Zoopharmacognosy - Understanding Animal Self Selection - By Karen Read

Anyone who is a regular on the Den and our weekly live clinics will have heard me talk about Zoopharmacognosy and the genuinely incredible impact it can have on our dogs. I appreciate that this concept is entirely new for some and can seem confusing. So I thought that I would write a blog on what Zoopharmacogosy is, how it works and how to recognise the body language of your dog, which indicates whether they are selecting an oil or not, empowering you to try this wonderful technique for yourselves and to bring a whole new world of healing into your dog’s lives.

What is Zoopharmacognosy

Zoopharmacognosy, in Ancient Greek, means “Zoo” - animal, “pharmaco” - drug/medicine, and “gnosy” - knowing. A genuinely fascinating way that animals will self-medicate is by using plants, herbs, clay and many other natural remedies that, in the wild, they would have free access to. Animals innately know what their bodies need and how much to heal themselves. Of course, our domesticated pets are often denied this innate ability to forage and self-select plants as they no longer roam free and are given whatever we feed them or think they need.

Offering your dogs and cats essential oils, herbs, clays, etc., and letting them self-select is a beautiful way to gain insight into the health issues your pet may be experiencing, from pain and gut issues to anxiety and aggression from the oils, etc, that they select.

Once you understand the properties of the remedies that your dog selects, it will give you valuable insight into exactly what issues your dog may be experiencing, and sometimes the oils that are selected may reveal some unexpected issues; for example, you may want to try remedies for your dog who is fearful of noises such as fireworks, only to find that they select oils that work with the kidneys and show little interest in oils that would be selected for their calming and psychoactive properties - An interesting little fact here is that in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the emotion of fear is directly connected to the kidneys… so once the kidneys are supported by the oils that are needed, you often find that the fear of noises alleviates or disappears entirely!

This can also give you clues that maybe you should pop your dog along to the vet for a complete check-up as if they are selecting oils for areas such as the kidneys, and it would not hurt to see if all is well.

But how does my dog know what he needs?

Without getting into the heavy science of it all, the stages of self-medication work like this -

• The dog has an injury, stress or a disease.
• The body recognises something is wrong and releases signals using hormones, neurotransmitters, etc.
• Those signals alter the dog's perception of taste or smell so that the specific plant compound that will help with that issue becomes appealing, and the dog seeks that compound out to help heal itself.
• Once the body has taken enough of the plant compound to alleviate the issue, the signals stop being produced, the taste and smell preference returns to normal, and those plant compounds appear neutral or unpleasant.

Caroline details in her book Help Your Dog Heal Itself a way that you can try this on yourself (something Conor had the opportunity to try on stage with Caroline a few years ago!)

“Try it for yourself.

Get a powered secondary metabolite, such as liquorice root and smell it. If it smells okay, dip your finger into the powder and taste it. Keep doing this until the taste changes. It may be after one lick, five licks, or a teaspoon. The taste will become bitter when it is not needed and sweet when it is. This is a great thing to do with a few people to experience individualised medicine. Some people dislike the smell, while others like it. It’s a very worthwhile test since it will help you understand how your dog self-medicates.”

How does it all work?

Often, people ask me, “But how can just sniffing an oil help to alleviate symptoms, how does it work?” This can get quite scientific, but I will keep it light!

Essential oils are fat-soluble and stay in the body longer than water-soluble constituents. They can penetrate fat, muscle, and cellular structures and influence gene expression. Fat-soluble constituents can also pass through the blood-brain barrier.

Medicinal plants enable cells to communicate with each other, which can affect hormones, enzymes, and so much more. Some even directly penetrate and destroy bacteria. For example, Basil essential oil can puncture the cell wall of a bacteria membrane, causing it to leak out its contents and die! Clove bud oil prevents bacteria from binding to glucose, which means the bacteria have no energy source, causing it to be destroyed!

There are also psycho-therapeutic oils that can alleviate stress, bring a sense of peace and even help animals release past trauma. Oils such as valerian, which you've no doubt heard of, especially around firework season, work to reduce anxiety in a number of ways, such as binding to the side of GABA (inhibitory neuron) receptors, changing their shape so that they bind better, and reducing glutamate (excitable neuron) activity, which will make the dog feel calmer.

Clever stuff, eh? All those chemical, hormonal, and cellular level reactions just from sniffing or licking oils and, in some cases, having them applied topically.

Where do I start?

I would first recommend getting a copy of Caroline Ingraham’s book Help Your Dog Heal Itself, as this lists every oil and has extensive details of which oil you would offer for specific ailments and health issues.

Once you have purchased some oils that you think may be selected, here’s how to begin a session with your dog

• Ensure your dog is indoors in a quiet, calm environment where they feel completely safe, with no distractions, and it’s big enough that they can move away from the oils. Some oils can stain carpets and sofas, so you must be mindful when choosing where to conduct a session.
• Once your dog is settled, you can start to introduce the oils. It’s good to be on the floor with your dog, but if this excites them, go with whatever is best for your dog.
• Undo the lid of one oil bottle. Hold the bottle slightly tilted, at around the level of your knee area. Place your finger above the bottle's opening, not to cover it, just to avoid your dog’s nose touching the bottle and getting the oil on the nose, as this can be very strong and a bit of a shock!
• Let your dog approach the oil; do not try to force it towards them.
• Always make sure fresh water is available.
• If your dog goes to the door and sniffs under it at any point, it may need a little ventilation, so open a window. Your dog may also need to urinate, especially if he/she has been working with oils for the kidney/bladder.

