Author: Kristy

Sit Stay Zen will be vending with pet aromatherapy and flower remedies this weekend at the Mother Earth Festival in Seven Springs, PA! This fair is the best with lots of great public speakers and a large variety of vendors showcasing a mix of sustainability practices and earth lovin’ products, something for everyone! I’ll be at Booth #2306! SEPTEMBER 23 – 25th

Sit Stay Zen on the air waves! Tune in online to www.wfte.org to Dorrie Wilson’s program “It’s About Dogs”. This great show covers dog behavior, training, events, adoptions, breeds and more! Scroll through the show’s MP3s and select the episode titled Itsaboutdogsep103accupressure.mp3. Dorrie gave me the opportunity to discuss what I do at Sit Stay Zen by giving you an overview of acupressure for pets, Reiki massage and aromatherapy for dogs and cats.

Thanks for listening!

If you have something dog worthy to share with the rest of us canine loving folks Dorrie wants to speak to you! Contact her at djdachs04@gmail.com with topic ideas and comments about the show.

Always difficult to lose a friend. I had been treating my dear friend Rosie with weekly acupressure and Reiki sessions since May. This 17 year old Collie / German Shepherd mix was the love and light of her people and they would have done anything to help make her chronic hind end troubles less painful for her. Her owner found my card at her local vet’s office and a firm believer in the wonders of rehabilitation and holistic support, decided to give me a call. I am so thankful she did and I’m sure Rosie was too!

My first sessions with Rosie were rough. Her acupoints were very sensitive and her legs were very tense while I conducted massage and Reiki on long time aching joints. Sessions initially were always owner assisted as she could not stand for long on her trembling legs. We saw outstanding improvement quickly though and friends and family remarked that Rosie seemed to be reverting to her puppyhood! From my standpoint as her therapist I was able to watch on a weekly basis as Rosie’s legs and hips strengthened and soon I did not need any assistance at all to conduct a treatment on her. In fact, she would often stand for her entire session! That amazing Rosie!

I also learned early on that not only did our girl suffer from typical hind end issues in large breed dogs, but she had Cushing’s disease as well and experienced seizures periodically. I begin point work to help her with the Cushing’s and aid in seizure prevention. Interestingly enough, she ceased her excess panting and coughing during treatments and it was reported to me by her family that she had stopped vomiting after decreasing her previously copious water intake. Her appetite also improved and seizures subsided for months until her recent decline in September.

Rosie was an inspiration for all. I learned so much from working with her and was delighted to have been able to give her relief and make strides in ongoing chronic conditions that are often only coped with through the use of drug therapy. I know she is dearly missed by everyone who knew her. I will always fondly remember our weekly bonding time together and hope she is smiling pain free in doggie heaven.

 

Meet Caridad. She is a 10 year old alpaca that lives on the beautiful Spirit of Gentleness Farm. After conducting an acupressure and Reiki treatment on one of the resident farm dogs, I was contacted to see if I might be able to help sweet Caridad with her mysterious ailment. As you can clearly see in this group photo of Caridad and friends (she is the all black female in the center), she would often stand with her back sloping and hind legs stretched back. Her movement was normal, but when she would lay down, she would lay on her side which is not typical for an alpaca. Appetite was normal, but it did seem she would lay down in this fashion after consuming grain and would stretch her neck out in a funny way. Caridad also chatters her teeth, that is the best way I can describe it and you can see her doing it in the closeup shot of her face. She also used to hum, as alpacas frequently will do, and had stopped. The vet thought she might possibly have a gastric ulcer.

I wasn’t sure what to expect in conducting a treatment on Caridad. I am not llama/alpaca savvy, but no worries! Her owner held her on a lead and she was as pleasant as can be as I worked her immune stimulation points. I chose points indicative of colic as some of these symptoms mirror colic distress and also points for treatment of ulcers and inflammation. She seemed to enjoy her treatment and was content. She also received a hefty dose of Reiki!

Reports back from the Spirit of Gentleness Farm are promising! Caridad looks brighter and is not separating herself as much from the rest of the herd. After grazing in the pasture, she is not laying down like she was before.

I got a new handy dandy book all about acupressure for llamas! Now I get to familiarize myself with alpaca anatomy and comprehend their meridian system as point location differs from dogs and horses.

I thoroughly enjoyed working on this girl. It was really neat massaging her bladder meridian, which runs on either side of the spine, because her wool was so dense and plush! She has a lovely nature and I hope to continue to have the opportunity to work with these gentle, unique creatures!

 

A Facebook post about an article I wrote on “Acupressure for Senior Dogs” brought the attention of Marcie Bunting, owner and operator of Billy’s New Hope Barn in Honesdale, PA. Marcie questioned, “Can acupressure help a pig?” WOW! I was stumped, but certain that yes it could. What was going on with said pig? Marcie indicated that 12 year old Georgia, one of many rescued pot bellied pigs living at the sanctuary, was lame and could no longer get up on her own. In early winter, Georgia was moved inside to the comfort of Marcie’s kitchen. The vet was perplexed by her condition, suggested it could possibly be vestibular disease and recommended “to just put her down”. How horrifying! Marcie started seeking other options.

I’ll admit I have never worked acupoints on a pig before! Georgia has been so good for all of her treatments. I didn’t know what to expect and chose general points for paralysis and pain. I also incorporated Reiki into Georgia’s ongoing treatments. After the initial session, I was later told by Marcie that she crawled to her water bowl! I was thrilled!

