Flower essence questions

[JulyS]

I am about to order the vaccine flower essence as my dog is past due on rabies. As I look through I see many I want to try. I have a few questions.

1. Are there preferred brands? I am currently on the Jackson Galaxy/Spirit Essence website.
2. How many is too many?

I've got a kitty with kidney issues, a kitty hyperthyroidism and maybe kidney stuff (yesterday's blood test came back with high IDEXX SMDA, but vet not in to discuss), a third kitty that is starting to drink water (as the other two do), and a dog who is increasingly getting more anxious and is now chasing the cats when they enter the room giving them (and me) anxiety. A sleepless night of worry and the internet led me to understand UTIs and cystitis and now believe at least one and maybe also my female (though vet said its rare so wouldn't test her) have these issues from time to time. Lastly, even though I can't seem to find them when I comb and no one is scratching that often, I have seen two fleas and I think my dogs foot swelling is flea allergy dermatitis.
With all the above issues and glancing around the website I'm interested in Vaccine Detox, Para-Outta-Site (for fleas), UR-Fine, and the peacemaker bundle which includes Bully Solution, Peacemaker, and Self-Esteem. Is this crazy to give all? Where do I start?

Everyone eats raw, btw.

Also, and maybe this question would be better in a different category (first time posting to the forum so just understanding this stuff), but new vet (mine retired) wants to put my cat on calcitriol. Is this a safe drug? At a glance the side effects looks scary. Also antibiotics for a cleaning with possibly six extractions (he's got teeth issues including extra teeth). Any input would be great.

Thank you

 

[aruna]

Hi, @JulyS, all great questions! Kudos to you for feeding raw and trying to support your animals holistically.
@Dr. Jeff , @Dr. Christina or @Dr. Sara will get back to you soon.
In the meantime I wanted to guide you to some of the resources that you can start looking at:

• we have a great webinar on flower essences, you can watch it here: Non member login - Holistic Actions! (and yes, Jackson Galaxy is a great brand)
• all our urinary resources: Non member login - Holistic Actions!

And just a tip for the future - we try to focus on each animal individually rather than dis-ease or symptoms. So I highly recommend creating a separate post for each animal because the approach may even differ from animal to animal. Best of luck!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Thanks Aruna for getting back to July so quickly, and thank you July for making your first post.?.?

Since @Dr. Jean formulated the great Spirit Essences (now Jackson Galaxy) let's see what she has to say.

Regarding your second question, I typically think that less is more, but would defer to Drs. Jean and Christina who have more experience in this area.

Yes, calcitriol is "safe" but like any drug can have super scary unintended effects (mainly at higher doses and in highly sensitive individuals).

For phosphorus binding, when needed, I recommend Aventi Kidney Complete, Phos Bind, etc

 

[JulyS]

Thank you so much, Aruna and Dr. Jeff.

Aruna, I was actually looking for the page with the urinary handouts, so perfect. I will check out the flower essence link as well. As far as making separate posts per animal, is it common to make multiple posts in one day to reflect all the different animals? Or it is a better practice to make space in between posts? I don't want to reflect my year of not posting in one day and overwhelm everyone. Haha

Dr. Jeff, we can discuss further about calcitriol tomorrow. Thank you so much

 

[Dr. Jeff]

July, post about any pet at any time.

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Hi JulyS, you've got a lot going on!

First, SMDA is just not that great a test. It can be elevated with dehydration and infection. No treatment is indicated at the point where SMDA is high but other kidney indicators (including urine specific gravity) are normal. I would not give calcitriol at this time without confirming evidence.

There is no evidence that pre-dental antibiotics do much good, except, perhaps, in cases of extreme infection. Pre-dental antibiotic use has been discouraged for many years.

Flower essences are great, and I helped create Jackson Galaxy's formulas so I think they're very good!

You can use more than one formula at a time for one pet (i.e., Ultimate Peacemaker). But I wouldn't use more than two at a time for any individual. There are 15 or 20 individual essences in each of our formulas, so you don't want to confuse the energy by giving a bunch of formulas at once. However...

If there is a formula, like Peacemaker, that you'd like to use on everyone, that can go in the group water bowl. Then you would give the second formula, such as vaccine detox, individually (drops by mouth or topically). Each pet could get their own formula that way.

If you want to give more formulas, I'd do it sequentially; two weeks of one, alternating with two weeks of another, for example.

You might also want to work on training for the dog. Behavior modification goes hand-in-hand with flower essences, almost like they were made for each other! Distraction is a wonderful thing for situations like this. Clicker training might also work really well. Timing is tricky so it might be helpful when the dog is with you in a room to have him on a leash so you can quickly step on it and halt the charge before he can get too worked up.

