Children and animals typically progress faster than adult human beings when using vibrational essences because they have fewer layers of character and defenses built up over periods of time in response to the wounds we all experience in life.  Essences may be helpful for animals in very many ways, among them in rescue work and in preparation for surgery; for fears, grief, separation anxiety, depression, tension, stress, emotional upset, overwhelm, jealousy, mother-infant bonding, socialization issues, aggression, abuse, hyperactivity, aloofness, apathy; to aid in training or adjusting to new situations; and as a healing aid and support during physical illness.  One practitioner I know has reported that, when epileptic animals are treated with  Rescue Remedy or Five Flower Formula, the severity of the attack decreases, the length of the attack is shortened, and attacks happen less frequently.

Sometimes pets take on the emotions of their caretakers or are affected by their caretakers' emotions.  In cases such as this, relief for the animal may only be possible when the caretaker also takes essences and tries to work with his or her own emotional issues.  Some cases are only resolved when both the caretaker and pet are involved with flower essence therapy.  Some essence makers recommend that the caretaker and animal both take the same essence or blend in order to improve bonding and to create a mutual resonance between them which facilitates healing. 

The best way to administer essences to an animal is by mouth, six drops under the tongue or rubbed into the gums (some essence makers recommend four drops--you can experiment).  If placing the essences directly into the mouth is not possible, you may, as an alternative, place the drops:
     *on a treat (dog biscuits, slices of apple, carrots, etc.)
     *in the pet's food
     *in the animal's water 
     *on the pads of the paws
     *behind the ears of the animal
     *on the forehead of the pet
     *in the pet's bath water
     *on a spot the animal will lick

Other alternatives for administering essences include gently rubbing the essences onto the palms of your hands and then applying them through petting the animal, or mixing them into Self-Heal Creme (made and sold by FES or on this site;  click here for info) or herbal oils and gently daubing them onto sensitive or sore spots. 

Birds are very sensitive.  You may give the essences, with no preservative, dropped onto the tip of the beak, or you may place them in a bowl of water near the birdís cage (to evaporate), mist the environment, or place them in the bird's water.

Do not place essences into a fish tank.  Place the flower essence bottle near the fish tank or bowl (the fish will respond to the vibrations), or rest a small bowl that contains  flower essences near and above the fish bowl or aquarium. The water will evaporate and affect the fish. 

Some animals with tough skin like the essences rubbed on their skins, and you may also put them in their water.
 
 

Pappagallo is my beloved blue-fronted amazon parrot who has been a member of our family since 1978, incredibly intelligent and a real talker.  When he was a baby, I used to hold him cupped in my hands and kiss him all over his head and back, and he liked it.  He was my precious little bird.  Then he became an adolescent.  If he was out when I was in the room, he would try to dive-bomb my head and claw me.  I could not put my hand into his cage for any reason without getting bitten and ending up with a bleeding wound that would take days to heal.  He would regularly dilate his pupils and fan out his tail and wings and looked like a maniac.  Even if he appeared to be calm, he could change in an instant.  I was in danger even trying to pet him through the bars, yet he remained friendly with my husband and never bit him.  The vet told us he was sexually attracted to me and was frustrated (!).  I didn't know what to do about that!!  So I just accepted that Pappagallo had a real psychological problem, and I did not interact with him very much (at least not at close range!). 

In my beginning months of using flower essences, I tried spraying him with Holly for awhile, but I saw no improvement.  I have to say that I did not know what I was doing very much at that point!  I guess I thought he was just too far gone, and I didn't even think of using essences with him for a long time after the first attempt.  Then, much later, I read Healing Animals Naturally with Flower Essences and Intuitive Listening by Sharon Callahan and got inspired.  I decided to try working with Pappagallo again using essences.  By this time I knew how to dowse and trusted it quite a bit.  I put one of his feathers into my pendulum to help me pick up his energy, prayed for an essence to help Pappagallo with our dilemma, and got Freedom From Fear by Angelic Essences.  This made me wonder if perhaps he had some fear related to being exposed and over the safety of his cage.  I gave him the essence in his water daily for about three weeks (my husband put it in!), and saw some improvement but not enough. 

I prayed and dowsed again, and this time I got nasturtium made by Pegasus Products, a company that was founded by Gurudas.  A sister flower essence therapy practitioner had given me about 39 bottles of older, used Pegasus essences which had been passed on to her, and this was one of them.  I also have nasturtium made by FES, but this was not the one I was directed to.  Had I been directed to the FES nasturtium, I would have read the description in the FES repertory.  But instead I went to the description of nasturtium in the Gurudas flower essence book.  I have to admit that I am not a fan of the Gurudas books.  They consist of channeled material and speak of the use of essences in Lemuria and Atlantis, among other things, and I find them very strange.  However, I always remain open to the fact that there may be accurate information about essences in these books, no matter how I feel about them, and so I always give them the benefit of a doubt.  And I have had several experiences with these books similar to the one I am about to recount regarding Pappagallo's essence. 

I read the description of nasturtium and was struck by these words: ". .birds have less pure territorial instincts with nasturtium.  This is a good essence to add to any bird seed" (Flower Essences and Vibrational Healing by Gurudas, Cassandra Press, 1983, p. 182), and, indeed, I saw improvement in Pappagallo with the first bottle.  He became much more loving, docile, and relaxed.  He enjoyed being petted through the bars, would seek it out regularly, and would close his eyes and eat it up.  I was able to put my hand into his cage at one point when I had to and could even kiss his head and neck through the bars.  I could be in the room when he was out of his cage.  If I could get him away from his cage, I could pet him all over, kiss him, and even allow him to gently take my finger in his beak!  At one point, when he was outside the cage and irritated with me about something, he grabbed my finger and pushed my hand away instead of biting down practically to the bone and inflicting a painful wound. 

Our relationship has much improved, and I am very grateful to nasturtium!  I feel as if I have my little bird back to a large degree.  But I am still careful with Pappagallo because I know the degree of injury he can inflict if he wishes, and I don't want to lose an eye or have my nose maimed for life!

First photo:  Bleeding Heart helps animals who are overly attached to their caretakers to develop more emotional freedom (courtesy of FES).

Second photo:  Mallow helps animals develop trust and friendship, especially with humans (courtesy of FES).

Third photo:  Borage is helpful for animals who are depressed due to illness, old age or a recent change (courtesy of FES).