Georgia continues to spend her days lounging in Marcie’s kitchen, but there is a marked difference in her muscle tone. She used to hold her stumpy legs out, rigid and immobile, but now she stretches and kicks with fervor. Her neck mobility has also increased. When I work her points, her legs turn to jello in pure and total surrender to relaxation while grunting and wagging her tail with satisfaction.

Only time will tell if Georgia will regain full use of her legs again. Her life has been very difficult as she and her sibling came from a neglectful home. She has only been living in salvation at the sanctuary for about a year now and Marcie states that overall her health has dramatically improved. We are all hoping with the arrival of Spring that getting back outside again will do Georgia some good. For now she enjoys her Fruit Punch Gatorade (in case you are wondering why on earth this piggie has pink stains on the hairs of her chinny chin chin) and her daily massages by kitty friend, Fuzzy, who literally lays on top of Georgia, kneading and stimulating her muscles with her little power paws. What a gift for animals to be in tune with one another and sense what they need!

As for me, I am looking forward to spending more time with Georgia and the rest of the gang at Billy’s New Hope Barn offering help and healing where it is needed. I am grateful to Georgia and Marcie for introducing pigs into my life and into my heart.

www.billysnewhopebarn.com
Dedicated to housing, protecting and giving compassionate care to abused, neglected or abandoned farm animals. Billy’s New Hope Barn is a non profit 501c3 organization and relies on donations. Located just outside of Honesdale, PA, Billy’s New Hope Barn has a 6000 sq. ft barn and 160 acres with lots of room for animals! Not only is funding needed, but also help with animal care.  

If you would like to help, please send to donations for care of these rescued animals to:
Billy’s New Hope Barn, Inc.
349 Schoolhouse Road
Honesdale, Pa 18431

Day 6 of Project Pumpkin. I say project in loving remembrance of days working at the shelter when we would look amongst ourselves and ask “Who wants a project?”

Pumpkin is a one year old Dogue de Bordeaux mix. A dog de bor-wha? My fellow trainer friend instantly recognized this shelter labeled Pit Bull as having the wrinkly common characteristics with Hooch from the comedy “Turner & Hooch” starring Tom Hanks. He most likely is a Heinz 57, but he’s got that French Mastiff face down pat!

I went into this 6 day pet sitting adventure prepared. As I had already been training Pumpkin for two weeks, he had earned the unfortunate nickname of Sir Humps A Lot! His owners were frustrated with his outbursts and lack of housetraining. I immediately got to work on a custom aromatherapy blend for this boy. His Pumpkin juice was formulated around information I gathered from testing his chakras the previous week. How does one test a dog’s chakras? With a pendulum and a person to distract dog in question with food to prevent from eating the pendulum. Open chakras grant us with a nice clockwise flowing circular movement from the pendulum and blocked or overactive chakras result in either no movement, shaky movement or excessively wide circles. The chakras I suspected to be malfunctioning were as such and gave me the info I needed to formulate this blend. The pure essential oils incorporated into this blend were intuitively chosen for their healing emotional attributes to help bolster self esteem, for grounding and clarity and to help in the learning and retaining of new skills. Pumpkin’s blend consists of Rosemary Verbenone, Clary Sage, Eucalyptus Radiata, Japanese Mint, Cardamom, Sweet Fennel and last, but certainly not least in importance, the wonderful anti-aphrodisiac essential oil of Sweet Majoram, to assist in combating any of the expected humping episodes. (I had recently read that Guide Dogs for the Blind wholeheartedly embraces the use of this essential oil for aromatherapy with their male working service dogs.) Currently all of my Sit Stay Zen oils are blended in a combination carrier oil mix of Jojoba and Sweet Almond Oil. Essentials oils always need to be diluted in a carrier oil in order to be safely applied to the skin.

Thank goodness Pumpkin was immediately responsive to his new oil. This dog loves aromatherapy! When a full onset of the crazies ensued, as any one year old pup can exhibit with fervor, it took only 15 minutes from the time of application (I let him sniff the bottle and applied several drops to his ears and collar) for Pumpkin to lay down nice and calm again. Success! Oh so amazing, the wonder of aromatherapy!

I have so bonded with this dog that it’s hard to have to leave him now and head back home to my quiet, subdued, senior, female Shiba Inu. Lilly is such a pleasure to be around because she is literally no work at all, we are so in sync with one another after 13 years! But she lets me know if it’s one minutes past 6:00 pm when her dinner is to be served! And Daylight Savings Time? Lilly says, “What’s that?” So now I hear from her at 5:01 pm. It has been such a joy to be around this exuberant, happy, bouncy boy! I miss all that big dog male energy since the passing of my Mastiff last year.

Pumpkin has now been placed on a training program with high hopes his new owners will be able to see his great potential and outstanding good traits. What dog doesn’t whine in his crate, doesn’t eat poop, doesn’t bark, doesn’t chase deer and gets along with other dogs, cats and people? A resounding roar from the crowd or well, from his very own personal cheerleader, me, “Pumpkin!!!” In these six days together, he has learned to walk nice (even in town), fetch a ball and give to best of his “I just love to carry stuff” ability, sit nice for dinner, down stay and we have only had three housebreaking mishaps, two of which were my own fault for not being completely vigilant.

Rescue a dog, don’t think twice about it! Pumpkin was on death row in an NYC shelter. This beautiful, loving soul would not be here today if his new owner didn’t take swift action in adopting him. Second chance hounds are worth the time and energy and enjoying the undertaking of a rewarding, promising “project”.