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resources for inner peace, health and healing
caring for our animalswww.esswellness.comjune 2011
2 www.esswellness.com
4 www.esswellness.com
inside june 2011
6-7 Be the change you want to see in your dogBY LISA SELLMAN
10-12 I followed the scent to get a new leash on lifeBY ROSE ANN HEISEL
14-15 Keep your pet manicured-pedicured, without the polish!BY ANN NEUBAUER, CVT
16-17 Use essential oils to improve with your pet’s health and wellnessBY MARY STOFFEL
18-19 Spark plug of the dog pack dies suddenlyBY LENA SWANSON
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6 www.esswellness.com
ANY YEARS ago
when I began train-
ing dogs, I was very
focused on canine
behavior and little on
working with the human owner. The
group classes that I taught at the time
were successful enough and I did not
get too involved in the owner’s concerns.
This changed four years ago with a cli-
ent named Sarah and Turbo, her pitbull.
Turbo had snapped at some neighbor
children and he was unruly on leash,
aggressive towards other dogs, and had
started biting Sarah. My first thought—
once I scanned the destroyed furniture,
woodwork, and shades—was obviously
this dog is way too much for her to han-
dle and she should not keep him.
Turbo was her boyfriend’s dog who
had committed suicide about 18 months
before. It had been very difficult for
Sarah who also suffers from depression.
Turbo kept her going by making her get
out of the house, if for nothing else than
to take him to the bathroom or go to the
store for his dog food. She was not close
with her family and she was laid off at
that time from her IT job. I knew that
Turbo was more than a dog for her. He
was her tie to her deceased boyfriend, her
connection to the outside world, and he
was her protector from a world that was
not easy. She had taken him to classes
until instructors told her she could not
come back or worse, had told her to euth-
anize him.
saviNG saraH bY saviNG turbo
I knew I had to save Turbo for Sar-
ah’s sake. I still remember how sad and
ashamed she was with Turbo’s aggressive
behavior. While she talked about Turbo,
one element was missing, and that was
joy. Joy in life, joy in having a dog, and
joy in the possibilities of her future. She
lacked the confidence of knowing that
there is good in the world and that her
life is turning out exactly as it should
be and that this experience with Turbo
was the perfect opportunity for her to
develop confidence in her own abilities
to train her dog.
CariNG For our aNiMals
CoNtiNued PaGe 8...
bY lisa sellMaN
Be the change you want to see in your dog
M
june 2011 7
“i am walking Cassie, the Golden doodle, with a harness to keep all tension off her neck which is very important. she calmly walks beside me with a loose leash, no stress or anxiety on the walk. this is very important. if your dog is anxious on walks then the walks are not doing what they should be doing for you and the dog. it should be a harmonious experience,” said sellman.
8 www.esswellness.com
CariNG For our aNiMalsBe the Change Continued...
Top: “this particular dog is a chewer and i am massaging her mouth and gum line; chewing is a way for dogs to calm themselves. if she was a human, she may be a two-pack a day smoker or have other bad habits such as overeating or biting her nails. the mouth on mammals is connected to the limbic system which is the term for our emotional system in the brain. by massaging her gums and the area under her nose in a gentle way, calms her down and she enjoys the feeling. Her owner announced that she did not chew up anything in the house all weekend. i showed the owner how she can help her dog by doing these simple techniques on her dog.”
Bottom: “Massaging a paw helps a dog to understand boundaries. Working with dogs’ paws releases tension and helps them relax—the same as reflexology with humans.”
I knew instinctually that Turbo
was not an aggressive dog. He was a
misunderstood dog that felt frustra-
tion and he needed an outlet. That
first afternoon was all about Sarah
and Turbo having fun together.
Instead of me teaching Sarah to do
this or that with her dog, I let Turbo
teach both of us what he needed.
Mostly, he just needed Sarah to smile
again. The paradigm shift of putting
Turbo as the teacher allowed Sarah to
honor her dog as the smart and beau-
tiful dog that he was and continues
to be today. The change that Sarah
needed that day was to feel confidant
in her own skills as a dog owner.
