What are Bach Flower Remedies? Dr Edward Bach’s Flower Remedies are essences that try to change negative emotions or patterns of behaviour into positive ones; Ahead of his time, Dr Bach understood the connection between the emotional state and physical illness and the essences became his life work. There are 38 individual Remedies and a Recovery Remedy combining several remedies given for shock or trauma. Each remedy comes in a bottle with a dropper top. A single remedy can be chosen, but it is preferable to choose several (up to five) that reflect different emotional states of the animal. Each Remedy has an indication for use and a positive outcome. Dr Bach stressed the importance of taking these “vibrational” remedies in water: shaking before each use. It is worth noting that animals very easily pick up on our emotions and act accordingly. Always try to consider why an animal is behaving like it is and ask yourself if your behaviour is having an effect: are you nervous about attempting a jump or taking on a new companion? How should Bach Flower remedies be used? It is preferable to make up a “Treatment Bottle”, but drops can be used straight from the remedy bottle. For a Treatment Bottle, add up to six drops of each chosen remedy to 30mls of mineral/boiled tap water (+ teaspoon cider vinegar to preserve the essences if desired). Shake thoroughly and shake well before each use. How much should I give my animal? Dogs can be given 4 to 6 drops, horses can be given 10 to 15 drops from the Treatment Bottle. Either place in their drinking water, onto the animal’s nose, rubbed into the gums or skin, given in food or on a treat. Drops can be added to an external wash or put into a water based mister and sprayed into the animal’s environment. The above can be repeated up to four times a day. If no Treatment Bottle has been made or is available, the drops can be taken directly from the remedy bottle(s), administered as above. Dogs can be given 4 to 6 drops in total, either from one remedy bottle or 2/3 drops from two remedy bottles etc. Horses can be given 10 to 15 drops, either from one remedy bottle or 5 drops from three remedy bottles etc. How long should I use Recovery Essence? The average course is a week, but remedies can be administered for longer periods or as required, until improvement noted. In crisis situations, drops can be given directly from the remedy bottle to the animal every 20 minutes until recovery is seen. Examples include fireworks night and acute trauma.