Animals, being highly sensitized to the “bottled nature” in flower essences, can respond wonderfully, without any negative side effects. This said, if there is any kind of reaction, please read on:

Ellen’s Letter

Hello!

I wanted to order your Spinach Essence, but my dog is very sensitive to brandy. Her stomach has become quite bad.

Do you offer this with an alternative preservative—if even a less longer lasting essence?

Ellen

My Response

Dear Ellen,

Thank you for writing and for sharing about your dog’s stomach problem. I do hope she will be okay.

There’s a very simple answer to the issue you mentioned, even though our Stock Concentrate has about ¼ brandy as a preservative. One question I’d have is, how much are you giving her in each dosage? Only a couple drops at a time are necessary, and the amount of brandy in that quantity is negligible.

You may dilute each of her doses by putting 4 drops in a cup of water, and either letting her drink that water, or adding a small amount of that water to her regular drinking bowl. Another option is topical application: to simply place a drop or two behind her ears that can soak into her coat, again several times a day.

Since the essences are vibrational rather than biochemical in nature, the dosage is not decided according to the animal’s body weight. What is important, however, is that she receive it several times throughout the day, until her own life force responds to the vibrational message of the essence, which usually takes 1 to 2 weeks, or less—especially when the essence is given singly instead of in a combination of other essences.

With Spinach Essence, you can look for a renewed sense of playfulness and childlike well-being for your dog. This essence is good for helping older animals to feel and act younger.

You might also like to read the online pet’s chapter in The Essential Flower Essence Handbook, or my second book, Flower Essences for Animals.

I hope this information is helpful. Give your dog a good scratch behind the ears for me, and let me know how she does.

Best to you both,
Lila

Debbie’s Letter:

Hello, Lila! It’s been such a long time. I hope you’re well and that your life is blossoming abundantly!

I’ve recently joined the Organic Chicken Discussion List on YahooGroups because we’re expecting baby chicks this spring–our first little laying flock!

We dialogue about hierarchy problems within the chicken keepers’ flocks, as well as traumas, shocks, roosters who attack owners, hens who are too timid, etc, etc. Obviously, the kind of behaviors that you and I think of essences for, but which is totally outside of their reach…. SO FAR!

So I now want to turn to your animal book and am not seeing–on some quick look-throughs–info about chickens (or geese or ducks, though most are chicken keepers). Any particular area in that book you might recommend? Or do you have some other resources I could point to?

Considering the explosion of backyard chicken keeping – especially for folks who want to raise birds humanely and naturally–this is bound to be a new area of public interest. Any information you can point me to would be great!

Be well, xo,
Debbie

My Response

Hi, Debbie,

Delighted to hear from you! It’s been awhile.

And congrats on the arrival of your new family! That’s wonderful. Sounds like you have some land and some other animals there. Several decades ago when I was herding goats, I acquired a hen and rooster who were very dear to my heart. It was indeed a very special time in my life.

Yes, you are correct, Flower Essences for Animals doesn’t have a specific chapter about chickens and roosters. However, if you haven’t read it yet, the first chapter of the pets book is quite revealing about animals in the greater scheme of their consciousness and evolution.

Feedback has it that many people find our Pear Essence works great for animals kept in large groups. In part, I attribute that to the fact that it is one essence instead of a combination formula. As we work with these essences, we find it best to use a single essence that addresses several issues rather than giving several essences, each for a single issue.

This way, the animal is not overwhelmed, as can sometimes happen when combinations are administered, 3 to 5 essences in a bottle being common. I know I’m treading on thin ice here and that my company is in a complete minority on that point, with combinations being all the rage, but our research shows that animals respond better to single and serial essence programs.

Spraying a yard or coop with Pear plus adding it to the water supply, for peacefulness and emergency support, is a fantastic solution. With larger groups of animals, it’s easier to give a single essence rather than working with the individual personalities and having separate essence regimes for all the different animals.

If there is a significant amount of tension from personality conflicts, Banana Essence works well. Our basic definition for this special essence is: humility rooted in calmness. However for animals, a more fitting description of Banana is cooperation, which is a whole ‘nuther subject.

When I teach the essences for pets and animals–both wild and domesticated–I also explain the importance of honoring their instinctive wisdom. Oftentimes problems arise when we, as well-meaning owners, simply a little education.

For the aggressive rooster, for example: if he sees himself as the keeper of the flock, instinctively as well as hormonally, he may view a human being entering “his” territory as a threat. It would behoove the person to not make eye contact with the rooster and to stand sideways instead of facing him.

