Holiday Stress Management for Pets

Do these dogs look like they are having fun?

Just in case you think this is another article that comes out every year about how to keep your pets safe during the holidays, IT IS NOT!

Whether it is Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah, or Kwanza, there is almost always a disruption to your pet's usual routine during the holidays that causes stress and anxiety. It could be guests staying at your home, visitors dropping by, moving furniture around, decorations etc. the list goes on. All of these changes can make your dog or cat freak out.

I am not suggesting for a moment that these changes are bad; they are all part of how we humans like to celebrate our holidays. But for our dogs and cats, birds and pocket pets, they can be very stressful.

This stress can manifest in many ways. Sometimes the animals can become more vocal, lots of barking or meowing, or chirping. Sometimes they can become a little more aggressive, especially to strangers. Often the stress can manifest as GI disorders like diarrhea and even vomiting. Not something you want to have to deal with when you have company sitting around the Christmas feast enjoying the turkey.

So what is the solution? Well, you can kennel them, put them in a different room, or give them some medication to calm them down. All of these are temporary measures that won't make them very happy. OR

You can give them a Reiki energy healing session before the holiday celebrations begin. One of the primary benefits of Reiki is that it can calm the animal down fairly rapidly through connecting with it's relaxation response. Results are a calmer, more content animal who is less reactive and more than likely just wants to chill out. The Reiki can be done at a distance so you don't need to take your cat to a Reiki studio or have a practitioner come to your house. Since Reiki is energy delivered through Intention, mediation and breathing, it can be done anywhere and anytime. I have often shared Reiki with dogs on their way to a veterinary appointment. By the time they saw the Vet, they were calm and cooperative. I have also shared Reiki sessions with cats in their carriers when travelling on an airplane. They stay calm, quiet, and content until they safely arrive at their destination.

Reiki is helpful in so many different situations and with the holidays just around the corner, you might want to think about the effect of your family celebration on your pets. If you think it may create a stressful animal, contact me to discuss how we can set up a Reiki holiday de-stress session. reikihealingforpets@yahoo.com

Wishing you a very happy, and healthy, and stress-free holiday season.