Pet Personality & Disease Patterns
By Dr Heather Matheson, DVM BSc
Balanced Paws Veterinary Care Ltd.
info@balancedpawsvet.com
Dr Heather Matheson practices Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), as well as, Western Medicine. When evaluating an animal (or person) with TCM many, many things are taken into account. During the examination Dr Heather will ask seemingly unrelated questions about your canine or feline-friend. Questions such as, sleep patterns, temperature preferences, and noise sensitivity all give her clues to the inherent personality traits of your canine or feline family member. The host of information gleaned from her questions, along with a thorough physical examination, allows Dr. Heather to form a clinical diagnosis and build a treatment plan.
In Chinese Medicine there are five elements found in nature which correspond with five main constitutions we find in animals, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood. In Chinese Medicine we call this the Five Element Theory. Each of these constitutions is associated with a different organ in the body. These elemental constitutions will give you an idea of the “pure personality” of each element. In life, however, one rarely sees a pure picture involving only one element. Defining the personality of your canine or feline-friend then gives clues as to which organs and illness may be involved and even which time of the year we are most likely to see a flare up. Have a read through the different constitutional types and see where your animal companion (and yourself) fit…….
The Fire Element
“Its all about me” & “PARTY-Girl”! Both of these phrases define the Fire personality. These are your people-persons, they love people, especially their own people. Funny, charismatic, extrovert, curious and sensitive all describe the Fire personality. The organ associated with the fire element is the heart and the emotion of the heart is joy. For example, ‘Tali-Banana’ is a fire personality. She is a social butterfly, knows all the tricks and loves to perform for an audience. When she is in balance ‘Tali’ is a true delight. However her excitement can escalate to fits of overexcitement and barking, she may become restless have a tendency to overheat and get separation anxiety when left alone. Fire personalities may be prone to heart murmurs and circulatory issues. Disease onset often happens in the summer months. Consistent with her personality, ‘Tali-Banana’ passed away at the age of 14 from a massive stroke (circulatory related) and it was in the month of July.
The Earth Element
“Trustworthy, patient, compassionate, sympathetic, easy going & easy keeper” all describe the Earth personality. Earth personalities are very sweet natured, they like it best when everybody gets along, they are willing to please, obedient and happy, especially when they are eating and oh do they love to eat. Not surprising the Earth element relates to the spleen/stomach or what the Chinese believed were the digestive organs. For example, Buddy is a very sweet although somewhat overweight Golden Retriever. Buddy is extremely devoted to his family, loves looking after his human kids, passed obedience with flying colors. His owners did try him in agility and although willing to do all of the obstacles he does them at his own slow pace. When Buddy gets out of balance he tends to worry and fret and even though he loves to eat he may get soft stool or tummy upset. As Buddy gets older we would monitor him for hypothyroidism, intestinal allergies and obesity. The Earth element is related to late summer, early fall (when the crops are done and they can eat!)
The Metal Element
“Independent, Intelligent & Aloof”, the Metal personality is all of these. Metal personalities tend to be very routine oriented, they take pride in a job well done, are very quick to learn. They do not mind being alone and often prefer it, because of this they may be slow to bond with others but once they do that bond is extremely strong. They may also have a tendency to hold a grudge and have a hard time letting go. The organ associated with the Metal Element is the Lung and Large Intestine and the emotion associated with these organs is sadness and grief. For example: ‘Bizzie’ is a blue heeler cross whose sole purpose in life is to round up the sheep for his owner, in fact he also rounds up the chickens, the ducks and anything else he feels should be in a group. Siamese cats often will fall into the Metal Personalities, being aloof and independent. These animals may be prone to developing seasonal respiratory allergies, asthma and skin allergies. Constipation can often be an issue and they may have a particularly hard time dealing with loss.
The Water Element
“Timidity & Fear” define the Water personality. They are often insecure, have fear of loud noises & fear of unknown or new situations, are often small for the breed standard and are sensitive to cold. The Water element is associated with (you guessed it) the kidneys and bladder. In Chinese Medicine the Kidneys are the ‘Mother of Bone’ so the skeletal system is often affected in these animals. For example, ‘Swoooosh’ is an extremely timid 10 year old female spayed feline. She is petite, weighing only 7 pounds. She is very sweet and affectionate with her humans but at the first sign of company she is under the bed. ‘Swoooosh’ is white and was borne deaf, in TCM ‘the kidneys open to the ears’. ‘Swoooosh also has luxating patella’s (knee caps that pop out of place) on both back legs. If ‘Swoooosh’ is startled she may urinate from fright, she seems to get a bladder infection every winter and in winter sleeps right on top of the heat register. Winter is the water time of the year.
The Wood Element
The Wood Element is defined by “Leaders & athletes”. When the Wood personality is in balance they are truly a sight to behold! These are your top athletes, type-A personalities, the alpha-dog, outgoing, direct, opinionated, confident, competitive, assertive and bold. The organ associated with the Wood Element is the liver and the emotion of the liver is anger and frustration. For example, ‘Topaz’ is an intact male Shepherd; he has been bread for police work and is very good at it. He and his human have won several competitions and he loves to catch the bad-guy. ‘Topaz’ is self-assured with dominant aggressive tendencies but that is also why he is so good at his job. He can be dog aggressive and will growl and bear his teeth when his toenails are trimmed. When the Liver personality is out of balance or overworked the confidence may turn to arrogance and aggression and he may need a strong hand. We would monitor ‘Topaz’ for liver related problems such as hepatitis, gall stones, red and irritated eyes (liver heat rises to the eyes), seizures and tendon or muscle injuries. The liver has a very active role in directing the flow of Qi (energy) throughout the body. The Wood time of the year is spring.
For an integrated veterinary assessment call
Balanced Paws Veterinary Care at (250) 871-4355
or email info@balancedpawsvet.com.
We are located at 2785C Mansfield Drive in Courtenay (across from the Air Park).
The contents of this article is the property of Balanced Paws Veterinary Care and further reproduction is given through written permission only.
Copyright © balancedpawsvet.com