Pet FAQs 

Similar to the process of making a sun tea from herbs or tea leaves, flower essences are made by slowly infusing the most vibrant, beautiful flowers of various plants into water, preserving the natural vibrational properties of the plant. The liquid is then taken orally or occasionally used topically. Each flower essence is indicated for a specific mental, emotional, or physical imbalance, but because there is virtually no actual plant matter in flower essences they do not cause any biochemical reaction in the body. A flower essence instead works through the various electrical and energy fields within the human body by helping to gently shift the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that no longer serve. The powerful vibrational medicine of flower essence therapy acts as a catalyst for creating a healthy, joy-filled life.

 There are flower essences that can address nearly every negative emotional state- for humans, dogs, cats, horses, birds, or any animal. For example, they can reduce your dog’s stress and anxiety, improve focus, increase self-control, and decrease fearful or reactive behavior – just to name a few. The essences can be taken one at a time, though they are usually combined into formulas that address a more complex behavioral pattern.

Flower essences can be used as a stand-alone therapy as issues present themselves, or as part of a larger training or behavior modification program. 

It is precisely because of the effects observed in animals (as well as human babies and young children!) that so many are convinced that flower essences do, in fact, work. Since we are unable to tell a pet what we are doing when we give them a flower essence, they don’t have the chance to form any preconceived notions, expectations, or biases. What we see in our pets is the true influence of the flower essences. 

Many years ago when I first began integrating flower essences into my practice as a Clinical Herbalist, I often found myself trying to help people understand what the essences can do. But as time has gone by, I’ve learned to let them speak for themselves. Flower essences can help support deep change and transformation no matter how the human guardian feels about them. So don’t worry if you feel a little (or a lot!) skeptical or discouraged. Flower essences don’t care, they will still work their magic! 

One note: Flower essences are a deep, but subtle, medicine. They aren’t a “silver bullet", and they don’t work in the same way that, for example, a tranquilizer will dull the panic caused by the sound of fireworks for a fearful dog. In this example, what the flower essences would do is help the dog be more brave and able to manage their fear. It has been my experience that sometimes guardians, who live with their pets on a daily basis, may not see the changes taking place in their animal’s behavior and, instead, it is a visiting friend or family member who notices and points out the difference.

– Flower essences as we know them today have been around since the 1930’s, and have enjoyed worldwide popularity due to their safety and effectiveness. In that time, there have been no reported negative side effects to any human or animal. It is my experience that when starting a new flower essence formulation, there can occasionally be a temporary “flare-up” of the feelings or behaviors that are being addressed. This intensification usually passes within a few days.

 – Flower essences are not habit-forming in any way. In fact, the more they are used, the less they are needed! 

 – Because flower essences are a vibrational medicine that do not create a biochemical reaction in the body, overdosing is not a possibility. For that same reason, flower essences will not interact with any medications, supplements, special diets, or medical treatments.  That said, if your pet is under medical care, it is always best to be safe and consult your pet’s healthcare provider before starting any new supplement or therapy. 

 – If a flower essence is included in your pet’s formula that they do not need, it will not harm them in any way.

For pets of all sizes, 2-3 drops is the normal dose, or 1-2 sprays of the formula, each time the formula is given.

Ideally, your pet will receive a dose of flower essences four times a day. Personally, I prefer to add 8-10 drops of my dog’s flower essence formula to her water bowl each day when I refill it. This is the easiest way to administer the flower essences and it ensures that she gets a dose each time she drinks. 

If you have more than one pet and they share a water bowl or are working with different flower essence formulas, then using one of the other options to administer flower essences will probably be a better bet.

Here are a few options:

 -Place the drops directly into the mouth (Important note: always avoid touching the dropper or sprayer to the mouth or any other surface). 

 -Apply drops to a dry treat and feed it to your pet.

 -Some people prefer to put a few drops of the formula on their hands and rub it into the pet’s gums or the inside of the ears.

For any ongoing behavior issue, flower essences should be given to your pet 3-4 times daily. It helps to give the doses at around the same time during the day. This isn’t so much to help the essences to be effective as it is to help create the habit that ensures all of the doses are given each day. If the issue you are working with is long-term or deeply ingrained in your pet’s behavior, it may be helpful to dose more frequently for the first few weeks. Dosing frequency can help with the efficacy, but the dosage amount makes no difference- so no need to waste your flower essence formula with larger doses! 

