08/16/2009: Stilifewatrcolr from Boulder, Co, USA: "Flower Remedies for Separation Anxiety in Dogs:

I adopted my 3 y/o dog from the Humane Society about 7 months ago. Adopted dogs will have their issues, and Sadie has hers. She is the sweetest thing, but she did have severe separation anxiety. Upon me leaving, she would scratch and tear at doors and windows. She knows to go outside, but continued to have housetraining issues. She escaped my house jumping through screens and windows a number of times and eventually ripped up the carpet and tore off the door frame in my room just trying to get out. She wriggles out of almost any collar or harness when left for even a minute to run into a store. She was obviously getting extremely stressed and, along with having huge bills to pay for her damages, I felt terrible letting her feel so anxious. Last weekend I went and got a mix of flower remedies specifically for separation anxiety and I have noticed a HUGE difference. She has calmed down so much. She still has energy and is excited when I come home, but is not so stressed. My roommate forgot to put her in her crate when she left the house the other day (which I had to resort to after all the damage even though Sadie was strongly opposed) and when we came home she was out, but was content and nothing had been damaged. I give Sadie 8 drops of the oil 2x/day directly on her food (since I feed her 2x/day).

The specific mix that I got includes: Aspen, Beech, Cerato, Chicory, Heather, Holly, Red Chestnut, 5-Flower Remedy, Sweet Chestnut, Vervain, Cat's Claw, Mariposa Lily, St. Johns Wort, Blackberry, Tomato, Snowberry, Cathedral Rock Vortex, Mt. Moran, Kinnickinnick, Fox.

Feel free to mix and match and research the purpose of each essence and how it relates to your pet. You can get essences separately, or already mixed.
I highly recommend!"

02/05/2012: Birdie from Calgary, Alberta Canada replies: "I think the root of the problem in dogs anxiety is how much heavy metals they have in their system due to vaccinations, generally. Mercury is present in vaccinations (thimoserol) and in dry dog food diets (sprayed on growing grain as a fungicide) and is not expelled but tends to accumulate. I used zeolite powder (healthforce brand) in my dobermans water, within a week, my dogsitter said the dog quit hiding under the table, now I notice she sits up in the car, looks out the window and takes an interest in the outside world, whereas previously she would just lay her head on the seat and not look out the window at all due to nervousness. Today I noticed at the dogsitter that she did not cringe going into the main dogplay area when all the other dogs charged up to her to say hi, previously she would curl into a ball, quivering; also when I picked her up she seemed quite happy instead of "take me home NOW! " Convinced?? YOU BET!! If you dont get rid of the cause you can forever just "treat" the symptoms. She prefers the zeolite powdered water and will ignore regular water! My friends baby DIED 5 hours after it received a vaccination! If THAT doesnt convince a person of the dangers of heavy metal shots, I dont know what would!"

02/22/2012: Nat@tack from Alexandria, Va replies: "Birdie, Thanks for your post. I have a 13 year old Bichon who has suddenly developed serious separation anxiety when left alone. She pants and scratches at anything-floors, carpets, doors and frames, gates, etc, as an attempt to get out and often becomes destructive in an attempt to 'escape'. She shakes and is visibly scared. She is already on a special Vet prescribed diet for her ID and is on a daily dose of Prednosone. I rarely give her anything outside of the prescribed diet. I have hired a trainer for our home to help me with setting bounderies and identifying other behavior problems and tried Bach Flower remedies and the Thundershirt and recently out of desperation doggie prozac (Reconcile). She seemed to be making some progress (or maybe I saw what was not there) but no change. I am desperate. I have to work and am unable to stay home. I have a dog walker come in and take her out twice daily.... She is an absolute joy and my heart and essentially sleeps all the time when she is with me or with company. Another dog for company is not an option. I am at my wits end. Any advice? Anyone?"

[YEA]  06/10/2012: Greater from Sarasota, Florida, US replies: "This is a Yay for Bach's Flower Remedy for Pets.

I was happily surprised that this worked so well for my anxious and depressive cat. This was not a cure-all, but it's broken the cycle. I can now play with her, groom her, and give her the proper attention without her whining incessantly, snapping at me, and becoming overstimulated and freaking herself out. Prior to this, it just seemed impossible to do anything at all. This was just what we needed.

It's not a tranquilizer, but somehow it's brought my cat into a new state of overall balance and well being, which I've been able to support through other commonsense techniques.

