What Are Bach Flower Essences?
&
How Can They Help Your Dog?
Flower essences are completely natural, unscented, dilute liquids that contain the energy signatures, or “essences”, of various healing flowers. They’re remarkable in that they can subtly “re-tune” out of balance, extreme emotions.
Each essence corresponds to a particular emotional state, and over time, works to bring it back into a more balanced, healthier state.
There are flower essences that reduce stress, relieve fear and anxiety, improve cooperation, increase patience, decrease jealousy, and many more.
Regardless of your dog’s issues or history, whether you’ve had him for 10 days or 10 years, it’s a good bet there’s a flower essence formula to help.
Less stress. More confidence and courage. Negative behaviors toned down.
Find out for yourself how these uniquely effective formulas can shift your dog’s learning curve in the right direction!
Looking for a natural, holistic alternative to calming your dog, reducing fears and anxiety, and improving behavior?
We specializes in expertly-blended, uniquely-effective flower essence formulas for stressed, anxious dogs and those with emotion-driven problem behaviors.
Our Formula Line
2 oz dropper bottle
Contains 1200 drops & Lasts 133 days at 3 drops, 3 times per day
$24.99
Email me you selection(s) and I'll send you an invoice. Indicate if you need it shipped or will pick up during office hours in Hastings, MN.
Info@KrehbielNaturalHealth.com
Disclaimer and Common Sense Caution
Our Essences formulas, and flower essences in general, are not medications and are not a substitute for veterinary care. Behavior problems can be a sign of something physically wrong – please consult with your animal health care professional regularly, and if your dog experiences any sudden or dramatic change in behavior.
In cases of aggression or any threatening or potentially dangerous behavior, Our Essences should always be used in conjunction with, and within the overall framework of a sound, behavior-based training program.
Flower Essences for Dogs:
Dosage and Frequency
Dosage
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For medium to large sized dogs, one dose is 3-4 drops, or 1-2 sprays of the formula.
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Very small dogs can have 2 drops.
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Very large dogs 4 drops or 3 sprays.
Frequency
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In acute situations, where the negative behavior or emotional state is brought on severely and/or suddenly: repeat doses as needed; three doses spaced 3-5 minutes apart are often sufficient.
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For chronic/ongoing behavior, that occurs all the time, most of the time, or regularly: give 3-4 times daily, at around the same time each day.
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When starting your dog on flower essences, it can be helpful to give a formula more often per day during the first week or two, tapering off to 3-4 times a day after that.
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Please note that dogs with very serious and/or deep-seated issues may need to continue at a higher dose frequency over a longer period of time. (Number of drops or sprays given per dose should remain the same, however. A greater quantity per dose won't hurt, but it won't speed up the process.)
How to Give Your Dog Flower Essences
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Before giving each dose, shake the bottle vigorously in a vertical (top to bottom) direction.
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Be matter of fact when administering the formula. Most animals will take their cue from you and will accept it easily if you project a positive attitude.
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Flower essences are typically given directly into the mouth. You can gently open your dog’s mouth and give the drops or lift his lip and drip or spray the formula onto the gums.
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If your dog is not comfortable taking the formula by mouth, simply apply her dose onto a treat or snack she enjoys, mix with her regular meal, and/or add it to her water. Another option is to put some formula on your finger and rub it into your dog’s gums, or mist/rub it around her head. Choose a method of administration that is comfortable for you and your dog.
Storing and Handling Your Dog's Flower Essence Formula
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Flower essences work through vibrational energy and, as such, should be considered delicate. It’s recommended that you store them out of direct sunlight, and away from heat and strong energy sources.
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The formulas do not require refrigeration if care is taken to keep the contents "clean". When administering the formula, avoid touching the dropper tip to outside surfaces like food, your dog’s mouth, etc, as this will not only shorten the shelf life of the formula through the introduction of contaminants, but may affect its energetic effectiveness, as well.
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If you do touch the dropper to a surface to a clean surface, rinse well with purified or spring water before replacing it in the bottle. If you touch the dropper to a surface with "gunk" (potential sources of bacteria, such as food, the dog's mouth, the floor, etc), wash with dish soap and water, then rinse well with purified or spring water before replacing it in the bottle.
