

Bach Flower Essences and your pet's mind-body connection

Our pets are becoming so much like children now - especially for us Baby Boomers whose human children have left the nest. I wonder if keeping them with us like we do doesn't make them suffer from more human emotions than we realize.

For instance, my old Harry dog chewed holes in his feet and his tail - and it didn't matter what I tried to stop it, I couldn't. I used every kind of soothing shampoo I could find, rinsed him thoroughly, applied salve, monitored his diet, gave him Benadryl - everything I could think of.

I was treating him for a physical ailment - with no luck - but now I wonder if his chewing wasn't the result of emotional distress when I left him alone for hours every day when I went to work. He was never naughty when I left, but he did always look sad when he watched me go.

According to an article I just read, The Bach Flower Essence Agrimony works to cure both skin conditions such as Harry's and restlessness. It mentioned using Agrimony for wild animals who are caged and constantly pace back and forth, as well as for pets who just can't seem to settle down and those who seem to "suffer in silence."

Based on that information, it makes me wonder if skin irritations aren't very closely related to emotional disturbances that keep us and our pets from feeling at ease. I had assumed that Harry had an allergy - but perhaps it was an emotional allergy and not a physical one.

If you have a pet who chews like Harry did, it would be worth trying. The article also said that Agrimony would ease other skin irritations, such as flea bites, sore sutures, etc.

Of course, if you have a skin irritation it would also be a good idea to consider what emotional state might be causing it. You just might find that a few drops of Bach Flower Essences every day will cure you while prescription drugs do nothing.

Luckily, some bright physicians are finally realizing the mind-body connection. But until they all do, it will be up to us to examine our own lives and emotions and take steps to heal ourselves, with help from nature.

Wishing you (and your pets) perfect health...