For most behavioral or emotional problems, we recommend starting with 3 or 4 times a day, for 2 weeks. Once improvement is established, usually within 2-4 weeks, you can wean the animal off by gradually decreasing the frequency of administration. A few animals may need to remain on essence treatment long term. Adding a few drops to the drinking water, or once-a-day administration by mouth, will probably be adequate. We have also found that most animals will also benefit from long-term administration of a maintenance formula.

In cases where the problem is mild, or had an acute cause, such as death of a companion or a move to a new house you may only need to use the prescription a few times before the problem is solved. In that case, the prescription may be discontinued.

For situations where you can catch the animal when it is doing the problem behavior, giving the prescription at that moment may be especially helpful. For instance, if the problem is compulsive licking, give the prescription when you see the animal licking, either by mouth or topically (as long as the skin is not raw or irritated) so that the animal licks the drops off its skin.

Remember that SpiritEssences are not treating specific behaviors, but rather the emotional or energetic imbalances underlying them. By helping the animal feel happier and more secure, we increase the likelihood that behavioral problems will be correspondingly diminished or eliminated. While no treatment can be guaranteed to work 100% for every single case, it is a very rare animal that does not noticeably respond to SpiritEssences.

Try not to let the dropper contact anything that can cause contamination when the dropper is put back in the bottle. However, if this occurs, simply rinse the dropper in hot running water before replacing it in the bottle.

If you are treating only one animal in a multi-animal household, it is perfectly all right to put the prescription in the common drinking water. It will not adversely affect the other animals, and may even be beneficial if those particular essences are also appropriate for them. If several animals in a household are being given different essence combinations, administer the drops by mouth or topically around the head and ears. For some of our formula sets, a base formula is given in the common drinking water, and specific formulas are given to each animal individually.