From the Animal Wellness Magazine Ask the Vet questions I am answering:

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Q. My rescue, who is almost 2, has started marking “my” things. He will mark my side of the bed, he will try and steal my clothes and hoard them and occasionally mark them (if given the opportunity). He has suddenly become extremely attached to me, always wanting to get the most attention and be as close to me as possible (he has 3 other fur siblings), he often nibbles at my hands when he see’s me when I come home. I ignore the nibbling behavior and wait until he has calmed down to give him attention, but it doesn’t seem to be working, help! Second question (same dog): he is a HHL Chinese Crested and when we got him he had horrible blackheads (the breed is prone to them). We’ve had him for a year and he is on really good food and gets regular skin care, but I can’t seem to extract his blackheads regardless of what I use. I have used everything from coconut oil to human products, nothing seems to work. Any suggestions?

A. Emotional problems can have many different causes, as can skin problems. When I had merely my conventional training, I would usually choose different treatments for each problem. The holistic perspective recognizes that there is an underlying quantum pattern that is unique for each dog. It is this “template” that they are born with that actually causes all ill health. The practical application is that most successful healing happens when we treat all the symptoms, including the Early Warning Signs of Internal Imbalance with one or two deep treatments. At the same time we can soothe the symptoms if needed. I would suggest learning Reiki or Quantum touch; Tellington TTouch; Healing Touch for Animals(HTA), as these will address the emotional problems very well. Alternatively, find an integrative veterinarian who can help you with acupuncture, Chinese herbs or homeopathy (will help the emotions and the skin at the same time). You could even study homeopathy yourself (I will be teaching a great in-depth class in Calgary the end of October) and select remedies that could help. Right now, you could try several approaches. Go to web sites for companies who make flower essence combinations for animals and choose ones you think fit the behavior and the blackheads (safe space and obsession from Spirit Essences; Crabapple for skin from Bach; Healthy Coat from Green Hope Essences; Missing You – Anaflora). These are 100% safe. The websites tell you how to give orally or rub on the fur and you can read the details to see what fits the best. You can find Reiki practitioners to help, even from a distance. If the blackheads are not itchy or annoying to your dog, I would not worry too much about them, but would add some of he great skin supplements that are available. Also, in my 30 years experience, the best food is actually made by you, using great local ingredients and often this is needed to clear skin problems.