Herbal Remedies Calm Spastic Pets

April 28, 2008

Santa Monica, Calif. –- If your pet suffers from stress, such as anger, fear or depression, a California company has a flowery remedy for what ails them.

The company, Original Bach Flower Essences, claims their products have been relieving stress and emotional imbalance in humans and animals for more than 70 years.

“The first time I heard about the Bach Flower remedies was 15 years ago,” said company owner Bettina Rasumussen. “My sister-in-law got this kit, and I was like, wow! I have to get one of these.”

Bach Flower Essences is a system of 38 Flower Essences, taken orally, that the company says correct emotional imbalances by replacing negative emotions with positive ones. The products are said to be natural, working in conjunction with herbs, homeopath and medications. The company claims they’re 100-percent safe for pets and people.

A homeopathic physician, Dr. Edward Bach, first created the product for humans, but Rasmussen realized its benefit for animals after using it on her cat.

“At one point she was biting me,” Rasmussen said. “She was attacking and scratching my fee, and after three days I was like, okay, that’s enough.

“So I started putting some remedies in for anger. I put it in her drinking water, a couple drops, and within two days she was licking me and being really nice to me again.”

The remedies aren’t just for cats and dogs, but birds, horses and all animals, Bach says.

“I’ve had plenty of clients that have said that it safely, in their impression, helps to treat anxiety or provide a little sedation, and if so I’m an advocate of that,” said Los Angeles-based veterinarian Dr. Patrick Maheny.

Each of the 38 available essences is said to impact a separate emotional issue. Beech improves intolerance, Clematis helps apathy, Crab Apple treats obsessive cleanliness or grooming and Heather curbs excessive barking, the company says.

Holly eases jealousy, Impatiens slows anxious energy, Mimulus addresses fear, Water Violet deals with unfriendliness and Rock Rose calms pets that are panic stricken.

How do these products work? Floral essences produce chemicals in the body that make pets feel at ease in as little as 30 minutes, according to Dr. Maheny.

“Serotonin is one of them,” Maheny said. “There are other types of anti-inflammatory mediators that the body makes to try to calm that inflammation or stress.

“And so when you give something orally like that, you’re helping to promote the production of feel good chemicals, and that can calm the animal down.”

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