When we got Ezra, our Carolina Dog puppy, in September 2019 at nine weeks of age, little did we know how drastically he would change our lives…then the world changed too. I’ve danced around with all my previous dogs, but not Ezra. Let me back up a bit before I go into the dancing further…
I’ve learned some things about Ezra that I won’t share here as it wouldn’t change a thing anyway. The truth is, that even though he was naturally reared, his dam wasn’t until she was 8 weeks old. You might think, well that’s okay, at least she was switched. I would agree. However, in the reality of it all, it’s not enough these days as you’ll see.
A colleague and good friend (Sarah Reagan) who is helping me with Ezra (she’s a heilkunst practitioner also – as in not classical homeopathy), said that she is convinced that the epigenetic damage that is passed on in dogs (with them being the closest animal to humans aka man’s best friend – even though some would say otherwise) is worse when the damage is in the dam. While ALL of our dogs have damage these days passed on after generations of feeding them kibble and vaccinating them ad nauseam, if we stop both for several generations they can recover. If we went back to nature for their care entirely (meaning model that rather than what we are currently doing), we’d see more calm, secure dogs possibly putting a whole lot of animal-related industries out of work.
As a sidenote – the dam and sire BOTH need to be clear for each generation. Not just one parent. BOTH.
That said, Ezra has definitely exhibited many of the rabies miasm symptoms. He also had some mineral deficiencies affecting his eyesight among other things. My colleague who also lives in the TN area he came from, said that their soils are more mineral deficient than the soils here in the southwest. She was formerly an organic farmer so soil nutrition is something she’s quite versed in. Anyway, Ezra used to dig a lot when he got here – nothing abnormal about that for dogs. But he also used to eat the soil here a lot. He doesn’t so much anymore. We supplemented him with a liquid mineral product and now we just use a bit of good quality salt (such as Himalayan, Black Lava, Red Alaea – not regular table salt). His eyesight has improved 100% as well as his other visible issues. He’s quite a beautiful specimen to behold and he naturally “stacks” himself as if he’s in his own show ring. His gait movement is very fluid – he glides when he’s trotting…so much so we call him Prancer Boy lol. When in a full on run, his agility is off the charts and always has been. He’d be great in agility trials if that was my thing.
I’ve used essential oils with him since he arrived – for a variety of things but most especially for the miasm. While he has improved some, he still has such extreme (although inconsistent) reactions to running water, thunder, any loud noises even from the TV (during movies since we don’t watch regular TV), and normal household sounds such as the dishwasher, ice maker, etc., that I decided to go for extra help with him using homeopathy to clear his timeline (generational history). Yes, my colleague also uses essential oils. Her speciality though is the homeopathy.
We’re currently clearing Ezra for the inherited damage. Also she’s figuring out a constitutional remedy for him – that means for his own unique personality if you aren’t familiar with homeopathy for acute and chronic care.
During thunder and lightning storms Ezra escalates to a howling, barking, frantic pacing, dilated eyes reaction. So to calm him I have a protocol I started doing that has helped a lot.
I start by applying a couple of branded blends, then I wait a few minutes, then apply valerian, then vetiver . If you choose to use others then go at your own risk. Oils are NOT all created equal. Also keep in mind this is what I do for my dog which I came to after researching, trial and error for him.
Before bed I still apply a couple of blends to him with one that has hemp oil in it (for people) that I ordered to try on him as well to see if it helps. It is a combination of calming essential oils and CBD oil. If anything I can use it on ME lol!
Next I turn on the WholeTones Sleep machine and there have been times that is the ONLY thing that has calmed him down! They have an animal specific one also which I do have, but this one works better for Ezra. It calms ALL of us down – it’s rather stressful when one person or dog is freaking out in the home as anyone knows.
We also invested in an EarthCalm machine to help offset some of the EMFs in our home. You can learn more on EMFs on this post that I wrote on Fasttracking EMF Exposure.
Recently I also began (accidentally) using palo santo essential oil on him. I was getting some to put in my diffuser due to all the smoke drift flowing in from the massive fires burning on the west coast. Ezra came up to me to sniff it and then licked the drop from my hand. So I did some research on the oil to refresh my memory on all the benefits. I encourage you to do likewise! Sometimes this is the only oil I grab for him because he likes it.
So while that may seem like a lot, it has been trial and error over months looking for a solution we can all LIVE with. It’s no fun for Ezra and it sure isn’t fun for us including for our other dog King. I sought guided help through my friend recently since she isn’t emotionally attached to this whole situation or the outcome. She simply wants to help me and Ezra. That’s why getting guided help is often better than trying to go it alone. I love helping people learn a natural lifestyle which sometimes is all a dog or person needs to realize their true wellness – that’s my focus and how I help people.
Some, though, need more, such as Ezra and me. Yes, I do realize that Ezra is super attached to me so yes I am part of the issue here. I’m working on that as well BIG time, spiritually with God. So that leads us to the newest and most fun part of all of this – dancing with my dogs which is something I’ve always loved anyway. A week ago we knew thunderstorms were going to be hitting us almost daily (which we’re always grateful for in the desert) so I began praying for a viable solution while out walking with God and Ezra. Holy Spirit whispered to me in His always still, quiet voice, “Dance“. I responded, “Dance? I do dance when I can.” He said, “No, dance during the storm“. I thought maybe He was reading that quote to me about dancing in the storms. He wasn’t reading it, He created it. So I thought about that a lot during the day. Then I posed it to my husband and he said it sure couldn’t hurt and would be fun for all of us. That’s exactly what happened. It became such a FUN time!
I did the regular protocol for Ezra with the oils when the thunder started. He was agitated so we immediately went to get music so I could begin dancing and singing – my husband is entertained too I guess LOL. Ezra and King both became fascinated by all my dancing around and singing they began to play with each other while pausing to watch me – I guess I’m good entertainment. Before long the thunder ended but the rain continued. Ezra only barked a few times but that was it. We repeated this again the next night.
See how smart and simple God keeps things? WE complicate it all. He knows that it is a distraction until eventually every time there is thunder and lightning Ezra will think “YAY it’s party time! Time to dance and have fun, WOOF!” Okay well that’s my interpretation of it all. Since I LOVE to dance and sing (even though I can’t sing lol) it sounds like a gameplan to me!
Also please note that every single dog is unique so what works well for me may not for you. All I know is, I obeyed God and that was THE best solution for us so far. I hope some of this will give you some encouragement and ideas you may be able to implement to help your noise reactive dog.
If you’d like to learn more about my friend and colleague, Sarah’s impressive academic background go to this link https://sarahreagan.academia.edu/
Until next time…
Have a PAWSitively, tail waggin’, NATUROPATHICALLY healthy day!
Kim Bloomer, V.N.D., N.D. is an animal naturopath as well as being certified in small animal nutrition, with years of experience in animal wellness. Dr. Kim is a published author, writer, and blogger. Subscribe to her DOGgone Newsletter for updates or to her blog via email. Copyright ©2005-2024 Aspenbloom Pet Care, Dr. Kim Bloomer, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the Author/Publisher. This article is intended to be educational. However, it is not intended to be a substitute for diagnosis or treatment from a qualified animal health professional. Dr. Kim Bloomer and Aspenbloom Pet Care, do not assume any legal responsibility for misuse of the products discussed in this article. The only essential oils referenced on this website are Young Living.