Fozzie Wunda Bear is a timid, yet feisty juvenile Border Collie destined for a sporty career in dog agility. At 14 months old he gets up to the usual puppy antics with everyday adventures on the farm and his weekends hanging out at agility events providing lots of opportunities to learn and develop his confidence.
Puppy health concerns - Travel sickness and general anxiety
Fozzie is in excellent health but has a timid, somewhat jittery nature and like many youngsters he also suffers from terrible travel sickness and anxiety in the car. The natural option of a whole cored apple is given before travelling with the digestive bitter action helping to stem the vomiting but with nausea still present, he is understandably an unhappy, nervous traveler. Providing additional support with his current raw diet to relieve his travel sickness and assist the development of his central nervous system was recommended.
Health concerns
Travel sickness
For those suffering from travel sickness, particularly a developing puppy, the car represents a very uncomfortable experience which can easily become an escalating cycle of nausea and anxiety. Travel for many pet guardians with queasy pups quickly becomes limited to essential trips only such as the vets for those dreaded vaccinations making the whole experience even worse.
The holistic solution is to both calm the tummy and and the mind, easing anxiety and nervousness before taking short trips to fun places. A Queasy traveller tonic which combines Mentha x piperita (Peppermint) and Melissa officinalis (Lemon balm) was the ideal solution for Fozzie bear.
Mentha x piperita (Peppermint) is a very effective carminative herb indicated for travel sickness due to its mild anaesthetic properties which act on the stomach wall. In addition to the anti emetic actions this wonderful herb is also a nervine tonic, strengthening the central nervous system to ease anxiety and tension.
The second herb in the queasy traveller tonic is Melissa officinalis (Lemon balm) which also provides additional support for the central nervous and digestive systems. Indicated for all forms of anxiety, depression and cognitive dysfunction this wonderful herb elevates mood and eases all forms of anxiety related digestive issues making it an ideal pairing with Mentha x piperita (Peppermint).
General anxiety
Providing herbal support to strengthen Fozzie’s central nervous system in day-to-day activities was also recommended with Melissa officinalis (Lemon balm) a great choice for his general anxiety. Calming the mind without sedation, improving his focus and learning during daily training and adventures to support his development into a confident resilient adult. As he is raw fed, adding fresh herbs to his meals was relatively simple with an infusion of fresh leaves forming the base for his daily vegetables blitzed in a blender.
14 day follow up
Using the queasy traveller tonic 30 minutes before each car journey, just 4 occasions in the past 2 weeks, has transformed Fozzie’s attitude towards the car. Instead of hanging back, head lowered, needing to be carried into the car, he now jumps eagerly into the front foot-well and plops himself proudly in the driver’s seat when it’s time to leave. With just a little encouragement he eagerly clambers through to the crate in the back ready for a treat and safe travels. This change in attitude in just a few trips is great, without the anxiety and nausea he will be able to develop into a comfortable and confident traveller ready to hit the road for all those exciting agility events.
Fozzie’s general jittery nature has also improved, although he may always have a natural timidness about him, his jittery nervousness of random shadows and sounds has reduced well. Unlike many pharmaceutical anti-anxiety medications, Melissa officinalis (Lemon balm) doesn’t calm through sedation, this means that although the mind is calmed, it is also more focused and alert, this means he is now much more focused in training sessions with an improved engagement and drive, perfect for agility training.
28 day follow up
After 4 weeks of our protocol for travel sickness and anxiety Fozzie has quickly developed into a much more focused and alert, yet calm boy. He still has the occasional scary moment, but the reaction is now very mild with just a little shying with perhaps a bark or two before relaxing again very quickly.
Fozzie is a lot more focused in training, simply able to think through things and make smart fast decisions in response to various verbal and movement cues making training a lot easier and more successful. This new calm resilience has resulted in an increased confidence and drive, a very pleasing result. Fozzie is now ready to begin evening club training now that those night-time shadows are not so scary anymore. I look forward to watching him excel on the agility field in the years to come.
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