There was nothing wrong with Turbo
and Sarah was not a failure. He only
had misguided energy which was eas-
ily changed into games and making
learning fun. With that attitude, he
went on to be able to walk calmly on
leash after a few lessons and no lon-
ger was snapping at Sarah or neigh-
borhood children.
doGs: a GiFt We Give ourselves
When we face a challenge in
life, ask yourself, what is this chal-
lenge teaching me? Dogs are such
a blessing because they are always
ready to teach us what is most
important for us to learn at this
moment. Compassion, patience,
understanding, and loyalty are all
lessons our dogs are here to teach
but we must slow down in order to
comprehend the message.
A thought came into my mind
while enjoying a morning stroll with
my dog: “Dogs are a gift we give our-
selves. They remember how we used
to be and hold the possibility that we
will remember one day, also.”
Lisa Sellman is the owner of Aloha
Pet Care & Dog Training, one of
the most respected professional dog
training and professional pet care
companies in Minneapolis. Learn
more at http://www.alohapetcare.us/
june 2011 9
10 www.esswellness.com
EOPLE OVER time have cre-
ated a harmonious connection
and a fondness for dogs and
cats! Our ever-faithful com-
panions help shape and define
the world we share with them.
In ancient Egypt cats were very
sacred animals. Bast was the Egyptian god-
dess with the head of a cat and a body of a
human and was the protectress of women,
children, and domesticated cats. The black
jackal-headed Anubis was a guide taking
people into the afterlife.
Pets FiNd JoY NaturallY
Pets are excellent at guiding us on
unique paths, and are directly respon-
sible for showing us things we may fail
to notice about the world we share with
them. My cat companions constantly
remind me of how things were before we
had technological gadgets. I find myself
watching how they find joy naturally. The
tiniest lacewing dragonflies can go unno-
ticed until you see a cat staring it down.
The cat sits in quietness and is completely
fulfilled in the moment of doing what it
was meant to do.
While exercising my dog, I spend
quality time enjoying the journey down
the wooded trail while my dog follows
many scents and is living authentically
reaching his full potential. I have learned
to appreciate being in the moment as he
sniffs his way into being a creative and a
happy creature that thrives on every new
change around him. With his keen sense
of smell and his strong mental focus he
is way ahead of me taking big strides to
move out and explore at the far reaches of
my extended lead.
All my dogs have this capacity to
encourage me to enjoy the exercise and
welcome me to take part in the hunt of
new opportunities that they have been see-
ing all along. This has brought about some
serious contemplation by me on the ques-
tion of am I really fulfilling my own mis-
sion in life or simply living through my
dog?
beiNG iNsPired to CHaNGe
I was starting to feel the inspiration
to make a big change.
This big change came about in my
own business. I took my ordinary dog
grooming business and turned it into an
outdoor grooming spa. I had the feeling
of being reborn with this new business
attitude.
Outside I am surrounded by flower
gardens and potted lavender. I creatively
provide aromatherapy in my specialized
dog grooming spa, with the pure intent
I followed the scent to get a new leash on life
P
CariNG For our aNiMals bY rose aNN Heisel
june 2011 11
of providing relaxing grooming rituals
for my beloved dog (and cat) clients.
My portable bath tub and groom-
ing table has left the confines of my home
and is now outside, on the back patio. My
fragrant pet shampoos have made things
interesting as different butterflies are
drawn to our bathing area.
CoNtiNued PaGe 12...
Above: the perfect summer cool down, then off to the dog show for Marcella. Left: My favorite client brie begins her bubble bath
Photos by: Jerry Westby
12 www.esswellness.com
Water run off from the bathtub is used
to water my surrounding flower gardens.
Dogs are dried partly by the sunny warm
breezes and partly with a dryer. In a lot of
ways, my outdoor grooming spa is giving
back to nature. The loose dog hair flies
off into the air and is eagerly picked up
by birds in hot pursuit of nest building.