Flower essences can be a fine adjunct. However, giving essences to redirect and channel the animal’s energy in more appropriate directions is much more reliable than using them to try to thwart their instinctive behavior.

So, Debbie, these are some thoughts. You’ve raised some important issues here.

I hope this helps, let me know how it goes. Great to hear from you after such a long while.

Please be well, take care, and enjoy the springtime.

In the flowers,
Lila

Debbie’s Response to My Letter

Lila, what perfectly wonderful information!  Thank you for taking the time to put it together for me. I will send some along to the organic  chicken keepers list. They are most receptive!

We live on a 1/2 acre property, and we own and rent out the one next door.

Adding laying hens is an extension of our experiments at self-sufficiency, which is where this all started: just how much can we do with our piece of land? We note the amazing experiments elsewhere with 12 month harvest and multiple cropping even in New England and are very happy to follow along!

If I count correctly, the eggs that will become our chickens will be incubated beginning around April 15, so we are doing our planning now.

xx,
Debbie

As I wrote in my book, Flower Essences for Animals,  “Is it any wonder that animals are our teachers?”

Thanks to their heightened senses—dogs in this instance with their extraordinary sense of smell—canines are also our protectors.

In an article this week, USA Today pays homage to the heroic dogs who are taking a leading role in Iraq’s terror war. These German shepherds, Malinois, and Labradors are trained to sniff out bombs and explosives—a job at which a British-manufactured bomb detection device, used at many airport checkpoints throughout Iraq, has failed. The AE-651, shaped like a staple gun with a television antenna, was recently banned.

Known as bomb-sniffing dogs, these K-9s are trained to catch the subtle scents of luggage, identify any bags that contain bombs, and then sit on them.

Says Brig. Gen. Mohannad Mesheb Hajea, “. . .the dogs’ keen sense of smell makes them invaluable weapons in thwarting terrorists whose calling cards are roadside bombs and explosively rigged vehicles.”  The role of dogs in security the country is becoming more greatly recognized by the Iraqi security forces.

With a greater awareness of the richness of our pets’ presence in our lives—and of their ability to heroically save our lives if the need arises—we can stand in awe as we teach them to sit, fetch, and roll over. That same life force that animates the flowers is abundantly present in their animated forms.

What better reason to treat them with flower essences?

Angie’s Letter

I have a one-and-a-half-year-old German shepherd who chases his tail.

Its seems as though he does it when he gets aggravated. He spins constantly and does this while either barking or moaning for his tail. Sometimes when he is still, lying on the floor, and you go to pet him, he gets mad and starts spinning.

I don’t want to get rid of him, but I don’t know how dangerous this is.

We have him on a prescribed medication. This helps him a little bit but not as much as we would like. Aside from the spinning, he is a fabulous puppy.

Which flower essences would you recommend?

Thanks

Angie

My Response

Dear Angie,

Greetings, and thank you for writing about your dog. By the way, what is his name?

Tail chasing can become a stereotypic behavior, which is defined as “a ritualistic, repetitive, constant sequence of movements that appears to serve no obvious function.” This is more common with certain breeds of dogs (such as bull terriers and German shepherds), and can sometimes occur when they are overly confined.

It would be helpful to know your boy’s past history; if he’s left alone; what comprises his diet (in fact, recent studies have shown a correlation between high cholesterol and disruptive, compulsive behaviors in dogs); if he has had other homes; if there are other dogs or animals in your home; if he receives proper, loving, consistent training, etc. etc. But for now, let’s work with the information you provided.

Tail chasing can be a complicated behavior with many different causes, including medical. He may be in some kind of pain; he may need chiropractic; or he could have a disturbing physical condition that is deeply upsetting for him. Or he may simply be expressing some form of anxiety. In addition, tail chasing may be attention-seeking behavior. Lastly, though not likely as you described the situation, he may be bored.

Since flower essences may help considerably and also will not cause harm in the form of any side effects, you could try him on the following program: Strawberry Essence for 3 days, to help him orient in a solid way to his environment; followed by Orange Essence for 2 days, to help with his sense of panic; then Peach Essence for 6 days, in case there is a need for nurturing or if he left his birth mother too soon; and lastly, Almond Essence for 7 days, to address the repetitive, self-comforting aspect of his behavior.

Please let me know how he does on this program.

Very best wishes, and a scratch behind the ears for your boy,

Lila

Pets dealing with illness or infirmity can benefit greatly from having a sense of equilibrium and harmony restored, which is exactly what Pear Essence can provide. We received this feedback from a flower essence client this week:

“I’ve had my bunny on Pear. My bunny has a cancerous tumor and we want to treat her holistically. Since I’ve been giving her Pear Essence, she’s been doing remarkably better. She’s kind of like her old ‘bunny self,’ and she doesn’t seem sick like she did before. She definitely doesn’t seem to have the level of pain that I thought she had last week, which was concerning me.

