Back when I was a Reiki 1 practitioner, I was told in class that Reiki works wonderfully with our pets, and animals are usually very receptive to Reiki, and often responds to it much quicker than us humans. I came home and tried it on Baobao, my then 11 year old dachshund (that’s her now on the right!). She jerked her head back and stared at me for the whole 20 minutes my hands were on her back! I knew she felt it, but other than that, she was not particularly unwell at the time so I was not really able to gauge how much Reiki has done for her.
So when my then colleague Cynthia, who really didn’t have a gift for rearing fishes (but she tried so hard!), came to me dejectedly one day and pointed to two more fishes ‘quarantined’ in two separate glasses, I naturally jumped at the chance to try out Reiki on one of them.
The two fishes had very different distinct markings so it was easy to tell them apart. One was swimming slower than usual, and the other had completely flipped over and was doing the backstroke. I picked the latter, and for about 3 or 4 times that Friday evening in the office, I held the glass about 5 to 10 minutes at a time. By the time I was ready to leave the office, the fish was still doing its backstroke, and I left pretty disappointed.
Along came Monday, and I arrived at work to an excited Cynthia – to both our amazement (yes, mine too – I was but a Reiki rookie still then!), the fish that was doing the backstroke was swimming the right way up, and the other fish that I did not give Reiki to was swimming belly up! That was my first experience with how quick animals respond to Reiki, and I have to say that it was a pretty awesome one!
Since then I have had a number of opportunities to work with dogs, including my beloved senior, and have helped dogs that have just had surgery, where Reiki aids and accelerates post-surgery recovery, and dogs that have undergone chemotherapy to alleviate the side effects of chemo.
Reiki is also a wonderful support to the dying pets in the process of transitioning, providing peace and comfort to them during this difficult time. I have also been approached to give Reiki to dogs that were in the last stage of their life, which not only helped the dogs, but their owners as well, knowing it can make their furbabies more comfortable, and their transition process smoother.
It never fail to amaze me how Reiki works with our furbabies, and how they respond to it. If you have Reiki, try it with your dog or cat and you will see what I mean – they may be unsure at the beginning as it would be something new and unfamiliar to them, but it wouldn’t be long before you may find them trying to get you to give them Reiki! At 14 years old now, Baobao love her Reiki treatments, and it is extremely comforting to know that I have the tools to help her when she has a bad day with achy joints 🙂
Cesar Millan, renowned dog trainer of hit series Dog Whisperer, has an article on his website on how Reiki is beneficial for all types of dogs, and can help enhance relaxation, maintain energetic balance, reduce side effects of chemotherapy, to name a few.