In short, this has helped one cat with the following conditions:

• separation anxiety
• depression
• restlessness
• incessant mewing
• over-stimulation while playing/being pet

We're both pleased to see the change."

11/17/2012: Bea from Austin, Texas replies: "@Greater from Saratosa FL regarding the her use of "Bach's Flower Remedy for Pets"

Do you mix different flowers if so, which ones? Or do you get an already mixed bottled, if so, what name?

My 8 yro Dobe has been rather lethargy at home - almost depressed-like, whines all the time, aloof and disobedient, want to go outside but on guard for my attention and defient at times but in a passive-aggressive like manner. Overly hyper and uncontrable when being pet. Defient as in wont answer to commands (come, inside... ) yet trembles at the same time when called, yet cant have enough petting. Goes from hyperly receptive to petting to comatose-like & aloof attitude when petting ends. Appears to have bad dreams when sleeping as he shakes, twists and turns and sometime whines in deep sleep. I feed him Precise Holistic Complete with home supplemental of 1sp of canned salmon, 1/2 cup formula, or alternate sweet potatoes with a cook egg and when I feel like maybe some cooked beef liver. Looks healthy just behaviorwise he is a mess! Thanks/Bea"

[WARNING!]  04/03/2011: Ana from Houston, Texas replies: "Allright, will someone please reply; Dr Bach's Rescue Remedy contains XYLITOL which is deadly to dogs and cats, why are some people giving it to pets for anxiety?"

EC: We just checked the Bach site and it looks like some of the Bach flower rescue remedies do indeed contain xylitol...You can read the ingredients for each product here: http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-information/

The ones that list xylitol are: Rescue Night® and Rescue® Pastilles.

08/03/2011: Layle from Cornelius, Nc, Usa replies: "There is a Bach Rescue Remedy specifically for dogs/pets without xylitol. If you decide to try this, make sure you're purchasing the remedy for pets and read the ingredients label.

http://www.bachflower.com"

01/27/2009: Barbara from Carleton Place, Ontario: "You do not have a listing, under pet ailments, titled anxiety or stress. Surely there is a home remedy and pet-owner feed back for this ailment?? Thank you for your time."

EC: Thank you for the suggestion, Barbara. New page has been created.

Please send in your remedies!

03/16/2009: Donna from Pittsburgh, PA replies: "i just wanted to respond to posting something for stress in cats.. unfortunatly, i dont have a remedy.. i have a 8yr old oriental lilac.. i wasnt really looking for a fancy cat but he was full of energy and adorable..he is always stressed out. he has 2 conditions that are brought on by stress. feline herpes virus in his eyes.{btw. lysine is great for that} and sterile cystitis. {btw ACV work great for that.] for the last few yrs, he has had a very strong twitch. so strong it has woken me up from my sleep, he was sleeping on me of course.. it dosnt seem to bother him after it happens. but i hate when it does.. it like he chomps with his teeth.. in his sleep and little twitches in the day.. i dont want to take him to a vet to pump him up with drugs.. not a big fan of the vet..i would love to find a natural remedy to calm him down..all the remidies i use, are from this site.. please help me again.. donna"

[YEA]  12/29/2010: Avo from Toronto, Ontario Canada replies: "I consulted a homeopathic veterinarian who gave me a drop solution that has worked wonders for my 3 -9 yr old cats. I have since found it online as HOMEOPET ANXIETY FORMULA drops. (see their website for details)

One of my cats is very fussy about tastes and additives to food - she won't touch it. But she has eaten this one!!! You give 5 drops with canned food per meal up to 3 times per day and voila, you will see a great improvement. You give it consistently for a couple of weeks and can gradually decrease the drops as they show improvement. Or you can give it immediately to the mouth in acute situations. Homeopathic remedies are a wonder and I didn't believe they would work either, but was at my wits end for something. IT worked!!!

There is another remedy I bought at my local pet store, by NATURAL PET Pharmaceticals called STRESS CONTROL. It is a liquid you add a capful to their water bowl. It doesn't seem to have the same effect when added to their food, as the HOMEOPET ANXIETY formula."

01/12/2012: Amym from Columbus, Oh replies: "We use HomeoPet's Anxiety TLFN for our Chihuahua who is terrified of the. I thought it was ridiculous but it WORKS GREAT. He's much calmer and isn't drugged and dopey like he was on his prescription medication. Highly recommend."