What to Expect When Giving Flower Essences to Dogs
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Because every animal is unique, and because it is impossible to know how deep-seated the behavior is, you may or may not see an immediate result from the formula. A typical time frame to begin to see results is within 3-5 days. It is certainly possible to see dramatic results in minutes, but it’s just as likely to take a few weeks to see much change at all. Be patient - every individual tends to incorporate the changes at their own pace.
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While flower essences are not sedative in any way and will not make your dog act “dopey”, it's not unusual to see a noticeable relaxation response within minutes of the first dose.
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Flower essence formulas have no harmful side effects. If an essence within the formula is not the right one for your dog, then you simply will not see that aspect of behavior affected.
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Flower essences work subtly, under the surface, balancing out-of-balance emotional states. They will not artificially manipulate your dog’s personality or change his attitude or behavior in ways that aren’t natural for him.
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Look, instead, for noticeable shifts (sometimes subtle, sometimes very obvious) in your dog’s attitude in situations that previously had caused stress or a particular negative reaction. Assuming the appropriate combination of essences (i.e. formula) has been chosen, you should see a progressive reduction in intensity, frequency, duration, and/or tenacity of the negative reaction.
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Keep your dog on the formula for as long as you continue to see regular progress. Once your dog’s behavior improvements have leveled out, you can begin to reduce the frequency given. If your dog backslides, return to the previous successful frequency. If he maintains the improved behavior, continue to reduce the frequency until you’re able to discontinue the formula.
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The timeframe for this is highly individual, and depends on the dog, the behavior, and any day-to-day stresses that may be leading the dog into imbalance.
Preservative FAQ
All our Essences formulas are available in a traditional brandy-preserved.
Why do flower essences need preservative?
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With nothing but reverse osmosis water and flower essences, an un-refrigerated formula bottle will stay good maybe one week at average indoor temperatures. Figuring in shipping time, and that I make up all formulas when ordered, that would mean you'd need to use up your formula within 2 or 3 days after receiving it. Not very practical!
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You could keep it refrigerated, but even then, with no preservative it would need to be used within about 2 weeks. So, some ingredient is needed to keep the formula from becoming nothing more than a pretty blue petri dish for mold or bacteria.
Why use brandy as a flower essence preservative?
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Brandy is the traditional choice for preserving natural products such as flower essence dosage bottles, herbal tinctures, and the like. Brandy was the original method of preservation used by Dr. Bach (the English bacteriologist who discovered and developed the 38 Bach flower essences in the 1930's).
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It has superior preservative properties, is excellent as a carrier to help absorption (such as through the skin and mucous membranes), and has a highly compatible level of vibration with the flower essences themselves. It's my personal choice for preservative. It works well and "feels" right.
How much brandy is my dog getting?
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The brandy in our formulas is at 20% of the total volume, and a dose is generally 3 drops of formula. At 20% (1/5th) times 3 drops, your dog is getting 3/5 of a drop of alcohol -- approximately one half of one drop alcohol per dose. This per-dose quantity is low enough that it should have no effect on a dog.
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If that small amount is still of concern, it’s easy to dissipate the alcohol by putting the drops into a little warm water for a minute or two before giving it to the dog. Because of the high volatility of alcohol, most of what little is there will evaporate off.
Are there any negatives to using brandy?
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Well, obviously there is, if it's your personal choice to avoid giving your dog any alcohol, even very small amounts. In and of itself, that is a perfectly valid negative.
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I have never personally (i.e. with my own two eyes) seen a dog have a negative reaction to brandy in our formulas in my own dogs and clients' dogs. Based on my research less than 1% of dogs react to alcohol with an increase in nervousness or nervous energy. It's a very small percentage of dogs but it does appear that it happens.
Brandy - pros
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excellent preservative qualities; unless outside contaminants are introduced, an unrefrigerated formula bottle will stay safe and useable for up to 3 years. (Since most formulas are blended after order, the expiration date is generally 3 years from your purchase date.)
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excellent carrier properties and absorption for topical use
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believed to be the soundest choice vibrationally for this subtle energy therapy
Brandy - cons
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it's alcohol
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a very small percentage of dogs may have a digestive or behavioral reaction to even small amounts