“She’s just hoppin’ around, chewing on her chew toys and, for all intents and purposes, being her happy-bunny self. Her spirits are really good.

“The Pear that we’re giving her looks like it’s shifted something and seems to be helping her. We did want to make sure she wasn’t suffering. And right now, she seems really energetic and active, just like her old self, except an older version.

“I just wanted to say thank you for that.”

Not all flower essence consultations go as we hope they will, even with the purest of intentions on our part as practitioners. Here is one such case that I hope has a happy ending.

Eleanor is a longtime customer of Spirit-in-Nature Essences and uses them on occasion for problems with her cats.

Dear Eleanor,

I am so sorry you were displeased with our phone consult this morning and that you felt put on the defensive. That was not my intention at all.

If you think back on our session, I didn’t say that you were a bad mother to your cats. I have never, nor would I ever, say that to a client.

My job in helping the animals through flower essences is to look at the bigger picture, which is why a consult is often better than just email correspondence. During the session, I “listen” to the animals through the owner and, in a sense, act as their “voice.”

Usually people who love their pets dearly, as you do, will encounter problems by simply, inadvertently misunderstanding their instinctive needs. This is very common; it happens all the time and there is no judgment. It is often a case of the animal expressing appropriate behavior but in inappropriate ways.

Feeding more food doesn’t necessarily mean weight gain. It may be that your cat does in fact need more food and/or more aerobic, interactive playtime to keep her weight down, especially since she’s now strictly an indoor cat with a previous history of roaming freely outdoors. And if she does end up eating too much—again, there is a reason for her behavior.

Through that behavior—barring medical conditions that are unlikely because she is still young—she is telling you something about her needs, in her own way.

If you remember, I didn’t say to let your cats outside in dangerous ways, only in safe, protected ways. I did my best to work with their reality/situation as well as yours, and to craft an essence program that would be best for them. I feel this was accomplished through the essences I suggested and hope you have great success with them.

To give a flower essence program without taking other lifestyle factors into consideration can often mean a less effective flower essence response for the animal. This is why we discussed so many issues related to your cat’s care and well-being.

My office will send you the Fig Essence, since you already have both the Date and Pear Essences. Please let me know how it goes.

 Also, my deep condolences on the loss of your mother. She sounds like a very fine, special person.

Best wishes to all of you,

Lila Devi

SiNE Founder

Flower Essences for reptiles? Sure, why not! Here’s a flower essence program for 2 lizards who haven’t been getting along with each other.

Hi Lila,

I have two indoor pet lizards, troubling each other with violent sibling rivalry, and I’m sure that they could greatly benefit from a flower essence program. They are male and female, same age (16 months). This problem has been severe for about 8 months but there were hints of it before then.

They have been separated for about a year, but do interact at times (which usually results in an aggressive attempt from the male). They are siblings and so have been together since birth. While it’s hard to discipline lizards, we make sure not to reward negative behaviour and are quick to separate or distract them if things are likely to escalate. Both get plenty of human interaction, environmental enrichment and some carefully monitored “together” time.

Regards,

Sandra

Dear Sandra,

How are you?

I can see why you were thinking of Grape Essence, being for territorial issues. However, as territorial creatures, it’s to be expected that they wouldn’t want to “hang out” together. As mentioned in my book, Flower Essences for Animals, flower essences will not override an animal’s instinctive behavior, though they can be used to support that behavior. Let’s look at some other flower essence options below.

You didn’t mention their particular breed, but lizards by nature are solitary, not social, animals. So the fact that they don’t get along, even though they grew up together, is instinctive behavior on their part. Putting them together rather than having separate living spaces for them can “put them off their feed,” which can be a symptom of their stress.

When we use flower essences, they always support the animals’ instinctive wisdom, since that’s what they’ve been given by Mother Nature. In other words, their behavior is purely instinct-driven, which means it’s pre-determined by both their species and breed. Territorialsim is not “bad” behavior on their part, nor do they have a choice in that behavior. It’s perfectly normal.

Flower essences can be used to enhance their innate wisdom. In the case of your boy and girl, they could both be given Lettuce Essence for one week to help them feel calm and “heard” at the same time. Through their behavior, they are doing their best to communicate with you and to express what they need for their well-being. Most likely, you’ll be seeing at least the beginning of results within the first 3 days of putting it in their fresh water supply each morning.