With a blue sky over head and a
dog in the bath tub it becomes my turn
to be in my element and fulfilled in the
moment. I am fulfilling my own mission
in life of being a pet stylist with a new
leash on doing business.
My new adventure may not make
the news, but it has created more aware-
ness to me of what a significant role dogs
have in our lives. And in my life this
business adventure is exactly what I have
been sniffing around for.
Some of us may dress dogs up in
fur-trimmed designer coats or fancy jew-
eled collars but I believe that dogs can
be happy and content without these frills
because their spirit of curiosity in their
noses let them take the lead and simply
be a dog, and our best friend.
When you meet these special crea-
tures watch closely because they just
may have a happy tail to tell. There is a
good chance they will have something
to bark about.
Rose Ann Heisel has worked in the pet
industry for over 25 years. She currently
is a pet stylist with more than 22 years
experience. She loves grooming dogs and
dog showing. In her free time she enjoys
writing with the help of her cat Ting
Ting. People interested in ideas for creat-
ing their own outdoor grooming spa can
contact Rose Ann at heiselplac@aol.com.
CariNG For our aNiMalsNew Leash on Life Continued...
brie and sophie have fun as part of the outdoor grooming spa experience
june 2011 13
14 www.esswellness.com
LICK, CLICK, click,
click… Fido must be
walking across the
kitchen tile. It’s good to
know where he is, but
that clicking means some-
thing else, too: Fido needs a nail trim! Now!
Trimmed nails aren’t just for aesthet-
ics. Dogs really do benefit from having
shorter nails. Shorter nails mean fitter feet
and an easier load on the joints.
WHY doGs Need triMMed Nails
A dog with long nails has a more dif-
ficult time rolling forward off her feet. Long
nails limit the active range of motion in a dog’s
toes, and affect the angulation of their wrists,
ankles, elbows, knees, shoulders, and hips.
Getting a dog’s nails trimmed fre-
quently—before you hear them clicking
on the linoleum—is a good way to keep
a dog fit on his feet and prevent toenail
injury, arthritis, and even lameness.
Get ProFessioNals to GrooM WHeN You CaN’t
Veterinary staff and groomers should
be able to give your dog a nail trim if you
are not comfortable doing so yourself. At
Minnetonka Animal Hospital, we do what
we call a chiropractic nail trim. We trim
the hard part of the nail away back at sev-
eral angles, to expose the quick without
making it bleed. The dog then walks hap-
pily away—quicks painlessly exposed so
Keep your pet manicured-pedicured, without the polish!
CariNG For our aNiMals
C
Your vet does more than give shots!
june 2011 15
that they can recede. Over time, with fre-
quent trimming (about every two to three
weeks), Fido’s nails are easily maintained at
a shorter, healthier length.
Several products are on the market
to help dog owners trim their pets’ nails.
Grinding tools, filing tools, trimmers
resembling wire cutters, and trimmers
with sliding blades are among the most
easily found. No tool is necessarily better
than another, but people like vet techs and
groomers do have their favorites. It’s a mat-
ter of which tool the user—and the dog—
are most comfortable with.
doGs WHo Hate a triM
But, what if Fifi hates having her
nails trimmed? If you can start handling
Fifi’s toes in a calm manner, with no trim-
mers in sight, and praise her for letting
you touch her nails, then do so, and do it
frequently. This will help desensitize her to
the nail trim experience. If she still won’t
accept her nail trim, bring her in to your
veterinarian or groomer and ask that they
trim the nails as short as safely possible.
And don’t forget the dewclaws! If
your dog has dewclaws (those short toes
on the insides of the feet that don’t touch
the ground when they are standing), it’s
important to keep them short as they
may get snagged if they grow too long.
What if you accidentally trim too
short and nick the dog, and he bleeds?
Apply a dab of styptic powder to the
bleed. Styptic powder is made to stop
those nicks from bleeding, and is avail-
able at pet supply stores where nail trim-
mers are sold. If you are in a pinch, corn
starch can also stop the bleeding in nicked
nail quicks.
