Giving medicine to animals

Many of my clients have animals who are sick and need to take medication.  Their stories are often very similar . . . their animals spit pills out, no matter how creative their guardians get in hiding the pills in tasty treats, their animals run and hide as soon as they see the medicine come out, or their animals fuss and fight any time someone is trying to give them medication.  

I personally believe that most of the time, the problem is that the animals doesn't understand what they are being given or why.  I always encourage my clients to talk to their animals and help them understand more about the medicine.  Here are some 'talking points' that I give my clients when they talk to their animals:

- Tell them what the medicine is and why they are giving it to them

- Explain how it will help the animal feel better in terms they understand ("You know how you have been having pain when you try to run?  This will help make the pain go away." or "You know how your skin has been itchy and irritated?  This will soothe your skin so you will feel better.")

- Tell them how long they will need to take the medicine.  They are often much more willing to be cooperative when they know it's only a ten day course of antibiotics or just something they have to endure for a few weeks.  If it is a medication they will have to take for the rest of their life, explain that to them.  (refer to the point above, making sure they understand how it will help them).

In most cases, this type of open communication with the animal will help them be more cooperative when taking medication.  Most of my clients tell me that after talking to their animals, all the previous behaviors (spitting out pills, hiding, resisting) have subsided.  

In some cases, animals who were being cooperative for a while, will suddenly start refusing the medication again.  When this happens, I encourage my clients to 'listen' to their animals.  I believe animals know what is helpful to them and what isn't.  If your animal is refusing medication, it might be because they don't need it anymore or because they need something different.  It can't hurt to go back to the vet to find out if the medication is still necessary or if there is something else that might help more.  

Animals are such intelligent beings and if we are willing to work with them, giving them the opportunity to understand what we are giving them and why, I believe they have the ability to get on board with what we are doing.  I also believe they can partner with us and let us know if what we are giving them is actually helping them.  If we just force them to take medication without telling them why, often all we create is resistance.  Animals are not much different from humans that way . . . we often resist that which we don't understand.  So, talk to your animals, help them understand what you are giving them and my guess is, you'll find a much more cooperative recipient of medications. 

Acknowledge your animals feelings

A few months back, a friend of mine who takes care of about 20 horses called me to ask for my help.  He told me they had acquired a new horse named Lorelia not long before and he was worried about her. They didn't know much about her history, all he knew was that she kept to herself, not interacting with any of the other horses and was very timid around people.  She spent most of her time standing out in the pasture away from everyone else, all by herself.  He asked if I could come and give her Reiki and see if I was able to figure out what was going on with her.  

The next weekend, I went out there.  My friend tried to coax Lorelia over to us with carrots but she only came within about ten feet from the fence and would not come any closer.  I decided to just talk to her for a while, from the other side of the fence.  I introduced myself, explained why I was there and told her about Reiki.  After about fifteen minutes, she finally came over to the fence, close enough for me to touch her.  I asked for her permission to touch her and give her some Reiki, then waited for her to give me a sign that it was alright with her.  

When I felt she was ready, I reached out and put my hands on her.  Immediately, I felt overwhelmed with sadness.  My heart felt so heavy as I felt all the thing she felt.  I didn't know what exactly had happened to her, but I knew how she felt . . . afraid, alone, and incredibly sad. I could feel tears welling up in me as I worked on her.  Her sadness was so deep.  I told her how sorry I was for what she had been through.  I told her she didn't deserve to be hurt or be made to feel she was unimportant.  As I continued to give her Reiki, I picked up more and more of what she was feeling and the words continued to flow out of me.  I told her that she was not dumb and that I was sorry she had been told she was.  I told her that the other horses would welcome her and it was safe for her to spend more time around them.  I told her she could trust my friend who worked there and that he would always take good care of her.  

After about an hour, the sadness I was picking up from her finally started to lift.  Her eyes looked a little brighter and she even held her head up a little higher.  I thanked her for trusting me enough to let me work with her and told her how grateful I was to have been able to spend time with her.  

As I was walking back across the ranch to find my friend, another horse on the property came over to the fence and tried to get my attention.  I stopped to visit with him and I could feel his concern.  I told him about Lorelia and explained that she could really use a friend right now.  I asked him if he could try to help her feel welcome and make sure she didn't spend all her time alone.  I am never entirely sure if my messages get through but I try to trust that they will understand what I am saying to them.

After my visit with him, I continued on my way, and when I found my friend in the barn, I filled him in on what I had picked up from Lorelia.  He said he had sensed she was sad as well but didn't know why.  I explained to him that we don't always need to know the details of what has happened, that it was my belief that what was most important was that their feelings be acknowledged and to let them know how sorry we are that something bad happened to them.  I asked him to keep me posted on how she was doing.  I wasn't sure if what I had done was enough to help her let go of all the sadness she held in her body or if she would need some more help.  

Two days later, my friend called me and was talking so excitedly, I could barely keep up with him.  He told me that Lorelia had been happier and friendlier since I had been there.  He said that she was coming right over to him when he called her and that he was really excited to see that one of the other horses had spent the last two days hanging out with her in the pasture.  I realized I had forgotten to tell him about my conversation with the other horse on my way back to find him that day.  I described the horse I had spoken with and asked if he was the horse who was hanging out with Lorelia.  He confirmed that it was.  I was surprised and yet at the same time, I wasn't.  I know animals are capable of understanding what we say to them and I also know they are incredibly compassionate. 

Since then, Lorelia has been doing wonderfully, continuing to interact more and more with the other horses and becoming more comfortable around people.  When I go up to the ranch, she always comes over to the fence to greet me and let me know that she is doing well.  

