A Dog with a Fear of Fireworks Case Study – Jessie – Part 2

Jessie was a dog with a fear of fireworks and loud noises. She was able to help herself by self-selecting her own natural remedies in an Applied Zoopharmacognosy session. She had already relaxed at the start of her session with Rose and Jasmine essential oils. She then went on to display very interesting behaviours in response to the other essential oils that I offered her for her fears.

Linden Blossom is a remedy that is often popular with animals who are fearful and those who have experienced upsets and traumas. Jessie chose not to approach this bottle at first. She lay down on the other side of the room and became very sleepy, although she was trying to stay awake. She whimpered and sighed. She hid her face between her paws but was still looking at the bottle out of the corner of her eye. This was the clue for me to be patient and wait, as Jessie’s reaction suggested that she would find benefit from the Linden Blossom, but that she needed time to think it over first, before choosing to inhale it more closely.

Then, something changed and Jessie climbed on to her guardian’s lap. In between inhalations of Linden Blossom, she licked her guardian’s face! This was such a wonderful moment to witness. She gave a big yawn and settled down. Her guardian re-offered Linden Blossom and Jessie was keen to lick a drop. She then wanted to receive the oil stroked over her head and chest. She became very affectionate, pressing her face against her guardian’s face and neck. It was as if she were a puppy again, seeking affection and reassurance. I re-offered Rose Otto to assist with the release of past trauma and any unwanted memories and Jessie climbed onto my lap and fell asleep.

When Jessie woke up, she sat on the sofa next to me, looking to see what was coming next. I offered her Violet Leaf which can help an animal to cope with frightening situations and can also help an animal who anticipates a bad experience based on past experiences. I also hoped that it would comfort her heart and soothe the restless behaviour she displays when she’s frightened by fireworks.

Jessie inhaled Violet Leaf with interest and also wanted the oil to be stroked along the length of her spine. She returned to her guardian for more cuddles and climbed up onto the back of the sofa, so she could press her face against her guardian’s cheek. She repeatedly inhaled from the bottle and then licked her guardian’s face.

I offered Vetiver for it’s calming and comforting effects. Jessie was still on the back of the sofa and she came along the back of it to sniff intently at the bottle. She licked my face. She lay down close to the bottle, with her paws on my shoulder and her body along the sofa back. She inhaled and gave a big yawn, then inhaled again, repeatedly.

I then offered Valerian for its ability to ease tension and anxiety and to offer deep relaxation. Jessie was still leaning on my shoulder. She took a long and concentrated sniff from the bottle and licked her lips. She inhaled deeply three more times and became very sleepy.

Jessie’s favourite oils, Rose Otto, Linden Blossom, Valerian, Violet Leaf and Vetiver, were left in individual bottles, diluted in water, so that her guardian could continue to offer them each evening in the build up to Halloween and Bonfire night.

Jessie found benefit from these oils almost immediately. A few nights after her session, fireworks were set off close to the house, waking the household. Jessie reacted in panic. Jessie’s guardian offered her the first essential oil that came to hand, which was Rose Otto. Jessie wanted it applied topically to her chest. She got back onto her bed and her guardian dripped Rose Otto around where she was lying. Jessie immediately settled down and went back to sleep. This was a wonderful reaction, as normally, Jessie would have paced anxiously for several hours after the fireworks had frightened her.

A few days later, shortly after Jessie had inhaled and licked her favourite oils, she was let out into the garden for a wee and a distant firework was heard. Jessie gave a tiny woof and stayed where she was. This was a big improvement, as her normal response would be to rush to the bottom of the garden, barking hysterically, before rushing back indoors.

There were other noticeable improvements in her behaviour as well. Jessie visited the vet and her guardian commented on how much calmer she was than normal. On a walk, Jessie encountered children on scooters, which would normally scare her, prompting barking and running away. This time, she calmly ignored them! The same evening, three loud firework bangs were heard nearby and Jessie took no notice. She also ignored distant fireworks, heard when she was in the garden.

During Halloween and Bonfire Night, Jessie coped much better with the firework displays than she previously had. Loud and prolonged fireworks still made her initially very anxious. However, her guardian found that by encouraging her to inhale Rose Otto, Valerian, Linden Blossom, Violet Leaf and Vetiver, she could persuade Jessie to settle on her bed.

Jessie’s guardian would then offer a topical application of whichever oil Jessie seemed keenest on and also drip this onto her bed. Jessie would then relax enough to go to sleep. Her guardian was really pleased to see such an improvement and felt very relieved that she had some tools to help Jessie to relax. Jessie continues to be generally calmer in her everyday life and to ignore skateboards, noisy children and scooters, making for much happier walks in the park!

If your animal is affected by fireworks I offer support and advice in a number of ways:

You are very welcome to book in with me for a free discovery call.

I offer free annual healing for animals with a fear of fireworks. You can nominate your animal here.

You’ll find lots of helpful tips and methods to help your animal in my Firework booklet.

Learning animal communication techniques can help to increase how calm your animal is. I recommend Easy Animal Communication for Anxious Animals as a great way to introduce additional calm for your animal. These techniques can be used in the build up to firework season and at times when the fireworks are happening too.

An Applied Zoopharmacognosy or Animal Communication session can be very helpful to support both of you throughout firework season.