Buzza Botanicals

04/08/2024

Your session, your way... That's what I try to express to the animals I work with.

They must know they can pick their spot, can move away if they want, and know I won't intrude into their space.

Today this gorgeous pair kept me smiling as they are proper nesting dogs and kept disappearing into their comfy blankets... But always with a nose on what was going on, ready to lean forward for a closer sniff ❤️.

Thank you to their lovely guardians for being open minded and trying a session, looking forward to seeing you all again.

18/07/2024

One of the questions I will ask a new client - what do you do about worm treatment, are you on a monthly regime etc?

I would encourage pet guardians to treat if needed, rather than as a prevention, the less nasty chemicals in the body the better.

I'm very happy that Henry's worm count results are clear across the board again

If you don't know about worm count kits , you get a simple kit with containers in. You take a poo sample for 3 days (so as to catch the cycle of the worm eggs if there are any) and send it off in a prepaid box and within a couple of days you get emailed the results which gives you a clear snapshot of their worm load.

I have not needed to use a wormer for many years now. I usually do it every 6 months ISH, but admit (bad human) I forgot the last one so I'm guessing it's been a year 😱 so very happy indeed.

And the kit is only about £25. So it's far cheaper than the monthly wormers /vet plans. Any questions? Just ask x

01/06/2024

Sat in nature with the essential oils, watching my dog have a paddle, Saturday's don't get much better

18/05/2024

I know I've been quiet on FB, but I'm still around 😁

❤️ Lovely to see the gorgeous Freya and her wonderful guardian Pauline again today.

Couldn't resist taking this snap of Freya happily relaxing with an oil... (I think it was Jasmine, I'll need to check back) doesn't she look blissful ? 🥰

01/10/2023

A lovely day with Calm the Pup Down Dog Training nipping over to see the lovely Mabel for some botanical support.
It's been a while since I've seen her and she's such a sweetheart but is very anxious and sometimes needs a bit of extra reassurance when working with the oils.
Here she is getting a bit of love with Faye whilst processing.
And then over to see Barbie for a chill session. I was met with such a lovely greeting, she enjoys her sessions and once we found what she wanted to work with she decided to close her eyes for a bit 💤

Two very different dogs with different needs but both supported by the botanicals

04/07/2023

Lovely Yarrow, she's bright blue as an essential oil and for me she has a very powerful scent.

She seems to help with bruising (both physical and emotional) and she's often selected by sensitive dogs, and as this chap mentions, has (amongst others) antiseptic and analgesic qualities

Does your dog ever pull you to wild flowers on country walks ?

01/05/2023

After a 2 day migraine, no better way to enjoy Bank Holiday Monday than with a Botanical Self Healing Session outside with the gorgeous Freya ❤️
Birds singing, bees buzzing and a little chilled out dog... Perfect !

Freya's guardian asked if we could work outside this time to help with some anxiety with the local cats being a tease, and allow Freya to go back to happy chill out time in the garden. We had a lovely session and hopefully this will continue this afternoon allowing her guardian some gardening time

26/03/2023

A lovely session with the gorgeous Brioche and Bear ♥️. Quite excited when I arrived, I think they remembered what it was all about and wanted to get going. After selecting some dried botanicals, they both chilled out with their essential oil selections and fell asleep ❤️

16/12/2022

13/12/2022

I've been a little quiet lately on social media, that's because I've been a bit more busy doing case studies for my practitioner course.

Full time work plus an adolescent rescue dog plus course work linked with the usual chaos this time of year and hormonal imbalance all adds up to not feeling 100%, and somewhat overwhelmed with never enough days on the week

I guess it shouldn't have been a suprise that when I was 'challenged' by my my tutor to step out of the comfort zone and look for a case study where I don't use essential oils, only hydrosols and herbs, it was St John's Wort that came forward to start my connections with... but it always fascinates me how the energy draws us to a particular botanical. 🌼🪴🌸🌲

St John's Wort is well known for its properties as an anti depressant. It can help people with SAD and it increases feelings of wellbeing.
It also helps animals who are sound sensitive and are fearful of fireworks
It's calming and cleansing for the GI tract and helps with colic... And so much more...

As I sat with the hydrosol tonight, Henry became very intense and demanded to have some poured out to lick. He's never shown interest before today. Could it be because I've never really connected with this botanical before? Or simply because in this moment he needed to rebalance and knew it could help? Who knows... Humans always want to know why, we always search for answers and solutions when really we should accept there's things we don't need to know.
Again I am humbled by the animals intrinsic knowledge and acceptance, they just know what they need and I'm reminded why I love this modality so much. (Henry is now flat out sleeping after being very fidgety and 'needy' for a couple of hours prior to this)

So I'm going to sit a while longer and see what comes forward with my newfound friend

05/11/2022

Big thank you to Julie at Canine Mind and Body Balance for giving over her premises for the day to allow me to meet three of her clients for botanical self healing sessions

Three very different dogs with three very dedicated owners 😍

Had a wonderful time with some brilliant canine tutors who knew what they (and their guardians) needed. Looking forward to checking back in with them in the future

03/09/2022

Sat with the botanicals to see which allies wanted to come forward for today's sessions

Henry was full hyper energy, throwing his toys around in a strop.

