We don’t know for certain how our animals are feeling but we can get a glimpse of something through their behaviour and health changes. We are able to observe them by their musculature and the state of their digestive tract, the depletion of immunity and heightened allergic reactions. We have all felt stress and tension and we know that we can feel physical and emotional symptoms as a result. We can have trouble concentrating with a fog over our heads, we can get snappy, cry, or even hold muscular tension resulting in back pain or headaches. Knowing that our animals respond to stress the same way, helps us become more compassionate towards them. Short term stress is not as taxing to us as long term stress, the physiological response doesn’t subside, finding non-threatening situations stressful. These stressors are things that the animal cannot run away from, such as:
- Being left at home
- Noise they can’t escape
- Hostility between another animal in the home
- Hostility with a person in their home
They cannot fight or flee…the is no escape! As a result, the animal suffers from General Adaptation Syndrome, leading to health problem that are both physical and mental.
Herbs For Stress And Tension
Nervous System Herbs (Long Term)
- Oatseed
- St John’s Wort
- Vervain
- Valerian (severe cases)
For emotional signs of stress and tension like behaviour changes:
- Skullcap and Passion Flower in combination
- Catnip
- Lemon Balm (avoid in pregnancy and hypothyroidism)
Cardiovascular Herbs (The cardiovascular system can be strained from prolonged stress)
- Hawthorn
- Gingko Biloba
Immune System Herbs (If the animal is extremely tired and depleted)
- Echinacea (root is best)
- Ashwagandha
- Astragalus
When working with animals with an extreme amount of stress, adaptogens are quite important. They will help the animal’s body deal with stress more effectively. This lowers the negative effects of stress on the animal, they are also calming and soothing on the nervous system which helps decrease anxiety and relieve physical symptoms of stress. Theses herbal adaptogens include:
- Hawthorn
- Ashwagandha
- Astragalus
As we can see when it comes to stress, there is a lot more we need to nourish other than just the nervous system. Stress and tension takes a toll on the entire body and we see how dangerous it is on our animal’s body and wellbeing. This is why it is so important that we pay close attention to signs and behaviour of our fur babies, so we can deal with it before it becomes detrimental.
Your best bet is to consult with a holistic veterinarian or holistic practitioner like myself, to direct you in the right direction. If you feel you are in the dark and uncertain, herbalist have the expertise and wisdom to direct you to top quality herbal products for your animal.
Check out our blog on General Adaptation Syndrome
If you are interested holistic services from Maria for your animal feel free to learn more here.