Next, you can give them Corn Essence, for vitality and new beginnings. Once their natural boundary instincts have been honored, they can relax into their new life.

To complete their program, Peach, our “mothering essence” for unselfishness is suggested–which might seem to contradict everything I’ve just written! Yet in their case, Peach Essence is for nurturing each of them and helping them to feel that it’s okay for them to be exactly who they are, and to be accepted on their instinctive terms. To put it simply, Peach Essence can let them know that it’s okay to be lizards!

As I quote at the beginning of Flower Essences For Animals, “Anything will give up its secrets if you love it enough.” (George Washington Carver) Rest assured, with an understanding of their special needs and a compassionate program of flower essences, you can have two very happy reptiles, and two happy caregivers!

Please write and let me know how they do with this program, and give them my best.

Kind regards to you all,

Lila

I recently conducted a consultation for Lynne, a holistic practitioner, whose cat Sally has been expressing litter box problems for several years. Sally urinates on the floor, which is a sign of anxiety and stress, as opposed to near doorways and windows, that indicates marking behavior to keep intruders out of the house. As is typically the case, this can happen in multi-pet households, especially with more than one cat. After one week, Lynne is seeing a change in Sam’s behavior as the alpha cat, but not yet in Sally’s.

My response

Dear Lynne,
Greetings, and it’s good to hear from you. You have been in my thoughts since our consult.

As you said, it’s a good sign that Sam has “backed off” from bullying Sally. Although there have been other variables in the home, it’s safe to assume that his behavior is triggered at least in part by the Banana Essence. This IS VERY GOOD NEWS.

It sounds like Sally feels she has no space—in a different way than what we as humans can understand. Cats, being territorial as we spoke, define themselves by the space around them, and it looks as though Sam has taken that from Sally. We’re using Strawberry Essence, for grounding and boundaries, to try to recreate that sense of space for her.

As mentioned, and as you also know as a holistic practitioner, unless the cause is removed, the symptoms will remain. This is what we are working on for Sally. Hence the Strawberry, to replace the space she is missing and thus behaving in what we would consider inappropriate ways. If we could see it from her side, she’s doing her darned best to fix her situation through marking her space with her urine scent. From her point of view, this is a self-comforting behavior.

Other suggestions, short of getting her to a single-cat home where the cause of her problem would be eliminated, would be to board Sam somewhere for a few weeks and see how she does. This too would confirm what the problem is—not Sam per se, but living with a dominant cat who makes her feel uneasy in her home/territory, etc.

I was reading just this morning about some creative solutions to litter box problems. One suggestion was to put a piece of carpet in an empty litter box for the cat to use. The other was to give the cat her own litter box, without the scents of the other cats. Cats feel vulnerable when eliminating, so completely non-threatening litter box areas—meaning in this case, without the scents of the other cats—can also ease the problem.

Also, my book, Flower Essences for Animals, has a section about litter box problems that might be helpful for Sally’s situation.

Anyway, let’s see where this goes. It’s asking a lot of Sally to redirect her energy while the cause of the problem is still present, but there is hope for remedying this situation.

Applause to you for continuing to work on this.

Have a great weekend,
Lila

This week, we received a letter from a woman whose 18-year-old cat is having difficulty adjusting to the loss of her other cat. Below is her letter, followed by my response.

Nancy’s Letter

“I have an 18-year old female who just 2 weeks ago lost her life-time companion (male cat) who had to be put down. I have been treating her for almost 2 years with herbs for renal failure and she’s doing well.

However, since losing the other cat, (they were not very close to each other) she has increasingly become more agitated at night, yowling, walking around through the house, getting on my bed from time to time, sometimes with her toy, and always seems to be at her most hyper around 3 to 4 in the morning.

It is driving me bananas, and I can’t get to sleep. Even this morning, as I was getting ready for work, she was yowling some. She hasn’t been doing it in the morning.

“Do you think this could be a combination of dementia and grieving? She had been doing some of the crying at night before the other cat died, but it has definitely worsened since. Thanks for any suggestions that you think would help.”

Nancy

My Response

Hi, Nancy,
Greetings, and thank you for writing. My condolences for the loss of your cat.

It sounds like you deeply love and care for your cats, and this is a dynamic that practically assure a successful outcome. Here are some suggestions for your 18-year-old girl. Plus, you can also refer to this earlier post on the same subject.