So, please, to keep your dog sure-
footed, handle her toes, listen for clicking,
and get those nails trimmed!
Ann Neubauer is a certified veterinary tech-
nician and canine rehabilitation assistant
at Minnetonka Animal Hospital, where she
has been doing chiropractic nail trims for six
years. http://www.minnetonkaanimal.com
Keep your pet manicured-pedicured, without the polish!
bY aNN Neubauer, Cvt
16 www.esswellness.com
CariNG For our aNiMals
HY USE essential
oils? How do they
work? An essential
oil is the life-blood
of the plant and as
such, the animals recognize it as a source
of wellness. Animals instinctively know
what oils to inhale and when they have had
enough. When their need has been satis-
fied they simply refuse to have anything
more to do with the oil at all. An added
bonus is that the oils are compatible with
most other complementary therapies.
aNiMals More seNsitive to oils tHaN HuMaNs
Essential oils have been used very
successfully on animals and people since
biblical times. Animals are even more
sensitive to the effects of the oils than
humans. If you have never used oils with
your animal before, the best way to start is
by applying the oil to the hooves or feet, on
the tips of the ears, or by simply letting the
animal sniff the oil from the bottle. Just
a few drops can be sprinkled on the chest
or spine and massaged into the skin. For
applying to open wounds or hard-to-reach
areas, it helps to dilute the oil in a spray
bottle with very pure olive oil and spray
directly on location. There is no right or
wrong way to apply essential oils. Every
animal is a little different so you need to
observe carefully how the animal responds
to the treatment and use common sense
and good judgment. The most important
thing is to make certain that the oils used
are pure and free of chemicals, solvents and
adulterants so you are not introducing tox-
ins into the animal’s system.
Let the animal smell the oil before
applying it. Put two drops in the palm
of your hand, rub your hands together,
and apply to the feet, chest, or ears of the
animal.
esseNtial oil bleNds tHat MaY HelP Your aNiMal
• Peace & Calming: For the animal (and
person) troubled with stress, fear and anxi-
ety; For the animal that is timid, shy or
fearful; For the animal (and person) that
experiences sensory overload.
• Lavender: Very calming for both people
and animals. Also used for tissue regen-
eration and desensitizing wounds. Helpful
when used during training sessions.
• Melrose: Use for skin irritations with
Thieves. Provides respiratory support when
used with R.C. and Raven. Very good for
disinfecting and cleaning wounds.
• Thieves: To reduce inflammation, infec-
tion and bacteria. To prevent proudflesh
when promoting tissue regeneration.
• Purification: Very useful for control-
ling external parasites such as fleas, ticks
and mosquitoes. Mix with water and spray
the coat and legs. Also more effective than
using iodine or hydrogen peroxide for
washing and cleansing wounds.
• Valor: Assists in self-confidence and
assertiveness. This is a very empowering
blend and is most effective when used daily
to boost self-esteem. Also helps chiroprac-
tic adjustments stabilize when applied
directly on the spot.
• R.C.: Ideal for respiratory and urinary
tract support. Also used on bone spurs.
PanAway & Relieve It: Relief for
arthritis pain and discomfort. Helpful
in healing muscle, tendon and ligament
injuries. Apply directly to the painful
area, Relieve It first, then PanAway. Note:
Do not apply PanAway to open wounds
because it will sting and traumatize the
animal. Instead use Helichrysum and Bal-
sam Fir to reduce bleeding and pain.
Bigger animals can usually use the oils
straight from the bottle but you may want
to start with a diluted solution. You can
dilute the oils with Young Living pure car-
rier oil or pure olive oil, or just smelling the
oils may be sufficient. Standard dilution is
1 to 3 drops of essential oil to ½ tsp. carrier
oil. Be very careful to avoid putting oil in
the animal’s or person’s nose, eyes or ears.
Use essential oils to improve your pet’s health and wellness
W
june 2011 17
Each animal or person will react
individually to the oils so you will have to
experiment to find the right combination
for the desired results.
