Logo featuring stylized mountain peaks in turquoise and black with the text "MOUNTAIN VIEW" in bold, turquoise font. In the center, there are silhouettes of a veterinarian and a dog hiking with a mountain backdrop. A circular border surrounds the scene.

FIRE

FIVE ELEMENT THEORY

A small campfire burning on a sandy beach during sunset, with the sun setting behind distant hills and the sea gently reflecting the colors of the sky, creates a perfect moment for a veterinarian to unwind after a long day of caring for animals.

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.

Fire personality animals are very jovial and love life. They are the type of dog that is going to be bursting with happiness to see you and possibly try to give you as many kisses as you will allow in greeting. Fire animals also tend to be very vocal often expressing themselves with a wide variety of sounds, besides the typical bark. These animals love attention and want to be the star of the show; however, they are not usually competitive, as wood animals for example. They are driven by the joy of life and want to play just for the fun of the game. These animals will strive to do what their people ask of them as they love the reward when they get it right, but they can be difficult to train due to their short attention span. Fire dogs are often considered hyper, or unable to sit still for long; they want to be on to the next fun thing. They are more motivated by your attention than anything else. For some dogs, it doesn’t matter if the attention is positive or negative as long as they are receiving it.

A happy brown dog with large, pointed ears and wide eyes looks directly at the camera with an open-mouthed, joyful expression. The background is a blurry, green, outdoor setting reminiscent of its playful visits to the veterinarian.

Fire animals often have small but bright eyes. Often their face, tongue or skin will be more of a reddish hue. They are very fast but don’t have a lot of stamina, making them good short-distance racers and hunters of small game like rabbits and rodents.

Predisposition to Disease Conditions for Fire Element

Fire animals tend to have a lot of energy and tend to feel warm to the touch. Often an imbalance may start during hotter times of the year, like summer, as these animals’ bodies already run hot! Since Fire rules the mind and the adolescent development stage, which is the time during which the personality undergoes major development, these animals need a lot of stability and support during this stage to avoid behavioral issues later. In times of imbalance, fire animals are predisposed towards:

  • Behavioral disorders such as restlessness, mania, and separation anxiety.
  • Cardiovascular (heart and vessel) diseases
  • Chest and/or Upper Back and Neck Pain / muscle spasms / Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD)
  • Gastrointestinal disorders such as vomiting, constipation or diarrhea (due to high cortisol levels).
  • Mouth diseases: dental disease / gingivitis / ulcerations on their tongues.

Metal’s associated emotion is grief or sadness. Since these animals like a set routine, they tend to be easily affected by large changes. Moving or the loss of someone or another animal they are used to having in their life, can have a profound effect on Metal animals. This may be a catalyst event to development of an imbalance. Animals that are grieving may seem down or lethargic, may be less enthusiastic about things they usually enjoy or may be more clingy than usual with their owners. If you think your animal is Metal, and you know that there may be some big changes in their future, maintaining a predictable daily routine can help them during difficult times.

Using Five Elements for Preventative Medicine for Fire Element

Due to predisposition to cardiovascular diseases

  • Annual examination with a thorough auscultation particularly of heart and lungs is recommended.
  • Starting at age 7 or sooner, considering screening chest radiographs to evaluate heart size and vessels.
  • Annual blood pressure monitoring
  • Heartworm testing yearly is utmost importance as any additional heart disease can be extra deadly to these patients.

Due to predisposition for chest and upper neck pain, harnesses (instead of neck collars) are recommended for safety.

Regular dental cleanings are a must for Fire dogs, as they are disposed to dental disease.  Mountain View offers preventative teeth cleanings and assessments in addition to comprehensive anesthetized dental evaluations. Please call to schedule a dental evaluation with one of our integrative veterinarians. This should start year one!

Fire puppies often need a lot of entertainment and social activity to prevent destruction in the home and distract them if you aren’t there to entertain! Considering interactive toys, daycare or being with other dog friends may help! Mountain View Animal Hospital offers daycare! Call to set up today.

Recommended foods to help balance the heart is: pork heart, fish, brown rice, wheat, and vegetables such as broccoli, celery and mushrooms.

We look forward to helping your pet with

individualized and detailed integrative health care.

Mountain View Animal Hospital and Holistic Pet Care

6474 Bonde Lane Reno, NV 89511
(775) 853-690