Symptoms of Healing
Each of us have our own journey. Paths have their own puddles and obstacles … making each a unique experience. Your companion, … you know the one at home … the one that is finally being fed real and yummy food (a species appropriate diet), will go through his/her own experience and guess what!? Your companion will not be able to speak human. One day, your furbaby will be sleeping, wanting to keep to him or herself and may not have an appetite. PLEASE PAY ATTENTION to this – most of us do not speak the same language as animals. So as humans, when we see our fur babies act differently, we assume “it’s their time”. Is it!? No way!
Animals communicate in a different language. Why would our companions act weird? – making us assume “it’s their time”. Some of us run and euthanize them without listening to them. We are different species with different methods at surviving. “Do you understand the words coming out of my mouth”, (Rush Hour, 1998). Don’t let the language barrier end their life too soon. Animals are better than humans at masking pain and hiding weakness. Their survival is dependent on fitness and health. To show anything less is an invitation for a kill.
We need to be better at observing and apply patience. Allowing ourselves to be able to feel them so we learn the patience to be there for them during whatever they are going through. I’m writing this in hopes that when your companion’s behavior makes you feel “I think it his or her time” that you take a step back and observe what is really going on. This could easily buy you more time together. This summer, I received the following message "Hey wanted say thank you for all the help you gave [name removed]. We got an extra year out of her because of you. She passed away this afternoon peacefully”, (Name Removed, 2018). What did I do? I educate pet parents and part of this education was about healing crisis and death. For more on “death” please click > here. Wait! Let’s go back - Healing Crisis!? What about the crisis, what is that?
The word “crisis” to describe healing is too scary. Who would want a healing crisis? When it comes to the health of those in our care … I believe that it is important to explain what is going on instead of putting fear in people.
What’s a healing crisis? It is a detox crisis, a die-off, a Herxheimer reaction, and we could go on. All labels. Scary labels. They are not describing a bad thing, they are words to describe a good thing. For the purpose of feeling comfortable with it, for this blog, let’s reword it to symptoms of healing. When an animal goes through symptoms of healing … there’s not a one size fits all. Be ready! Those symptoms may be like the actual disease. They happen when the body is strong enough to handle detoxification.
We are built with detox pathways to eliminate toxins. The body continually detoxes. Dis-ease can happen when detox pathways are hindered. The body is built to survive. In a healthy environment, the body is allowed to heal and will seek to detox itself. “The following are a few examples of symptoms your pet might experience as his/her body begins eliminating accumulated toxins:
LETHARGY FEVER INTENSE ITCHING FLAKING SKIN HOT SPOTS SMELLY OR ITCHY EARS HAIRLOSS SORES AND SKIN ERUPTIONS DULL OR THINNING COAT DIGESTIVE UPSETS DIARRHEA MUCOUS and/or BLOOD IN STOOLS”, (The Whole Dog, 2013).
How can we tell that the symptoms are not the dis-ease and they are the symptoms of healing? To answer this … keep in mind - the body will handle this when it can handle it. Therefore, the symptoms should not be worse than the dis-sease itself. An animal allowed to species appropriate nutrition and in an environment free of toxins should be able recover from the symptoms of healing in a shorter time than the disease. I wish I could tell you when they happen and how long they last and how many times they will happen. This is all dependent on the animal’s body, what his or her body can handle and how much is to be detoxed with all those years to recover from. More important than anything … when your companion is going through a few days of symptoms of healing … please have patience and trust in nature. Comfort them and be there for them. This will mean so much to them. Remember last time you were sick, had the flu? Where was your pet? If like my companions, they were by your side to comfort you. For the most part my cats have patience with me and I’m thankful they can’t contact the doctor to euthanize me.
How scary to not be able to differentiate symptoms of dis-ease and symptoms of healing! Don’t feel alone in this. Especially while you are on your path of finding your trust in nature. This is a good time to contact your animal naturopath/health coach or a veterinary naturopath. We can hold your hand and there may be a remedy in nature’s toolbox to alleviate the symptoms of healing in your companion. Very important – never suppress symptoms. This is because symptoms are the body’s attempt to rid of toxins. If the symptoms are suppressed, the toxins stay in the body. When the body is strong enough it will make another attempt at ridding of those toxins and voila more symptoms of healing. The more the symptoms are suppressed … the more the toxins have the chance to do chronic damage in the body – then diseases can happen. Assist the body and do not suppress the symptoms.
Always be aware and listen to your companion. If the symptoms are worse, contact your animal naturopath/health coach or a veterinary naturopath. Ask questions to make the best decisions. You are your companion’s best advocate. Keep nature in mind.
“Nature is slow, but sure; she works no faster than need be; she is the tortoise that wins the race by her perseverance,” – David Henry Thoreau
P.S. I love life! Important message about holistic practitioners being killed off > Click Here
“Don't believe what I post research what I post,”
~ Anonymous
Chantal L Regan
Certified Animal Naturopath
Student of Animal Acupressure
Mind Animal Spirit LLC
www.mindanimalspirit.com
References
The Whole Dog (2013). Detoxification and the "Healing Crisis" Retrieved November 18, 2018 from https://www.thewholedog.org/artdetox.html
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