Mary Stoffel’s mission is to facilitate com-
munication and understanding between
people and their animal companions through
classes, lectures and personal consultations.
She is an Avatarepc® Master, a professional
animal communicator and a shamanic
prac t i t ioner. www.humanimal.com,
w w w. p ra c t i c a l s h a m a n i s m . c o m
www.avatarepcmn.com. For more information:
mlstoffel@innovatord.com or 763-444-8146.
Use essential oils to improve your pet’s health and wellness
bY MarY stoFFel
Above: Mary stoffel with Maddie.Left: Young living essential oils can alleviate pet health issues.
18 www.esswellness.com
LAIRE WAS my Olym-
pian. In spite of her
tough beginnings as a
breeding female in a hor-
rific puppy mill in North
Dakota she was in magnificent physical
shape due to daily, off-leash walks. An
uber intelligent alpha bitch, she led with
an iron fist that had marshmallow fingers.
She was in charge of the pack and watched
over and protected us at every turn. Claire
kept the energy flowing for her more senior
pack mates and cried for joy at the drop of
a squeaky toy. She was my girl.
As the snow melted this spring she
slowed down one Wednesday. I figured she
had eaten something funky at the park.
By Friday she couldn’t hide not feeling
well any longer and I got some remedies
at the holistic vet. By Sunday we were at
the emergency clinic with a high fever and
weakness.
Then the news: full of cancer, as in
Lymphoma.
In complete shock I wracked my
brain, scanning for clues, any memories
of Claire acting differently, slowing down,
anything that could have warned of the
cancer growing inside her. I couldn’t think
of anything, only a few errant thoughts or
details that had no real importance unless
I would haphazardly assign something to
them. No actual evidence of a diagnosis
and then death 20 hours later.
it all HaPPeNed so Fast
That night at the emergency clinic I
tried so hard to digest the new informa-
tion; the fact that Claire had cancer and
I was making the decision not to treat her
but to keep her comfortable with steroids
and fluids overnight and then bring her
home in the morning for a few days of bor-
rowed time. We didn’t even achieve that
goal. Claire did come home in the morn-
ing. The entire dog family rode along in
the car to pick her up. They were all so
happy to see each other. The dog pack was
reunited, if only for a few hours.
Home again it was abundantly clear,
minute by minute, that the steroids were
not performing their magic and that
without intravenous fluid therapy Claire’s
massive fever of the previous evening was
returning. I had been instructed to bring
her into my regular vet for a recheck that
afternoon but it suddenly occurred to me
that we were looking at a life ending rather
than a check up. How could this be hap-
pening so fast? What about the few days
or even a week of steroid bliss so we could
take one more walk at the off-leash park?
What about a final visit to the beloved
river? I had actually chosen to give my
dog drugs and they weren’t even work-
ing! My friend who is a vet called to see
how we were doing and offered to make a
home visit and do the check up. I looked at
Claire and told my vet friend I thought we
could skip the recheck. That we needed to
euthanize instead. Had I just said that?
This is part of what I wrote to let my
friends know about her passing—a very
short eulogy to a life cut way too short.
“She was the spark plug of the dog
pack, the effervescent 4th of July sparkler
who lightened any life she touched.”
CariNG For our aNiMals
Spark plug of the dog pack dies suddenly
C
june 2011 19
CariNG For our aNiMals
Lena Swanson has been a ful l - t ime
professional animal communicator, sha-
manic healer, past life regression facilita-
tor, Reiki master, and consultant in the
use of flower essences and essential oils
for the past nine years. Her holistic
healthcare practice focuses on achieving
and maintaining wellness for both people
and animals. She also teaches a variety
of animal communication and shamanic
journeying classes. Lena has been featured
on television and radio and is available
as a speaker for conferences and special
events. See www.lenaswanson.com or call
651.206.0644 for more information.
bY leNa sWaNsoN
Claire—an alpha dog who led with an iron fist with marshmallow fingers
20 www.esswellness.com