176 Chapter 11is undetectable, but it is also claimed that the water retains a memory of the sub-
stance. Flower remedies were originally created by Dr Edward Bach (1886–1936)
who believed that illness is caused by negative states of mind, which makes them
popular in the treatment of animal behaviour issues. The most popular of the reme-
dies, also marketed for use in pets, is ‘Rescue Remedy’, a combination of five flower
remedies designed to reduce anxiety and stress in potentially stressful situations.
There is no evidence that these remedies are associated with any therapeutic effects
and a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Rescue Remedy in
humans demonstrated no evidence of the efficacy of Rescue Remedy over placebo
effect (Armstrong and Ernst, 2001; Lindley, 2009).
Zoopharmacognosy
This is the practice of allowing animals to self-medicate by ‘selecting’ from a range of
mainly plant-based substances. If the animal demonstrates a so-called ‘positive reac-
tion’, which encompasses a wide range of non-specific behaviours, such as sniffing,
blinking, stillness or backing away from the substance, the animal is then allowed or
encouraged to either ingest the substance, or it is applied to the animal topically, in
which case essential oils may be used.
The practice is based on observations that occasionally wild animals will eat
plants or other substances that prove to be beneficial for their health, e.g. the inges-
tion of plants with anthelmintic (antiparasitic) properties, and clay containing kaolin-
like substances by primates (Mahaney et al., 1996). This is behaviour that is most
likely to have developed over generations via trial and error and observational learn-
ing of others. However, as well as ingesting potentially beneficial plants and minerals,
wild animals will also eat plants or other substances that cause severe toxicity (Robles
et al., 1994), something that is also far from uncommon among companion animals.
Care should also be taken with the use of essential oils around cats owing to potential
toxicity.
Acupuncture
A treatment derived from traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture involves the
insertion of fine needles into specific parts of the body. Research has shown that the
practice may have therapeutic effects via stimulation of the nervous system. It may be
indirectly helpful in the treatment of behaviour problems by helping to alleviate con-
tributory physical issues such as chronic pain, although it has also been shown that
serotonin, noradrenaline, endogenous opiates and possibly oxytocin are released
following acupuncture stimulation (Lindley, 2009).
Aromatherapy
In humans, aromatherapy is used to influence mood and produce a sense of well-being,
theoretically by working via the hypothalamus and limbic system, which governs emo-
tional response (Lindley, 2009).