Book Review

Bach Flower Remedies for Animals
by Stefan Ball & Judy Howard

For those of you who want to use Bach Flower Remedies with your pets, a new book, Bach Flower Remedies For Animals, is the title you have been waiting for. It explains how to use the Remedies with dogs, cats, horses and other companion animals. The book has the recommendation of the Bach Centre in England since it was written by Stefan Ball and Judy Howard, who are both Bach Centre staff.

As an animal communicator, I have found the 38 Bach Flower Remedies along with Rescue Remedy to be very effective in assisting animals by working gently on the central nervous system and aiding the body in releasing stored emotions. (See next page for complete list of Bach Flower Remedies.) However, information on what remedies to use previously had to be extracted from books written on the use of the remedies with humans. One of the best features of this book is the chapter on "Using the Remedies" which gives specifics on the animal behaviors that indicate a need for each of the 38 remedies. For example, Crab Apple is called the cleansing remedy and is recommended for animals that demonstrate excessive grooming habits by constantly licking themselves or chewing on their fur.

If you don't yet telepathically communicate with animals, help is at hand in the chapter on "Reading Animal Behavior," which discusses verbal communication, non-verbal communication, gender differences, and breed differences. In the section on verbal communication, the authors discuss how cat language has at least 16 basic sounds while there are only five in dog language. The non-verbal section is an informative ten pages filled with interpretations of different expressions of body language by both cats and dogs.

Case studies regarding use of the remedies with dogs, cats, and other companion animals such as rabbits and birds appear in the chapter "Animals In The Home." One Bach practitioner shared the following case study regarding a cat:

I have not treated many cats, but I have treated a Siamese cross who was very aggressive, to the point that she growled when the doorbell rang. She attacked strangers by jumping up to their faces. This cat got only Vine [remedy], and was purring to strangers within a week.

Horses have their own chapter covering horse to horse relationships, the rider and horse inter-relationship, injuries and emergencies, from stable to show-ring, and case studies. One of the few American case studies involved Goldie:

She is a very nervous horse, will not let anyone touch her and always flinches when saddled. She has a mean streak in her, probably due to former maltreatment, and will bite and kick other mares. I gave her…Mimulus for her nervousness, Honeysuckle for the memory of the former maltreatment, Holly for jealousy and suspicion, [and] Impatiens for her quick temper... An improvement was apparent within four days.

The chapter "On The Farm And In The Wild" provides information and case studies in using the Remedies with livestock and wild creatures. The following case study involves a hedgehog:

A hedgehog had found its way into the garden pond one night. It was discovered in the morning, still in the water, but half-drowned and exhausted by its repeated attempts to escape. Once free of the water it looked as if it was about to die. It was given Rescue Remedy diluted in some water and applied all around its mouth with the dropper and then was gently placed in the shade under a big leaf. We expected it to die, but later in the day when we lifted the leaf the hedgehog was gone. It had recovered and made its escape as soon as it could.

Bach Flower Remedies for Animals is now an indispensable resource for me in my practice. In fact, the only negative I have regarding this book is its British focus, which is especially apparent in the recommended books and animal agencies lists. No US publishers or agencies are listed. However, that is a small complaint in comparison of the wealth of information provided on the use of the Remedies with pets, livestock and wild animals.

Bach Flower Remedies for Animals, Stefan Ball and Judy Howard, C. W. Daniel Company Limited, April 1999. ISBN 0 85207 296 1

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