resources for inner peace, health and healing

caring for our animalswww.esswellness.comjune 2011

2 www.esswellness.com

june 2011 3

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

Please suPPort our advertisers!

staff

essential wellness digital magazinetwin Cities Wellnessaka essential Wellness

4270 Honey tree Passdanbury, Wi 54830

PublisHersdee & lynn laFroth

advertisiNGdee laFrothsales@esswellness.com715.259.3047

WritiNG GuideliNeswww.esswellness.com/writers.aspx

editorlynn laFrothinfo@esswellness.com

art direCtorsunshine sevigny

reCeive esseNtial WellNess bY eMail!send your email to info@esswellness.com to receive bi-monthly Celebrate Wellness e-news and Monthly digital essential Wellness

animalscaring for our

june 2011 5

animals

Why Advertise In This Directory?• Visibility: esswellness.com gets 140,000+ hits each month• Targeted audience• Promotion in 4 Celebrate Wellness e-blasts (Aug-Sept)• Promotion on Facebook • Reputation: EW has become “the resource” for healing &

spirituality for the past 16 years

BUY A DISPLAY AD & GET:A free directory listing in the August 2011 digital mag

And a free website directory listing for 6 months.OR Buy a 75-word listing for $50

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ABOUT HOW TO SUBMIT

COMING IN AUGUST!

AnnUAL ESSEnTIAL WELLnESS

Holistic Directory

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