Animals and Depression
Answered by: Kerry Hackett
Question from: Crystal
Posted on: April 03, 2006

I have a 2 year old Pug and a one and a half year old Bombay cat. They are now both house animals but previously they had free run of 7 acres. They are both now just a little overweight and I just feel they are depressed due to being indoors or just don’t feel well. They both have been to the vet and check out alright but their attitudes are quite depressed at times. Are there herbs out there to help them?

There are several options you can look at. First, your pets had been used to lots of exercise and some of their nutrition would have come from prey they caught outside. You can make food at home to simulate this prey; recipes may be found in the following books: Richard Pitcairn’s "Natural Health for Dogs and Cats", "The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat" by Juliette de Bairacli Levy and "The Barf Diet" by Ian Billinghurst. Homemade food often has a beneficial affect on animal’s moods. Next, make sure there are lots of places to run in the house and play with your animals as much as possible. Third, flower essences may be of great benefit to lift their depression. Available at your local health food shop look for: Walnut, Honeysuckle and Star of Bethlehem. They should help your animals adjust to the move and let go of their old home. Animals are very territorial and do not understand this kind of change; flower essences can often help in these situations. Of each of those flower essences, add two drops to a 50 ml bottle of spring water. Add one dropperful of the diluted essences to their food twice a day.

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