Although you didn’t request a flower essence program, here’s one for your consideration. Nor did you explain if your kitty has any other conditions besides the renal problem. Your vet could best diagnose if there’s dementia or other physical conditions. Loss of hearing, vision, and/or scent causing loss of taste, can all cause disorientation for older animals. Since animals live so much in their senses, this could be one variable.

Here is a suggested flower essence program: Orange for 1 week, to help renew her enthusiasm and her interest in life, in positive and appropriate ways; Strawberry next for 1 week, to help her orient to being alone and grounding herself in her new role as “only cat”; and then Coconut, also for 1 week, to help her deal with her physical infirmities and to assist with the “tail end” of grieving the cat who has passed on.

Next, to explain cat behavior: even though your cat wasn’t close to the cat that passed, adjusting to his absence is a big change in her world. Animals do grieve, even if they didn’t get along that well as we would perceive it—especially since the yowling has increased. There can be a certain loneliness with the house feeling more empty. Although cats are somewhat solitary by nature, they do like company—but always on their terms!

Instinctively, any change in a cat’s environment is perceived on some level as a threat to safety and security, and an adjustment period is necessary.

With animals, we always want to redirect their energy. This works best for them. What would be worth trying is, believe it or not, also a behavioral change on your part—meaning for you to be more interactive with your kitty during this transitional period.

If she’s actually bringing you her toys at night, what better way could she tell you what she wants to do?

Try this: a good play session at night, followed by food. This will mimic the hunt and the successful kill, and put her in the pure joy of her instinctive nature. Plus, it will tire her in a healthy way and prepare her for a good night’s sleep!

For an older cat, an excercise program should be approached gradually – 5 minutes of running around, then 7, then 9, etc.

If you can give her more “quality time” right now, it can help both of you to heal from the loss of your other cat. Your household is like a feline pride, and everyone needs to fill in the gap left by the little fellow who has just passed on.

And on the subject of loss, may I suggest some positive commemoration of him–a kitty wind chime.

As quoted on our pets page about holistic pet health care, “Animals can take us to a place we can’t get to by ourselves.”

I hope this is helpful, please let me know how it goes.

Kind regards to you both,
Lila Devi

One of my cat clients, whom we’ll call Fluff, lives in a multi-cat home. His closest feline friend passed away two weeks ago, and he seemed to be hit the hardest with a sense of loss of all the cats. The first few days, Fluff did fine.

Then it was as though he understood that lifelong buddy, who had been ill and withdrawn for some time, wasn’t coming back.

Sometimes we don’t realize how deeply our pets grieve the loss of their animal friends. Imagine living fully in each moment, having senses heightened beyond our wildest dreams, possessing keenly honed instincts that allow us to survive in the outdoors under the most extreme conditions—and on top of that, having a supersonic feeling nature and being remarkably telepathic.

All of these qualities are prime reasons why animals are so responsive to flower essences. Vibrational in nature, essences don’t need to engage the mind to be effective, nor do they address issues mainly on a physical level. In fact, they can be the perfect solution for an animal’s problems and unspoken needs.

Fluff’s body language left no doubt about his innermost feelings. Grief virtually poured through him, his tail slightly puffed and his pupils wide—not with predatory anticipation, but with an unfocused, unwell, almost tearful look. He would lay limply on the rug, seemingly unable to lift his head as though overwhelmed by the weight of his sadness.

Most telling of all, Fluff had stopped purring.

His owner started giving him Pear Essence, prepared from the blossoms of pear trees. In essence form, Pear is for peacefulness and emergency support. Clearly, Fluff’s emotional nature was in crisis and his natural play instincts had been dampened. His owner applied the tincture to his coat and put a few drops in his morning drinking water.

The next day, “The Fluff” was purring again.

The message of this case history extends beyond flower essence therapy. It can also be attributed to the owner’s understanding of the importance of redirecting Fluff’s behavior in positive ways.

On the first day of his essence program, his owner presented him with one toy after another, until he finally “came out of himself” and engaged in the game. Soon, he was dashing over the bed covers in pursuit of the feathered toy on a pole. Also, Fluff was given more food treats and quality petting time than usual.

His dance card, you might say, was full.

These activities are what we call Essence Enhancers in The Essential Flower Essence Handbook. Any supportive measures that help to draw an animal’s focus toward desirable behavior and away from painful or destructive habits will enhance the benefits of a custom-tailored flower essence program.

For Fluff, this meant involving him in a lively play session that mimicked the thrill of the hunt—one that could awaken his instinctive sense of predatory delight.

Fluff’s owner has reported that his periods of sadness are now lessening in duration and frequency.

It’s looking like he’ll soon be back to his old self.

Related Links

• Flower essences for holistic pet health care