[YEA]  03/14/2013: Om from Hope, B. C. Canada: "My rescue German shepherd was too old to be spayed. I know about vet medicines but would never use them as they are detrimental to animal's health and have severe side effects. This was my experience. This dog had extreme anxiety symptoms for two years. She ravaged her tail, gave out shrieks every day and chased her raw tail end. It was trying. She was very noise sensitive and when she heard the kitchen blender or a police sirene she went into fits every time. Then, by a fluke I came across the homeopatic remedy LILIUM TIGRINUM. Supposed to help with restless dog behaviour and females in heat. I ordered it from a health food store and gave one dose, followed by another and one more three days later. From the start of this treatment this poor dog is a calm, content animal. I do not have to repeat this dose. I find Bach remedies not powerful enough for very serious behaviour issues. I home cook for all my rescue pets and stay clear of preservatives and non organic foods. Nutritional yeast provides the valuable b vitamins needed, fish oil, kelp powder for minerals and coconut oil. And, of course, ACV.

Another issue the presence of parasites which can have a bearing on behaviour as the nutrients are being depeted, leaving the animal with a very impaired nervous system. Parasites do not show all the time in stool and I believe in deworming pets twice a year. If it is very bad, one has to resort to vet meds. However neem capsules (3 for shep. size) several times per week with freshly powdered cloves in the food to kill the eggs, and colloidal silver water to drink for a period can address this problem without ill effects on their health.

Kali is now calm and does not yell anymore. Hope this helps. Om"

03/26/2009: Melissa from London, England: "dog anxiety/stress- Magnesium:

I have a very nervy German Sheperd bitch. Lovely as she is her anxiety is causing problems with meeting new people/dogs.

I obviously attract nutty animals as i also have a mare of a similar character, anyway, to cut a long story short i have heard amazing things about Magnesium in horses, basically when they get stressed out their bodys level of magnesium deprieciate, and magnesium is vital to keeping us 'calm and collected', call it natural prozac. It has been proven to help calm animals, i advise to buy a supplement rather than home dose as strength must vary.

They do it for dogs too!!!

It will only work if you're dog/horse has low magnesium levels (ie rather than simply not excercised/trained enough etc) obviously this could be checked by blood tests at the vet but apparently dosn't cause harm if fed, worth a go i say, im going to try it and will let you know the results. Nupafeed does it in tablet or liquid form for both animals."

06/30/2010: Haggar from Mn, Usa replies: "How did the Mag. work with your dog?"

04/11/2012: Mango from Sausalito, Ca, Usa: "HI, is it safe to give valerian to my 13lb jack russell terrier? If so, how many mg is safe?"

[YEA]  12/19/2010: Dmg from Philadelphia, Pa, Usa replies: "Hyland's bioplasma is very helpful with my cats. Although I had to make them take the pills at first, my most nervous and stressed cat now asks for them and will eagerly (somewhat desperately) eat them right out of my hand. I started with 2 pills and now I do four at a time x3 for him. I think he would eat the whole bottle if it spilled! No ill effects from taking the human dose - hyland's website says there should be no problem with that, although they do give a max number on the bottle. My others are starting not to mind me giving them. I have been doing this every day, usually twice a day for a week now. It really seems to help especially with multiple cats. I am seeing a lower grr level between two cats who aren't buddies - instead of the one growling at the other, they sort of seem to now be having a simple "you annoy me, stay away" conversation - it's more chirpy than growl. I also am testing putting it in their wet food, although you're not supposed to. I also give my most nervous cat the nerve tonic pills, as he is very stressed. I take both too, and can finally breathe again, better than any allergy medicine I've taken. I never before realized how bad my inflammation and allergies were. I am not so jumpy and I am wide awake too. It's very neat stuff."

11/15/2011: Casey from Chicago, Il replies: "My 5yr old mastiff had extremely bad anxiety. We are unable to have people at our home, travel, or take him on walks because he hates to leave his house. Just looking for something to make my life a little easier. It's not that easy trying to calm down a 230lb dog on the sidewalk or in a vehicle."

11/16/2011: 5 Pooches Home from Houston, Tx replies: "Hello,

You can try all or any of these. They are GREAT for dogs/cats. I have 5 shelter dogs and so with problematic pasts they sometimes need to be calmed down. I also use these when its thundering or when preparing them for long air travel.

1. Bach's Rescue Remedy for pets.

2. Herb - Passion Flower (50-60 drops for Mastiff. Mix in food or directly in mouth or pour the drops on a piece of bread and let him eat the bread then. Buy the liquid extract as they are more potent and healthy.)