Recognising positive and negative reactions

You may see a few or all of these signs when your dog is selecting a remedy

Any flaring of the nostrils indicates that your dog's olfactory system has been activated; even if they do not sniff, this does not mean they are not selecting the oil; They sometimes get very still, look off into the distance, lower their head, lie down or slowly blink.

• Changes in breathing - dogs usually take slow, deep breaths
• Yawning
• Tail wagging
• Slow blinking
• Laying with their heads between their paws
• Licking their front legs and grooming themselves
• Smacking their lips or sticking their tongue out - to take in more of the molecules
• Blowing their cheeks out or even looking like they are grimacing is them opening the vomeronasal organ, which can sense pheromones and redirect airflow, making it more concentrated. This allows the aroma molecules in the essential oils to reach the brain much quicker and send the information in much more detail.

Some reactions can appear negative, but you may want to persist (not force)

Some dogs may lunge or bark at a remedy, but this does not mean they do not want it; if they become calm after a short time, this indicates that it may have caused them to feel an emotional release, causing the sudden reaction initially

The dog jumps back away from an oil—this may be in the case of anxious or fearful dogs when using psychotherapeutic oils such as yarrow, which can release traumatic memories or experiences—and this will require some supportive oils such as vanilla or tobacco (please see Caroline’s book for more information on specific oils and their uses, as this could be a whole blog in itself!).

If the dog walks or looks away, you may want to leave the bottle open, as the dog could be self-dosing. Turning the head away or walking to another side of the room may just mean they need less aroma molecules, but they may return or turn their head back for a top-up. Never move the oil into their face if they turn away or follow them around the room if they walk away.

Negative reactions - not selecting.

If your dog is distracted or shows no interest, i.e., not even a sniff, then it may not want that particular oil. It could also be that it is not needed at that moment or even on that day. You can always try other oils or try another day.

You can offer the oils as frequently as possible. If your dog has shown a keen interest and they have a particular ailment they are selecting for, you can offer daily or even hourly. Always be guided by your dog; they will stop showing interest once they have had enough. You can always reintroduce the oils when you think your dog may need them and see if they are selected or not. The great thing about this is by letting your dog choose and not forcing anything on them; you cannot cause any harm to your dog. They simply select the oil, or they don’t.

How long to offer the oils

This is all very dependent on the dog, they know what they need and how much and some sessions may end quickly, and some may last a couple of hours. When your dog has had enough, they may curl up into a deep sleep or turn their back on you for a long time and not look back for the oils, and they may distance themselves from the oils for a longer time than they would if they were just self-dosing.

Will my dog only want to sniff the oils?

Some dogs may want to lick the oils or have them applied topically - they will usually indicate this by pushing the area they wish to have the oil applied to, towards you.

I experienced this with a neighbour's dog recently, who showed signs of discomfort. His back was arched, and he was walking quite hunched over and stopped jumping on the sofa and could not settle. I started with gut oils as I felt that it may be stomach pain, he was not interested at all in gut oils, but as soon as I opened the Wintergreen (pain relief), he took a big sniff, licked his lips and proceeded to turn around and push his back into me! He was telling me where it hurt!

After some more sniffing and a little applied along his spine, he jumped on the sofa, took some more sniffs, looked like he was in a trance, rested his head between his paws (both signs of processing) and went into a deep sleep. His vet visit the next day revealed he had some spondylosis in his mid spine - precisely the area he was pushing into me! Clever lad!

Please read Caroline's book for more detailed information on dogs taking the oils orally and topically. There are some critical considerations, and some oils are dermal irritants, so please familiarise yourself with this before starting.

But my dog is greedy and will eat anything!

This may well be true but food and medicinal plants are very different.

Food is usually eaten until an animal is full – it provides energy, aids growth and supports reproduction. It is made up of primary metabolites like carbohydrates, fat and proteins. It is stored in the body as fat, allowing the dog to have an energy source when food might be scarce – which is why food is eaten when it’s not needed.

Medicinal plants contain secondary plant metabolites, such as terpenes and alkaloids. They are not stored as fat in the body and do not provide any metabolic purpose and an animal only selects them for their immediate therapeutic needs.

Medicinal plants will often taste bitter once the body no longer needs them. Unlike food, animals will stop selecting secondary metabolites once the smell or taste changes.

Giving our dogs a choice

There’s so much I love about the art of self-selection but most of all, I love that we are giving our dogs a choice, something that they so seldom get when they live in a world that we, to a certain degree, control for them. Watching them use their innate, primal instincts to heal themselves, just as their wild ancestors would have done thousands of years ago, and seeing the magic of them sigh deeply, drift into a deep sleep and begin to heal is something that will never fail to fill my heart with joy. It’s also a wonderful way to truly bond with your dog, sitting quietly with them, and letting them show you what they need, can bring you so much closer to them and help you to gain a deeper understanding of how they may be feeling. It is also a great way, in a world where we are busier than ever, to take some time out of your day to just be, and slow down for a while.

Spending time with my boy, Newton, every day, letting him choose which oils his old body and mind needed, seeing how they would calm and soothe him in the last few months of his life and even on his last day with us, is time I will treasure forever, knowing that the choices he was given, made his precious time on earth so much calmer, peaceful and happier.