
EARTH
FIVE ELEMENT THEORY

Knowing the personality of your animal can help to understand why they react to situations a certain way and what diseases they may be predisposed to. In Chinese medicine, each animal has a base personality type. Typically, once their personality is established, the animal remains at its core personality, and is predisposed to the influences of that element. However, as the animal goes through life, the other elements will influence how they react to their environment and can influence and add depth to their personality. Every person and animal have a different set of experiences, we are all individuals after all.
Earth personalities are very friendly and loving dogs, but also are okay with time to themselves. They are nurturers and like to care for others. They generally have a happy, laid-back personality and are up for whatever their people feel like doing. Earth personalities tend to be slower moving, and often need more sleep than other personalities. Earth tends to think a lot about how to take care of their owners or others in the household and this makes them prone to the emotion of worry which can lead to gastro-intestinal upset. However, Earth personalities tend to have longer life spans!

The organs associated with the Earth system in Chinese Medicine are the spleen and stomach. In Chinese medicine, the “Spleen” system is functionally more similar to the pancreas and gastrointestinal tract from the western medicine perspective. In traditional Chinese veterinary medicine, the Spleen regulates the flow of Qi (life source / energy), making sure nutrients and energy are separated from toxins and other bi-products of metabolism. The Spleen system then sends good nutrients and energy up to the rest of the body, and the toxins and other waste down to the large intestine for removal. Therefore, we associate the Spleen with digestive function. The Spleen system also plays a major role in the defense system for the body and muscular strength.
Predisposition to Disease Conditions for Earth Element
- Obesity as they age
- Muscle atrophy as they age
- Weakness in hind limbs
- Predisposition to gastrointestinal upset including anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain during ANY times of worry, change in diet, change in environment, etc.
- Constipation
- Gum and lip problems (inflammation / cancers / infections)
- Edema / Water Retention
- Benign fatty growths (Lipomas)
- Cancer
Using Five Elements for Preventative Medicine for Earth Element
Weight control at an early age is very important. Make sure to talk to your veterinarian yearly about proper weight, calories, and nutrition for your pet.
There are herbal prescriptions and diets intended to help maintain GI health and prevent Spleen imbalance. Recommended foods to reduce GI upset in Earth animals is lamb, chicken, ginger, and sweet potato. Typically, Earth animals do best with these base proteins / carbs / additives. Consider non-processed home cooked diets. Visit BalanceIt.Com for directions.
Daily canine probiotics are recommended for Earth elements to help maintain a healthy gut flora. Be wary of long-term antibiotic use without always ensuring probiotics are included in the after care for at least 7 days. Ask your integrative veterinarian which specific probiotics are the best products for your pet.
Annual examinations focusing specifically on the skin / underlying tissue is important. ANY lumps or bumps should be aspirated immediately and rechecked on your yearly examinations for any possible changes. It is best to make a body chart, marking and measuring all the masses at home. If you notice any sudden changes in size, shape or firmness, alert your Mountain View Veterinarian immediately.
Acupuncture, chiropractic and therapy massage are great ways to ensure all the muscles and nerves are constantly stimulated, helping prevent early muscle atrophy and improve circulation throughout the body. There is no age limit when you can start this (typically at 6 months of age)! Holistic Pet Care recommends being seen on a preventative (healthy) basis every 6 months for the above therapy. For convenience, you can schedule this at the same time as your General Preventative appointment with your Mountain View Animal Hospital Veterinarian.
We look forward to helping your pet with
individualized and detailed integrative health care.
Mountain View Animal Hospital and Holistic Pet Care