Our dogs are a constantly changing eco system and although Henry hadn't selected Melissa before I felt sure he needed her help today. A few good sniffs and a gulp and his energy shifted to a much calmer state.

I love being able to open up the conversation between plant allies and animals so they can tap into each others old wisdom ❤️

21/08/2022

Had a session with the gorgeous Blue the other weekend, and finally got round to editing down a video. It was lovely to see how interested he was in all the elements. He definitely loved the Seaweed and Rosehip shells as a dried botanical. He selected a few different oils to work with too, and also wanted Spirulina

Looking forward to getting back up to see him again once I can trust myself to drive (clumsy me broke my toe). Many thanks to his guardian for allowing me to video and share

05/08/2022

https://youtu.be/lmJGoYVb1es

Dr Karen Becker is always interesting to listen to, she is a veterinarian who shares a lot of good information, and along with Rodney Habib co wrote the book 'The Forever Dog' after travelling the world speaking to specialists and collating information about health and wellbeing (well worth a read)

Dr Michael Huffman is an associate professor in the Department of Social Behaviour and Ecology at the Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Japan. His work studying primates in Tanzania lead him to Zoopharmacognosy and he has been fundamental getting scientific peers involved as he has been able to prove the chemical makeup of the plants selected and can then prove the hypothesis of why we feel the animal selected that plant

I often get asked about grass eating, and they discuss this about 24 mins in, and also poo eating which they discuss around 52 mins in.

Michael Huffman is an expert in zoopharmacognosy, a behavior wherein animals self-medicate to heal themselves using their own intuition. Discover more about ...

30/07/2022

Met a beautiful little spaniel today. Ever so nervous. As always the dog must be in control and she had an escape route available but managed to stay in the room - albeit in a hidey space. A lot of the session we couldn't see her. Only after I had given her enough time to know I wouldn't chase her down did I move the camera so i could at least see her responses after the session when I watched it back. I've taken the sound out so sadly you miss her little thwacking tail wag noises but it does help focus on her responses. Many thanks to her owner for allowing me to post the video, I look forward to hearing if she has any behaviour shifts

12/06/2022

A lovely follow up session with Max and Riley today. Plenty to edit down but wanted to start with a short video to show how quickly a dog can settle into the session.
I've not even put how amazing Riley was to remain calm, and for the main part of the session ignored Max which allowed him to deal with things differently as he wasn't getting the reaction he was used to / trying to achieve

I'll edit the video over the week but for now here is Max working with Jasmine essential oil at the start of the session

Again, still messing with video editing so apologies for the watermark and sound :)

21/05/2022

The are laden with beautiful blossom at the moment.
Hawthorns are great for with around 300 species + such as thrushes, redwings, fieldfares, blue t**s, and yellowhammers amongst others making use of it at various times throughout the year.
It has lots of healing properties too.
love to browse it
Check out this great blog by Caroline Hearne of Hedgerow Hounds
https://cam4animals.co.uk/healing-hawthorn/…

01/05/2022

Thank you to Calm the Pup Down Dog Training for the invite down to see Barbie for a botanical session.

I always look for feedback from owners as to whether they feel their dogs have had an enjoyable time, if there was a shift in behaviour, if they kept 'zen' and relaxed... But what's really powerful is the feedback from a dog ❤️

Barbie greeted me with MUCH EXCITEMENT today, nose straight into the bag of botanical goodies, taking her favoured position on the sofa in readiness ❤️❤️. Now Barbie is aware she is in control, if she didn't want to engage she doesn't have to, I will happily just sit with her and have a cuddle ❤️ but it's clear how much she enjoys the process

Before the session began, she went to her treat tub and selected a pizzle, placing it on her dog bed then leaving it, a very unusual thing for her to do. She then selected oils she hadn't really used before and when she had a release she left the sofa, on to the dog bed and intently chewed then ate the pizzle, which again is unusual for her. She then returned to the sofa to continue her session ❤️ again going for different oils than normal. (Faye was already aware of a potential issue and we wondered if it would be backed up from the selections... So this was confirmation for her)

Now I'm not good with Instagram, but if you head over to Calm The Pup Down Dog Training she actually streamed the session LIVE (thanks Faye no pressure 😂) so you can see for yourself if you're interested, it's a long video so I think Faye is going to edit some bits together for an easier dip in and look version. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CdA5L6_IzBc/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Thanks Faye, thanks Barbie, and Thanks Tom for lunch, it kept me going for my afternoon session 😁

30/04/2022

After yesterday's post I had a couple of messages, I thought I'd check if Roxy wanted some today so I could show how the consistency of the spirulina as I make it (your dog may want it with more or less water so just experiment)

It's important not to put spirulina in with your dog's food, keep it separate and let them choose if they want it or not.

