Petit came to me with extreme separation anxiety. He was found on the street in bad condition a month prior to our first appointment so not much was known about his history. He howled, cried, and barked in a very distressed way for hours when left alone. His new owners were not able to leave him even for 5 minutes without his becoming distressed.
In addition, and as a result of his anxieties and fears of abandonment he followed his two female owners everywhere. He would not let them out of his sight. If they left the room and he wasn’t able to follow then he would sit and whine until their return.
They have resolved to taking him with them to work and having him with them all day long which didn’t help the problem.
He also marked the house by urinating and the owners had sought no prior treatment before visiting me.
It was my feeling that this dog was previously owned by a female owner who spoiled him tremendously. He was obviously handfed, not taken out of the house, and never left alone in the house. He was one of those poor dogs that have been raised as a baby or a doll! His previous owners, I believe, got rid of him after he started displaying his separation anxiety as they couldn’t deal with it. He may have also been aggressive towards his previous female owner in an attempt to dominate her. I did not believe that his problem was solely a product of his being left on the street, although I was sure that that was also a big shock for him especially after his luxury lifestyle. It was obvious that he had had the problem for a while.
My choice of possible oils:
Yarrow (Wood-Metal-Water):
I felt that yarrow was ideal for Petit as the first five years of his life were unknown and as there are suspicions of abuse (his front two teeth had been knocked out) it would help release any past emotional trauma that helped lead to his irrational behaviour. It would also help relieve him of the trauma of being left on the street.
Rose (Fire):
Rose is another oil that is ideal for animals suffering from past abuse and works well with yarrow. Petit was also in need of a little nurturing to the heart, that was trying so hard, but not quite succeeding, to keep things together. Rose might have also been needed to strengthen his imbalance in the triple warmer meridian that showed up in the kinesiology test.
Geranium (Water (Earth)):
Geranium was THE main oil for Petit. It is the oil to be given when an animal has moved to a new home or is subject of other destabilising events in their life. Geranium is given to make an animal feel secure in it-self after such events.
Cedarwood (Water-Metal):
‘This oil grounds and centres you in your being giving the spirit strength to face up to every situation’ (essential oil course notes). Also it helps animals the strength to ‘keep it together’ in times of crisis. Cedarwood is another oil that is indicated in situations where an animal has moved home recently and is finding it hard to cope.
Frankincense (Earth-Metal):
I considered this oil due to its ability to distance the mind from worries and fears. I felt that Petit needed to be distanced from his past so that he could see the present clearer. I felt that he needed to let go of his past and his old attachments. Frankincense would also calm Petit down and allow him to breath.
Neroli (Fire):
Neroli is highly uplifting and calming. It is also indicated in cases of separation anxiety as it helps battle the panic that animals feel when left alone. Petit has also been through trauma as he was left on the street and as Neroli ‘re-connects body and mind after shock or trauma’ (essential oil course notes) I thought it suitable for him. His slow digestion would also benefit from Neroli’s action.
Nutmeg (Earth-Fire):
Nutmeg is known as a digestive remedy. Petit is in need of a lot of emotional support in order to let go of the past and the trauma of being thrown out on the street. Petit is also a dog that cannot get enough attention and love as he follows his owners everywhere. I thought Nutmeg mainly for his emotional neediness.
The kinesiology test showed that Geranium, Yarrow, and Valerian all in hempseed oil were the oils that would strengthen all Petit’s imbalances.
Petit’s reaction to the oils:
Petit was not very interactive with the oils. His reactions were mainly to choose his distance and lie down while inhaling the oils. The ‘a’ reactions meant that he inhaled deeply and sat closer to the oils. He did occasionally take a lick. B reactions are similar but at a further distance than the ‘a’ reactions. He definitely took to the oils as he showed mainly ‘a’ and ‘b’ reactions with a preference to Geranium in the first week. Valerian was his second preference up until the second week where his preferences changed and he started warming up to yarrow a little more.
Conclusion
Petit’s behaviour has changed a lot since the beginning of the therapy. He is a lot calmer and doesn’t follow his owners around that much. He will even sleep alone in his own bed outside the bedroom without whining. There are times when he will leave the room that his owners are sitting and go into his crate in the other room and sleep. He is also less wary as to their presence and a lot more independent. At work they are able to leave him alone in their shop while they pop next door for a cigarette. He may whine slightly but his reaction is nowhere near the full blown panic that he used to display before. When left alone at home he still barks but not as bad as before his treatment. He is still undergoing therapy for further improvement.
