Ask Your Pet

Nancy D.

Dear Nancy,

Maya says that she was given to shelters because people didn’t understand her and didn’t have the patience or know the right way to work with her. In her first home they weren’t really ready for a puppy and didn’t want to do things like pick up after her when she had accidents, potty train her, train her in general, etc. She said they thought she was a bad dog and didn’t understand that she was just being a puppy. It really hurt her feelings and made her feel like maybe she was really bad, especially after she was taken to the shelter. About her second family, she just sadly says, "they didn’t want me either". This situation is very hard for her to talk about. She’s showing me a little boy - I think she was very attached to him and the family blamed her for something related to him. She’s not able or not willing to tell me exactly what it was. She thought they were great pals and didn’t understand what the problem was. It is thanks to your love and patience that she’s a happy dog now, but she still has some underlying feelings of anxiety, sadness, and of "not being good enough". The anxiety is why she chews things now.

Regarding Maya’s knee, I have to preface any questions like this by saying that I’m not a veterinarian and am not giving medical advice. I can only communicate what the dog is telling me. There is some pain in Maya’s right knee radiating down her leg into her ankle. It isn’t excruciating but certainly isn’t comfortable. Maya isn’t thrilled with having to be inside and in pain for so long, but she also doesn’t like the idea of having surgery. A holistic veterinarian may have some additional suggestions for decreasing Maya’s pain, or even be able to suggest less invasive alternatives to the surgery. Again, Maya is relating to me that she’s in pain and it nags at her, but it isn’t excruciating, at least as far as she’s letting me know. I think the pain also contributes to her chewing habit.

Here are some flower essence formulas that should help Maya, all from www.GreenHopeEssences.com: "Abandonment and Abuse", "Anxiety", "Recovery", "Painkiller Plant", and "Carry Less" .

Many Blessings,

Jennifer Dickman