Spring is Springing!
The engines are revving and our dogs want to get outside doing dog things.
“What are dog things?” you may ask.
Buddy, my redneck Golden-doodle, reminds me every day of doing dog things. Buddy was lucky to grow up out in the woods, a free-range existence, rambling around with 2 or 3 other neighborhood dogs. He had plenty of room to run, fence-free, and woods to apply his scavenging skills. I always thought of dogs as primarily hunters, but their scavenging skills can keep them alive and well-fed, as I observed in the semi-feral dog packs roaming northern New Mexico.
On any given day, he might return with a dead squirrel carcass, a deer leg, or a piece of skin and various other animal parts. They gave him hours of enjoyment, gnawing away. They also gave him guts of steel. This dog can eat almost anything, including an entire cookie sheet of bacon grease, a 6-inch piece of nylon collar, plastic bubble wrap, and never have diarrhea. He vomited up the collar in a big mucous ball and passed the bubble wrap out the other end. Most dogs used to have digestive tracts this resilient before the dysbiosis epidemic, largely driven by glyphosate.
Buddy, the redneck muppet
Beyond scavenging, dogs want to get out and run, playing games of chase and imitating the takedown of a fast-moving prey species, like a rabbit. But after a long, cold winter, it is best to slowly warm them up, allowing the joints to be lubricated and the muscles to stretch before going full tilt into game-on mode.
I was attending Global Pet Expo last week, visiting a friend’s booth, Gyms for Dogs. He makes great equipment for dogs to climb on and play on in dog parks that mimic natural behavior, running through the woods, jumping over fallen logs and such.
Spring: the Wood Element
Springtime is when animals, including us human-animals, start “feeling their oats” as my father used to say. The warmth of the sun gets the blood moving. Longer daylight hours allow more time for outdoor activities. And hormones begin surging as new life is being reborn.
In Classical Chinese Veterinary Medicine, spring is the season governed by the Wood Element or Phase. The best example of this energy is the image of a seed sprouting or an egg hatching. Moisture and heat from the sun loosen the seed coat, and out comes a cotyledon, pushing its way through the soil towards the sunlight. It is quite a feat of nature. There is a pushing forward regardless of the effort or the cost.
It is a time of movement, whether that is the urge to get out and run or the winds of March blowing the pollen grains through the air, creating “allergy season”. As for the color, just look at the bright green haze in this stand of cypress with its fresh spring buds.
The wood Element and springtime are associated with the Liver and its partner, the Gallbladder. Movement is essential for the Liver, as it contains an entire detoxification system that moves compounds through it, transforming them as they progress from step to step. It is said that the Liver is responsible for the smooth flow of Qi through the body. If movement is restricted, the result is Qi stagnation, which brings on a whole set of issues. Soon, the free and easy wanderer becomes the impatient, frustrated, aggressive warrior, creating havoc.
The body parts that are involved in this movement are the tendons and ligaments that connect muscle to bone and bone to bone, enabling the joints to flex and extend. An imbalance in the Liver, especially when there is insufficient fluid or blood to nourish the tendons and ligaments, can result in torn cruciates and other soft-tissue issues, thereby disabling movement. Hence the advice to slowly warm up the body after a long winter of rest. Fish oil and green-lipped mussels help moisturize these tissues.
Spring Cleaning
The season of spring naturally lends itself to cleaning, both inside and out. Providing some extra assistance to the Liver and Gallbladder to flush out wastes and stagnant Qi that may have developed over the winter is a good idea. In the old days, people would take spring tonics.
Two gentle and very helpful spring tonic herbs are dandelion and milk thistle. All parts of the dandelion may be used, but the fresh new greens poking their heads up are the best this time of year. They act as a mild diuretic, balance blood sugar, and get Liver Qi flowing. The seeds of the milk thistle are the parts you want to use to help the Liver rebuild and regenerate. We do not have dandelions in South Florida, but we do have milk thistle, and they were blooming like crazy out in the Florida wildlands last week.
This is the time of year to add in other spring greens as well - nettles, chickweed, violet, and lambs quarters are favorite spring greens. If your dog wants to go out and forage for fresh greens, be sure to take them to an area that hasn't been sprayed. Or chop up some fresh greens and mix them into the food bowl. Our dogs and cats crave greens, especially grasses, to scrub out their intestines, give them a chlorophyll boost, and support the Wood element. I plant wheat, rye, and oatgrass for my cat, which she enjoys every morning in the rays of the rising sun. Buddy takes part in them as well.
Get outside and enjoy the springtime with your animals! Let them guide you on your walks and see what they have to show you. Share some of the signs of spring that are appearing in your neighborhood this season.