Bach Flower Remedies for Sick Dogs

In the 1930s, physician and homeopath Edward Bach discovered what he believed to be a holistic system of healing through heavily diluted plant and flower essences. He called them Bach flower remedies. Dr. Bach developed 38 different flower remedies to relieve a wide variety of mental, emotional and spiritual imbalances in humans. Bach flower remedies, however, are also frequently used to help many animals, including dogs. Dogs are one of the animals we humans keep closest to us, and we don’t like to see them suffer. Fortunately, there may be a Bach flower remedy for whatever troubles your canine companion.

There are Bach flower remedies to relieve a variety of canine problems. For example, Rock Rose can help relieve a dog’s terror or panic, while Cherry Plum can help with a dog that loses control and exhibits wild and crazy behavior. Aspen is given to a dog that is easily startled or frightened. Beech can be useful for a dog that is a picky eaters or refuses his food. Centaury may help a dog that is easily dominated or pushed around by other animals, and Agrimony can be useful for a dog that is in pain but cannot express it. These are just a handful of the 38 total remedies that may correspond to your dog’s troubles.

Rescue Remedy is actually a synthesis of five Bach flower remedies that has been found by many to help with anxiety, focusing, pain, fear, and trauma. It consists of the aforementioned Rock Rose and Cherry Plum, as well as Impatiens, which can relieve nervousness, shaking and pain, Clematis, which may help with attention span and returning to consciousness in the event of injury, and Star of Bethlehem, which can be a comfort during or after all types of trauma.

There are a few ways to administer a Bach Flower remedy to your dog. You can add two to four drops to his food or water, place two to four drops directly into his mouth, or rub some of the remedy on your hands before petting or massaging your dog. It is possible to give your dog more than one remedy at a time, but no more than seven remedies should be combined. Bach practitioners suggest that humans take a remedy for six-to-eight weeks to see results; the same goes for dogs.