When I am giving flower essences to my pets, I will often add about eight drops to their water bowl each day when I change out their water. That way I know that they are getting frequent doses throughout the day. 

 Acute situations are dosed a little differently. When a negative emotional state is brought about suddenly, such as fear or panic from nearby fireworks, give several doses in quick succession until the symptoms begin to ease up. Three doses spaced 3-5 minutes apart are often sufficient. After that, the flower essence can be administered as frequently as every 10-15 minutes while symptoms persist.

Flower essences should be stored away from heat and strong energy sources, and out of direct sunlight. Refrigeration isn’t necessary if reasonable care is taken to keep the contents sanitary and clean.

To make sure of this, avoid touching the dropper tip to surfaces like food, your pet’s mouth, etc, when giving your pet the formula. Introducing contaminants to the bottle will not only shorten the shelf life of flower essences, but may also affect its energetic effectiveness. If the dropper comes into contact with any surface, wash it well with soap and water and rinse thoroughly. 

If you ever notice that an essence looks cloudy or anything other than clear, it has been contaminated and should be discarded. (Don’t throw the bottle out! It can be reused.)

I think every flower essence practitioner has a few stories about seeing drastic results taking place over the course of just a few minutes, but more typically it can take as much as three or four weeks to see a significant shift.

The most typical time frame to begin to see improvement is 3-5 days after starting flower essences with your pet. With some animals, it may take up to 2 weeks or even longer for early signs of balancing to begin. Typically the longer an animal has been showing a particular behavior, the longer it will take to see a shift in the behavior. 

Occasionally, if the animal is severely stressed or out of balance (or very sensitive to energy therapies), you might see a change within minutes of the first dose. Every pet is different, as much as an individual as any human, and he or she will integrate and shift their behavior at their own pace. Be patient and pay close attention to your pet's emotions and behaviors because, remember, flower essence work can be quite subtle! 

It is a good idea to keep in mind that your pet’s personality and temperament can also influence how long it takes flower essences to influence their reactions; some pets are stubborn and just don’t want to change! 

It is sometimes difficult for people unfamiliar with flower essences to grasp what flower essences “working” looks like. Flower essences work subtly, and while their work is both powerful and profound, you shouldn’t expect your formerly high-strung poodle to suddenly become a super mellow kinda guy. Look, instead, for noticeable shifts (sometimes subtle, sometimes very obvious) in your pet’s attitude in situations that have previously caused stress or a particularly negative reaction.

Assuming the appropriate formulation of essences has been chosen, you should see a progressive reduction in intensity, frequency, duration, and/or tenacity of the targeted behavior.

Flower essences are non-habit forming, and your pet developing a dependency of any kind is not a possibility.

The short answer: It depends. 

The long answer: You should plan on giving your pet their flower essence formula for a minimum of two to four weeks, no matter what. Sometimes it can take that long (or even longer!) for anything to start shifting. Once you start to notice changes, though, keep it up! 

For humans taking flower essences, when the particular formulation is no longer needed the person may begin forgetting to take it, or sometimes they may even feel a tiny bit repelled by it. This same phenomenon may happen as your pet’s behavior begins to shift, and you may begin to forget to give the doses as the formulation is needed less and less. (Caveat: this only counts if you’ve been giving the formulation consistently. Flower essences can’t do their jobs sitting in the bottle on the shelf!) Also, as you see positive behaviors replace the negative ones that you are addressing, you will naturally give the flower essence formulation less often. 

As you reduce or eliminate the flower essence formulation, your pet may begin slipping back into “bad habits.” If that is the case, don’t despair. Simply reintroduce the flower essence formula and keep giving it for a few weeks after things begin moving in the right direction again. Your pet might bounce back and forth while integrating their new behaviors, so you may need to repeat this process a few times. But it’s to be expected, and you should see the need to return to the formula taper off as time goes on.

If your pet returns to the old behaviors repeatedly and doesn’t seem to be making lasting progress with his or her flower essence therapy, it may be time to assess whether there might be an outside influence impacting their progress. Things to look at include a lack of physical exercise or mental stimulation, a health concern, stressors in the home, a major change in routine, or particular training methods. If you can identify and adjust the outside stress, your pet will have a clearer path to success with their flower essence work. If the behavior is severe, such as extreme reactivity in a dog, you may need to use flower essence therapy as a helpful adjunct to working with a qualified trainer or behavioral veterinarian.