I now need to hose the patio down as there's green gloop drops all over 😂 another reason why I use big bowls normally 😜

What powders do you use with your dog?

29/04/2022

Although I often refer to Applied Zoopharmacognosy as 'smelly oil sessions' 😂it also involves powders, herbs, roots, shells and hyrosols/floral waters.

A question was put on our practitioner study group about Spirulina. Now Roxy has phases of wanting this, it's a super nutritional powder which we slacken with water. She's not had it for a while, and she's having a difficult time at the moment it could indeed be something she might want.

Now knowing how she's selected before I don't do small bowls of this 😂 I'd rather make up a big bowl and throw it away if not wanted than making a little bowl up and then have to go and make multiple extra bowls up as it's rather messy

Today was definitely a nomnom gimme more day. This will probably continue for a few days as she balances up and then she will not select it again for a while.

It's important to remember to let them choose if they want it or not, so although it's tempting to just put powders like this on their food as its so nutritious, it is their decision if they want it or not.

She's chilling out now in the sunshine enjoying our day off together ❤️. Happy weekend peeps, I hope you have a fabulous one

22/04/2022

Happy Earth Day 🌎❤️ it's also my birthday so double the love ❤️❤️

I have next week off work and am planning to go sit in nature and reconnect. It's all been a bit mad lately for many reasons and my head has been fizzing.

The class on Wednesday (yep I'm one of those students on screen) allowed me to recognise when I might be blocking help and awareness from the botanicals for myself, and encouraged me to 'listen' more.

As Rachel Knott reminds us, we are all connected. Every being, every plant, all the energies, we exist together.

And this poem came to mind...

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?-

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows:

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

Happy Earth Day

In order for our planet to thrive, we need to change the way we experience, the way we think and how we connect with ourselves and others in our eco-system. Human, plant, animal.

Class 2 of the Botanical Self-Healing practitioner programme, we collectively connected to Lavender essential oil to tap into the innate wisdom and self-healing ability we all possess.
Going beyond what we can glean from books.

As individuals and collectively we can learn more about the information plants are offering us when we start to truly listen with a desire to learn.

If you do just one thing different today, really start to notice what plants you are drawn to and just take a few moments to sit in their energy field, taking them all in.

Happy Earth day. x

06/03/2022

Roxy has also had a rough week.
Her neurological condition means she uses a lot of energy just moving around. When she's poorly it puts a great strain on her body and she loses her balance as her legs randomly give way because her core strength goes.

Here she is selecting Birch today, she rarely goes for this so I know her body must be quite battered. Lots of rest and snuggle time on the sofa and hopefully she will wake up stronger tomorrow .

06/03/2022

Self dosing includes positioning themselves at the distance they want to be from the botanicals.

Biscuit is not so well at the moment and today decided peppermint was nice to lay with.
At first glance of the top picture you might think she wasn't using the oil, but I can assure you the stink eye that was given when I suggested moving it told me she was 🤣 she usually likes a bit of distance from the oils.

After her food she got back on the same part of the sofa and when I put the oil back she popped her nose right next to it and stayed with it for ten minutes or so until she had fulfilled her need.

15/02/2022

Like a kid at Christmas when supplies arrive 😂😂😂
Looking forward to trying some new items from My Animal Matters Ltd as well as replacing some old favourites that were getting a bit tired.
I only use a few trusted suppliers to ensure top quality botanicals.

13/02/2022

Biscuit had quite big surgery recently, not great for a senior dog.
Took the oils with us today when visiting my parents just in case she felt she wanted some support as she usually ends up bouncing around playing when she's there.
Some lovely stretches happened with Birch and Wintergreen and then a beautiful sigh and roll over with Yarrow ❤️. Sleepytime now

13/02/2022

Love is in the air ❤️

As well as essential oils, I also use hydrosols, they offer a more gentle experience for sensitive animals who find the essential oils too intense

06/02/2022

Visiting with friends, and an oil session with their fabulous dogs ❤️
Jorge decided at one point it was all a bit too much for him to deal with, he took himself off for a good chew so he could distract himself and process, but then brought his chew back over to the oils so he could be near them still ❤️
Love the gentle lad, he knows the sessions make him feel good, but like many of us he struggles with letting go of control and giving in to the changes he experiences

For once I managed to get Jeanie right on our first selection, she usually has me guessing for a while and doesn't give me many chances before she decides she doesn't want to continue 😂 I was really pleased with how she allowed herself to work with the oils and relax. She doesn't like being watched whilst she has her sessions, so it was lovely to see her soften and enjoy herself.