Hope this helps! I'll keep an eye out for this thread so feel free to ask questions, or clarify if I've missed something.

 

[JulyS]

@Dr. Jean Thank you. When I first got my pup, Mutsu, he was fine with two of my three cats. The third was also coming from a troubled past so they clashed. Slowly they were fine with each other. Other than the dog being younger with more energy everyone got along. (One cat even walked on my dog when he would sleep without any issues) Then things starting shifting as my dog starting being afraid of walks and shadows and noises. He starting bullying the cats a little.

Fast forward a little a lot of household changes and things are as bad as ever. My dog doesn't play like he used to (a lot has to do with his favorite game of monkey in the middle is no longer possible as I am the only human in the house), he is often too scared to even run in the woods (today I had to practically drag him for the first quarter mile until there was no chance of a single shadow-though it was overcast) and he has started resource guarding me (though it isn't consistent), and being triggered when the cats make certain noises or playing. It's worst with one particular cat (who happens to be the one I love on most).

The cat he is the harshest with has stage 2 kidney disease, possible repeated cystitis when he was younger (now that I understand the symptoms), chronic teeth issues (due to having extra teeth and loving kibble like mad when he was younger that I let him eat it even when raw and canned were offered).

His sister is the one with new high IDEXX SMDA, but the vet couldn't get a urine sample so unsure the greater meaning there. She also has hyperthyroidism and gets 6ml of transdermal gel every morning. When my old dog died about 12 years ago my male cat (her brother) started beating her up. They stopped being friends and she started hating him. When I got the third cat the siblings joined forces in hating the newbie. The dog rounded everyone out. My girl gets more attention then she would like from the third cat. She loves the dog, but he can also snap at her.

I am trying to work on retraining the dog so he leaves the cats alone. It is so hard though because even him looking at them will scar them away and he also just doesn't get things sometimes, even when he wants to.

I really want to give flower essences a try as they are fed raw, loved (even if the dog terrorizes them from time to time-they also get long well other times), and have space. The household has changed a lot bringing new stresses and amplifying old ones.

Haha, so with all that info I'm trying to find a good starting place and maybe some blends to rotate. (I also watched your flower essence webinar it made me so excited and also intimidated. If I buy some Jackson Galaxy blends do I need to extract them further?) I know this is a long post. Thank you for reading. Do you have guidance on where to start with everyone? To recap I'm interested in Vaccine Detox (for rabies soon), Para-Outta-Site (fleas), UR-Fine, and the peacemaker bundle (would all three be given at the same time or also rotated?)

And, after writing all this I just remembered I was suggested to post each animals stuff separately. I will keep this post as is since my question is mostly about flower essence use for an easier household environment. Thanks for understanding and for helping.

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Actually I'm glad you lumped everything together in this case, since that's how we started, and it makes sense to me!

Ideally, the cats should be separated from the dog completely whenever you are not there. Maybe a kennel/crate for the dog? This may actually help with his fear issues, since having a "den" that is his alone can help. The cats definitely need to have places they can escape to, a tall cat tree, shelves, etc. If cats are not getting along, then they need separate spaces too, and re-introduction if necessary. Hopefully you have a 5000 sq ft 10-bedroom beach house, right? (If you do... I'll be right there!!)

Flower essences alone are not going to be the answer, though they will go a long way toward calming things down. Behavior problems require behavior modification. Serious training for the dog is in order, especially with aggression (e.g., resource guarding).

I think it's too early for Vaccine Detox, and too late for UR Fine since neither is a current issue. For the cats, right now, I'd try Safe Space, and for the dog I'd really think about Nervous Nelly, and Training Formula, to use specifically during training sessions. A refresher obedience course might be a good idea too. Peacemaker can be sprayed around the house. Feel free to call Jackson's office for more specific guidance and directions.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey July-

IMHO this may fundamentally be your pup's fear issue.

Slowly they were fine with each other. Other than the dog being younger with more energy everyone got along. (One cat even walked on my dog when he would sleep without any issues) Then things starting shifting as my dog starting being afraid of walks and shadows and noises. He starting bullying the cats a little.

What might have been going on when there was any shift in your pup's BEAM? Any vet visits around that time?

Does Mutsu enjoy his sniff walks or snuffle mat? His pranayama (breathing exercises) and environmental engagement by doing them will increase brain connections to help his body heal and re-balance.

You might want to try experimenting with 2 weeks of doubling the amount of sniffing he does.

All 3 pets (and you) will benefit!

 

[JulyS]

Thank you, Dr. Jeff. I will definitely do this.