It reminds me how important it is, not just for animals but for people as well, to have our feelings acknowledged, to hear someone say "I'm sorry that happened to you."  I'm also reminded of how much it means to know you have a friend you can count on.  

Holiday Preparations

As the holiday season approaches, I feel compelled to put a request out on behalf of animals everywhere.  Please talk to your animals and tell them what is going on so they aren't caught off guard.  Many people talk about how their animals behave strangely during the holidays and most of the time, I believe it is because they don't understand what is going on. Their regular routine is changed up and they often feel ill at ease because of it. 

If you've been reading my blog, you know I believe very strongly that animals understand everything we tell them.  I think we owe it to our animals to help manage their expectations, so that they can enjoy the holidays as well.  Please, talk to your animals!

Imagine if your spouse didn't tell you they were bringing 10 people over for dinner.  Wouldn't you be a little thrown off?  What if 7 people showed up and told you they were staying for a couple of days?  Would that potentially put your nose out of joint?  Especially if those people set up camp in your bedroom and didn't tell you they were going to?  

All I ask is that you put yourself in your animals shoes for a moment so you can understand how it feels from their perspective.  Then inform them of what will be happening.  Here are some tips:

If you are going to have a house full of people, let them know.  Tell them . . . this many people are coming and this is how long they are staying.  if you want your animal to do anything different, please let them know.  If your animal is going to have to sleep somewhere where they aren't used to sleeping, tell them that and explain why.  Let them know how long this new arrangement will last.

If your animal is used to having quiet time to rest in the house and you know that isn't going to be easy when you have a house full of people, tell them where they can go to be "alone" if that's what they need.  Give them a specific room in the house they can go to if they need to "get away from it all."

Tell them if you are bringing a christmas tree into the house and if need be, explain to them that it is for decoration.  Let them know you are making sure it has water so they don't feel the need to water it themselves.  :-)   Explain to them that the things hanging on the tree are not for them to play with or eat.  Then make sure they know where the things are that they CAN play with and eat. 

Include them in the celebration in whatever way you can.  Whether that is feeding them at the same time the rest of you all are sitting down to eat so they feel they are having a special meal too, or giving them something to unwrap when the rest of you are unwrapping your gifts, let them know they are part of what is going on too. 

I believe the holidays can be happier for all of us - 2-legged and 4-legged alike, if we can set everyone's expectations for how things are going to be different for a few days.  Your animals will thank you - in their own special way!

Setbacks and moving forward

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my German Shepherd Lucky and her battle with cancer.  At the time, I was excited to see that her tumors were finally shrinking and I was feeling confident that we were going to beat it.  

This week, the Universe threw me a curve and Lucky's tumors started growing again.  I felt defeated, overwhelmed and scared.  I cried a lot and worried that I wasn't taking care of her as well as I had promised her I always would.  I struggled to listen to my intuition.  I want to do everything I can for her.  I want us to heal the cancer so she can stay with me longer but I was feeling lost as to how to make that happen.  

After a couple of days of feeling helpless, I felt guided to adjust the dosage of cancer fighting herbs I was giving her, although I didn't trust the guidance completely.  I made the change and then still felt fear that it wasn't the right change or that we weren't going to be able to make the tumors go away.  As much as I tried, I couldn't completely quiet the voice of fear in the back of my head.

The next day, I took Lucky to her water therapy session.  With her back legs being weak, she isn't able to exercise by walking and chasing the ball like we used to, so we started doing water therapy a few times a week to help keep her muscles in shape and help her stay strong.  When Lucky got into the water with Connie, the water therapist, I began telling Connie that the tumors were growing again and that Lucky wasn't doing well.  Just then, Lucky took off, swimming into the deep end of the pool, which took both Connie and I by surprise.  She never swam into the deep end, even when we tried to encourage her to do so.  Connie looked at me with a questions on her face and at that moment, it was crystal clear to me.   Lucky was showing me that I was wrong when I said "she isn't doing well" - she was showing me that she was still strong and still feeling good.  There was no question in my mind at all.  She swam out to the deep end at the exact moment I was telling Connie that she wasn't doing well.  She wanted me to see that my fears were unfounded, that she was doing just fine in her opinion.

I know from my work with animals that they do hear us and they will respond to what they hear us say.  I have seen countless examples of animals responding in the moment to what it being said so I couldn't ignore what Lucky was showing me.  The heaviness that had surrounded me all week lifted and I realized that I needed to pay attention to her and what she was telling me.  I needed to listen to her more and listen to my fears less.  

That night, she was goofing around for hours.  She pulled a bag off the table that had a dog toy in it and began making the hilarious sound she makes when she is happy, something similar to a whine, but deeper and with a tone of contentment.  She wanted me to toss the tennis ball to her, she did a few play-bows.  Everything she was showing me was positive and I couldn't ignore it.  If she was going to be so positive and happy, then I needed to be as well.

I still don't know if we are going to beat the cancer.  I don't know if the current dosage of herbs I am giving her will make the tumor shrink again.  What I do know is that Lucky is telling me that she is OK right now.  She is telling me that she is happy and that she is capable of living and enjoying life.  It is a reminder to me that I need to enjoy every day that we have together.  I need to take time out to be light and playful.  I need to stop worrying about "tomorrow" and be present with her today because that's what we have - today.  

If you have an animal, I encourage you to pay attention to how they behave when you are talking about them.  I know they are trying to show us all the time if we are right or wrong regarding the things we say about them.  What you see may lift your spirits or give you new information about what they are thinking and feeling . . so watch them . . . and enjoy them . . . and love them for everything they are.