Mandel Vet's DVM Notebook

Reiki, Japanese for “universal energy”, is a healing technique in which gentle but powerful energy is channeled through a caregiver into a patient. Reiki energy has been shown to help illness, anxiety, and depression in both people and animals, and promotes a general sense of relaxation and well being.

For animal patients, Reiki has been shown to help heal illness or injury, as well as anxiety and behavior problems. It often calms stressed animals and can be used as an adjunct to any medical treatment.

Dr. West is certified in Reiki and offers this healing technique for dogs and cats. Call the Wickliffe office at 440.516.0000 for more details about the initial consultation and subsequent sessions.

A Reiki treatment for an animal patient can consist of touching the patient or beaming energy across the room. Some animals tolerate being touched, and some are more comfortable with freedom to move around. Either way, the Reiki energy is going where it needs to go.

Some animals seek out the Reiki practitioner, and some animals stay away from the source of the energy. Animals are said to be more sensitive to the Reiki energy than people, in many instances, and some will avoid the practitioner initially. Because animals are so sensitive to the energy, they can have remarkable benefits from Reiki treatments.

It is important to understand that the benefits of Reiki treatments are not always readily apparent to us. Sometimes multiple treatments are necessary to aid with a specific problem. There are never any ill effects from Reiki, though. It is always a healing energy that will do no harm to the patient.