Holistic First-Aid For Cats and Dogs: You Can Help Them Feel Better

By Anne Whitehouse Ph.D.

We all value our pets. They give us so much: affection, love and entertainment. So it's very hard to watch them when they are ill, afraid or suffering. Over the years I have sometimes been asked to provide healing for pets. Let me share with you some simple and effective healing techniques which you can use to help your furry friends. These have all been used with real animals, and without exception, the pet responded well to the treatment.

Of course, before you try anything holistic, you must get your pet any appropriate medical treatment. After this, start your holistic regime. Animals respond very well to natural therapies because they are extremely sensitive to subtle energies. You should see an improvement within a few hours of starting treatment, but should carry on for at least a couple of weeks to get maximum benefit.

Flower Remedies: The Gentle Healers

Whenever your cat or dog is distressed, injured or afraid, you can give them a Bach Flower Remedy. Yes, flower remedies are completely safe for cats and dogs, with a little extra preparation. You can easily purchase these from a health-food store.

When you have selected your remedy, put four drops into a cup. Then add a little boiling water to make the brandy preservative evaporate. It helps if you swill the mixture around; you will be able to smell the alcohol as you do this. After a couple of minutes, you should be able to confirm that most of it has gone by checking the smell. Then use cold water to make the mixture up to about 30ml. This remedy will now last for up to four weeks, but you must keep it refrigerated.

To give the remedy to your pet, simply add four drops to their drinking water. Usually, they do not notice that you have added anything, and happily drink the water. Make sure you change the water and add fresh remedy every day.

When giving flower remedies to pets, I recommend giving Rescue Remedy in the first instance, and then up to two other remedies. I have found the following remedies to be particular effective for animals:

Rescue Remedy for shock, after operations or accidents.
Mimulus and Aspen when they are afraid.
Larch and Centaury when they are being bullied.
Holly and Beech when they are overly aggressive.

Colour Therapy for Pets

Your pet cannot tell you what is wrong, and cannot tell you what has upset or frightened it. The colours which will help an animal are therefore blue and orange. Blue clears communication, calms and de-stresses. Orange clears shock and trauma. To help a pet with colour, simply wrap them in a towel or blanket of the appropriate colour, or place coloured blankets in their bed.

Crystal Healing for Pets

Crystals can be extremely helpful for pets. Simply place the crystal in your pet's bedding and they will get the benefit.

Examples

Injury, Operation or Accident
Obviously the first priority is to get your pet the required medical treatment. After this has been taken care of, you can start the healing. Give your pet Rescue Remedy. If they are unable to drink, simply dip your finger in their drinking water, and let them lick your finger. Give them an orange towel or blanket to help with the trauma. I also recommend placing a piece of smoky quartz in their bedding. The energy of this crystal is excellent for absorbing pain.

Being Bullied and Attacked
Again, you should start with Rescue Remedy and an orange blanket. I also recommend adding Mimulus and Aspen to the remedy. This will help deal with your pet's fear and timidity. After a couple of days, you should see a change in your pet's behaviour. It will then be beneficial to give them Centaury and Larch to increase their confidence.

Aggression and Bullying Other Animals
Give the aggressive animal Beech and Holly flower remedies for several weeks. Use a bright blue towel or blanket with your pet. I also recommend putting a rose quartz crystal in their bedding. This combination will make your pet feel safe and loved, and should reduce their aggression towards other animals.

Making a difference to your pet's well-being is very easy. All that is required is to have a couple of bottles of flower remedy, a few crystals and some coloured towels. What could be easier?

Dr Anne Whitehouse is a Colour Psychologist and Flower Remedies practitioner. She uses colour to clear stress and trauma, and help people move forward with their lives. Colour is a truly universal language: it can reach anyone, regardless of their ability to communicate their problems. Flower Remedies are safe and gentle yet extremely powerful: they can produce life-changing healing. Anyone can incorporate holistic healing techniques like these into their daily life to make things better for themselves and those around them, at little or no cost. Find out how to do this at www.anne-whitehouse.com.

Are Aquarium Snails Pets Or Pests?

By David Yearwood

Most fish keepers see snails as pests. You can't blame them as some really are. But on the other hand, some folks keep snails as pets. There are a variety of aquarium snails available. Typically, pet grade snails are available at your local pet shop. In some cases, little snails can be hidden in aquarium plants. Be careful when buying since some people get a big surprise after a couple of weeks when they find their aquarium infested.

There are quite a few kinds of snails to think about. Every type has different features and characteristics. Below are the common types and a brief description of each.

Ramshorn snail:

They're called such due to the ram like horns it has on its head. Their colours range from black, red and checkered patterns. They usually eat any kind of house plants and are notoriously prolific.

Trumpet snail:

These do not lay eggs like most snails. They are live-bearing. They normally feed on particles that are present in the substrate and seldom consume plants. These are advisable to get if you have a tank full of plants. These snails are nocturnal, which means that they are active at night. This type of snail has been known to keep the bottom of your aquarium free of debris.

Pond snail:

This type is pretty notorious as they have been observed to hide in aquarium plants. They are usually football-like in shape. Pond snails reproduce very fast and they have big appetites. They can easily wreak havoc on your aquarium plants.

Apple snail:

This one is a well-liked aquarium addition. The apple snail has four different species. They are known to consume aquarium plants. Be cautious when deciding to add this type to your tank. Under appropriate conditions, the apple snail can be an inhabitant of your tank for a long time. They can even grow the size of tennis balls.

Nearly all aquarium snails thrive well in community tanks. They consume algae and other debris that accumulates in the tanks. They can help a lot in keeping good water quality. However, some consume aquarium plants. Make certain that you know everything about them before you add them to your tank.

Aquarium snails are good companions to fishes such as Danios, Guppies, Neon Tetras and White Cloud Minnows. On the other hand if you discover unwelcome snails in your aquarium, you could add a Skink or Clown Loach as these fish consider snails as dinner.

Aquarium snails are a great addition to your tank. Make sure to consult your pet store attendant before buying as the compatibility of the fish and snails are crucial.

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