Animals have always been a huge part of my life. One of my most memorable experiences was volunteering at Borneo’s Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre for orphaned orangutans.

I also volunteered at Battersea Dogs Home as a kennel assistant for many years until the pandemic curtailed this. Throughout my time there, I witnessed many animals with behavioural issues – dogs rescued from puppy farms where they had little human interaction and no opportunity to develop socialisation skills – and the varying degrees of physical ill health that can be associated with surrendered animals.

Observing the dedicated behaviourists as they assessed and worked with the dogs reinforced that animals are sentient beings with emotions and feelings. So many emotional issues present as physical ailments or behavioural challenges, but animals have a huge capacity to heal and recover. These observations were equally reinforced when I worked with the rescued orangutan orphans.

It’s widely recognised in many cultures that physical symptoms can stem from emotional imbalances. I have seen this in our animal companions.

Working with flower essences at an emotional level and in a preventative way that addresses the cause rather than symptoms, flower essences can support animals, whatever their background, with a vast array of issues that they may present to us.