Hannah Zulueta Shao Yang Season
Why spring brings the same flare to Wood-element dogs every year: the digestion, the itch, the restlessness.
In public health, we accept that seasons change how we get sick. The flu in winter, allergies in spring. What I’ve learned through the years is that the seasons affect dogs, too.
Traditional Chinese Medicine has tracked these same patterns for centuries through the 24 seasonal nodes, noting that certain illnesses spike at specific times of the year.
This year, more people than ever were exposed to the TCM calendar. For the first time, the Lunar New Year went truly mainstream, likely because the wild imagery of the Fire Horse made it trendy, but also because TCM is having a societal moment as people seek more holistic answers.
Beyond astrology, TCM practitioners pay close attention to weather patterns, because they help us prepare for what will show up in the clinic. Some human practitioners go to great lengths to read the annual charts and predictions to help prepare the community at large. This practice is rooted in the Huangdi Neijing, which explains the relationship between planetary rhythms, physiology, and pathology. The patterns we see in bodies are linked to the cyclical and seasonal changes of nature.
Every dog has one element more sensitive than the others. When the season shifts, the environment presses on exactly that spot.
For some dogs it is the Earth, the Spleen and Stomach. For others it is the Wood, the Liver and Gallbladder. If a dog has a Wood-element weakness, the arrival of Spring acts as a trigger, bringing a predictable constellation of symptoms to the surface that might otherwise stay dormant.
In TCM, Spring is the season of the Wood element, a period defined by expansion and upward movement. Just as a seed bursts through the soil, Wood governs the birthing of energy after the dormant Yin of winter.
It is also the season of Shao Yang, and one of its key characteristics is alternating signs. The weather can alternate throughout the day. Cold in the morning, hot at midday, cold again at night. In San Diego, we may have 80-degree days and then the next day be back in the 60s.
The Liver and Gallbladder are the primary organs of this seasonal phase, tasked with maintaining the smooth flow of Qi. When Wood is balanced, a dog shows flexibility and a steady temperament. But because Spring is naturally volatile, it can easily trigger stagnation. This puts immense pressure on a dog’s circulation, forcing underlying vulnerabilities to the surface as the system struggles to harmonize with the sudden surge of Yang energy.
As we move through spring, we are seeing an increase in dogs with Wood-element vulnerabilities. When this system is under pressure, it often results in what we call Rebellious Qi, moving through the areas of the body that are half in and half out.
Instead of moving downward as it should, the body’s energy moves upward or leaks out of the portals.
Common symptoms cluster into three groups.
This is not a recipe for reaching a conclusion about what is going on in the body. Non-practitioners often latch onto a single symptom and declare a pattern. Work with your vet or a trained practitioner when you are trying to understand your dog’s health.
In TCM, the Wood element, the Liver, can over-act on the Earth element, the Spleen. Or the Spleen can simply be weak, and the dog has low digestive function.
People tend to pick one or two symptoms and not see the whole dog holistically.
They might tackle each symptom one at a time, chasing food variations, swapping out ingredients, and stocking a pantry full of supplements for the itch or the paw licking. These are valid solutions. I see them as a branch-symptom approach.
Chase each symptom
A new food for the vomiting. A supplement for the itch. Another for the paw licking. Each one addressed on its own, while the thing underneath them keeps producing more.
Read the whole dog
I often ask clients for videos and photos, down to exactly where the dog is licking, so patterns emerge. For these Shao Yang patterns of disharmony, the root issue becomes clear, and the branches settle as it resolves.
I say “might” because, as much as we want a one-size-fits-all approach, the truth is always more nuanced than that.
Dogs with this constellation seem to do very well on moving and harmonizing herbs and ingredients.
Fiber from leafy, bitter greens such as dandelion and sprouts to support the Liver, alongside specific TCM formulas designed to move stagnation and harmonize the internal elements.
By addressing the root flow of energy rather than just the branch symptoms, we help the dog navigate the seasonal shift with greater ease.
If your dog is experiencing this constellation of symptoms and you would like professional help fine-tuning their diet to support their specific TCM pattern, I invite you to book a consultation. Together, we can move beyond managing branch symptoms and address your dog’s underlying health holistically.
Book a consultationThe season will keep doing what it does. The goal is a dog who can move through it with ease.
Hannah Zulueta obtained her Certificate in Canine Nutrition from CASI Institute. She is also studying for her Doctorate in Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Herbalism from the esteemed Pacific College of Health and Medicine. If you’re as keenly interested in health for yourself, visit her website for human health: Satori Acupuncture and Herbs.
She resides in San Diego with her three dogs, Maggie, Orbit, and Mr. Higgins.
She is available for one on one consultations. She develops evidence-based recipes that meet both NRC and AAFCO nutritional standards while integrating the therapeutic food principles of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine into her formulations.
Additionally, you can find her sharing free content on Instagram.
