We adopted the cutest little Westie mix last summer. His name is Murphy and he stole my heart. It was my first experience with a rescue. Any dogs I’ve ever had in my life were from the puppy stage.
Adopting a rescue definitely had its pros and cons. The great part was that he was already house broken and crate trained! Those can be two of the hardest things to teach. The more challenging part was that he came with some emotional baggage. Someone at some point had clearly treated him very harshly and he was very hand shy and basically a Nervous Nelly. There were some other behavioral challenges that we encountered and I realized we needed some assistance from a professional dog trainer.
After working with her several times she thought Murphy could use a little something to “take the edge off”.
I did a lot of research and come across Tranquility Blend from Animal Essentials. This product has been a life saver. It is a combination of valerian, skull cap and passionflower. I spoke to the company a few times, having some questions and they were super duper nice and informative. You can use the product before stressful situations, like going to the vet, or before fireworks, etc. You can also use it in Murphy’s case, just to chill a bit. I give him the lowest dose for his body weight twice a day and he is much calmer and relaxed with out being groggy or lethargic. The product is in liquid form and the woman I spoke with said that some dogs will just take it right out of the dropper. Some dogs are afraid of the dropper (Murphy!) so they will usually lick it right from a spoon (which he does). It smells horrible, which she warned me about, so it makes me laugh that he is so willing to lick the spoon.
Murphy is also lucky enough to have landed in the home of a massage therapist, so getting massage is also part of his daily regime and has made a huge difference in his becoming comfortable being handled.
I can’t recommend this product enough and I hope that if your fur baby needs to chill you can incorporate this supplement. It works!
*As with anything, always check with your vet or holistic animal practitioner or call the company directly with question, concerns and for guidelines, Safety first!
