The Handbook of Bach Flower Remedies for Animals
Developed by Edward Bach, an English physician and homeopath working in the 1930s, Bach Flower Remedies are dilutions of thirty-eight types of flower and plant material used to treat physical and behavioral issues.
Because of their safety and efficacy, these solutions can often be utilized for both humans and pets, relieving issues like allergies, anxiety, and fatigue. In this straightforward, handy guide, Enric Homedes describes common challenges seen in dogs, cats, rabbits, and other animals.
After describing the properties and uses of all the Bach flowers—noting treatment for both animals and their caretakers—Homedes dives into the most frequent behavioral problems in animals, followed by real-life case studies and advice on treatment options.
Homedes has been a professional Bach Flower Therapist since 1999, as well as a canine trainer, a combination that works well for describing the aggressiveness, separation anxiety, jealousy, coprophagia (eating feces), depression and sadness, stress, hyperactivity, and phobias that can challenge pet owners.
The behavioral descriptions are particularly helpful, since they may provide insight into an animal’s everyday patterns that an owner might otherwise miss. Also useful, the case study section helps to put these maladies into context, and show that sometimes it takes some tweaking of the flower remedies to get just the right mix.
Because of its breadth of information, Homedes’ work will be quite useful for anyone who identifies issues that might be treated with a flower remedy first rather than another trip to the vet. Homedes doesn’t recommend avoiding the doctor altogether, and in fact, he often tells readers when a vet visit is advisable over home care, but he does present the remedies as options for increasing the health of any animal.
In his experience, animals respond quicker to Bach Flower Remedies than humans, mainly because animals experience feelings in a more straightforward way, without intellectual analysis. This well-written, very lucid guide to common pet behavioral problems and their treatment deserves to be a go-to reference for any animal owner.
Reviewed by
Elizabeth Millard
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