3. Herb - Skullcap (Same as giving Passion Flower directions)

4. Music Therapy - Music is very potent and I use it to calm my dogs down. You can get some music cd's like relaxing music, piano (like Steven Cravis) etc. Play it in the house so it creates a calm and relaxing positive atmosphere. Watch as your dog starts changing and enjoying the music as well.

5. Aromatherapy - Use some carrier oil (almond, coconut) and mix in some lavender, chamomile, peppermint oil and massage around the neck and all over.

6. CHANGE THE FOOD - Your dog is reacting to the unhealthy food you are feeding him. Processed dog food has chemicals that can change the brain chemistry and cause these anxious behaviour in pets. HOMECOOK with bunch of pure ingredients - bunch of FIBER - lots of veggies of all kind so he is getting all vitamins and minerals and also add lots of COCONUT OIL to his diet. Pour atleast 3-4 BIG tablespoon on his food and make sure he eats it.

This should all help! Good luck!"

01/08/2012: Cristi from Atlanta, Ga replies: "i have a 5yo masstiff/ am staff mix with anxiety. He barks excessively and is reactive on walks and not so great around strangers. I am using chamomile tea, thunder shirt and music therapy for him. It is working ok. I also want to try valerian root and magnesium.

Any thoughts? thanks!!"

02/15/2012: Melissac from Centennial, Colorado, Usa replies: "When dealing with anxiety issues in dogs, I have found that Anxiety Wraps are INVALUABLE! (not be confused with the Thundershirts available in pet stores). Ever since we adopted our 3 year-old Bearded Collie mix, she has been overly shy, terrified of storms, fireworks and loud noises. I tried Rescue Remedy, but it didn't do much. I then tried the Anxiety Wrap on my girl, was amazed at how much it calmed her down! Unfortunately, unless you have a distributor near you, you have to order it on line."

02/27/2012: Natalie from Alexandria, Va replies: "What's the difference between an anxiety wrap and a thundershirt?"

EC: What symptoms does she have, excessive biting?

05/12/2010: Dogloverinthedesert from Albuquerque, Nm replies: "We had a very, very anxious chihuahua/minipin mix. This became extremely acute a few years ago when we were traveling via car a great deal. She became so anxious from this (18-wheelers passing by, going over bridges, etc.) I hated watching her suffer. I do not know if this will be edited, but the magic cure was the homeopathic Bioplasma (Hyland's brand). It's a combination of 12 Schuessler salts made for humans for headaches and nervous tension. After a week of dosing her before we even got in the car to travel, her symptoms disappeared. I would start her off with 2 tabs and if she was still anxious after about 15 minutes, I'd give her two more. Dosing every 15 minutes like that until the symptoms went away. The dosage for a person says 4 to start and my friends were startled I would start her off (she's 12 lbs) with such a dose. But, she's never had any ill effects at all.

We use it with her now when we have t-storms and very windy days, which aggravates her nervousness."

11/26/2010: Anonymous Dog Steward from Animal Country, Earth replies: "Just wanted to thank Dogloverinthedesert for mentioning that the cell salts remedy that helps dogs with anxiety. Our other dog was always afraid of storms and would lay in the bathroom and shake. Now when there is a storm we give her some Bioplasma and she is calm and will stay with us instead of hiding. Thanks to everyone who contributes to this site with their remedies!"

01/20/2011: Lisa from Vancouver, Wa replies: "Hey Dogloverinthedesert... Thanks for mentioning the Hyland's Bioplasma & dosage.... My Lhasa freaks during fireworks... I bought that Peteze tabs from the pet store, but they didn't seem to help... It sure would be nice to be able to take her in the car to watch them... Instead of her being stuck at home... People go crazy w/fireworks up here... It's really cool! Thanks again!"

04/23/2011: Anneh from Burlington, Vt replies: "Please take your dogs inside, at least at night or during a storm. Why do people have dogs and then leave them outside??"

08/08/2011: Lucy from Green Valley, Az replies: "My Havanese shakes when there are loud cracks of thunder and breathes heavily for about 15 min after. She is a lap dog, lives inside and I hold her while she's in distress, stroking and talking softly to her- Just as I would need if I had the same reaction. She weighs 11 lbs.

Our Pets are our family and we need to look after their special needs just as one would do for another family member in distress.

Lucy"