Grief-Induced Laminitis

People often wonder if their animals know how they are feeling. I think a lot of people can relate to their dog coming and sitting near them when they are sad and other such examples.

But, our animals know us deeper than this - especially the ones we live with or have very close bonds with.

In recent years, there has been increasing awareness of the fact that animals can take on the emotions and illnesses of their human companions. This is a phenomenon known as “emotional contagion,” and it can have a very real and serious impact on the health and wellbeing of our furry friends.

Animals are highly sensitive to their environment, and they can often pick up on the emotions of those around them. If a human is feeling anxious, stressed, or depressed, their animal companion is likely to feel it as well. Similarly, if a person is suffering from an illness, such as a cold or flu, their animal may be affected as well. This can lead to physical and emotional distress in animals, and can even cause them to exhibit signs of illness or distress.

It’s important to be aware of the impact that our emotions and illnesses can have on our animal companions. If we are feeling stressed or unwell, it’s important to take steps to ensure that our pets are not affected. This could include providing them with extra love and attention, or even taking them to a vet for a checkup if necessary, or engaging with a holistic practitioner to help to release some of the absorbed emotions.

I see this alot when working with animals and their human guardians - their emotions will be mirrored, and I help animals to release many emotions that they have either absorbed from their humans, or consciously taken on to lessen the humans burden and support them. In many cases, the human and the animal have been brought together in this lifetime to heal the same emotional wounds together. Things like abandonment and trauma spring to mind as examples.

In June of 2019, my then husband told me he was leaving our marriage and subsequently left our home that evening. This was a massive shock and I was absolutely floored. It affected me more than the grief I felt when my father died 11 years previously. It was a life bereavement that I wasn't expecting and it was done through deliberate choice rather than passing on from the human realm.

A month later, the business that I had been part of setting up, building, and working for almost 10 years went into administration. I lost my job, I lost my identity, and I lost my husband. Alongside the emotions of loss and disconnection to those I loved, myself and what I knew, there was also a strong feeling of the wounding being inflicted upon me. I had no control over any of it and I was devastated,

In those weeks and months, I was ill, I lost a lot of weight and it was all I could do to just about manage to survive and get up in the morning! I found great strength and love from my animal companions and without them, I would not have got through it all.

Less than 4 weeks after these events, my heart horse (and now work partner) Magic had to have the vet out as he could barely walk. He literally couldn't put one foot in front of the other and he just looked at me from across the field to say ‘can you help me please?’

Magic had laminitis*, and I was terrified I would lose him as well. He was so poorly, and for weeks he couldn’t move and I literally had to put his food and water in front of him as he couldn’t get around to get it for himself.

At the time, I truly believed that I had caused this by what I was feeding him and being ‘absent’ for most of the time and not picking things up, but over time i have come to see that Magic took on a lot of my pain and sorrow and ended up with what i now call ‘Grief-induced laminitis*’.

During his time of recovery, we spent a lot of time together so I could care for him and assist his healing, which in turn was a catalyst for him to have me near enough, often enough for him to keep healing me.

Clever really!

Magic likes to think of things in circles, and this was a healing circle we had created between us. My other horse Jeff joined our circle so he could care for Magic when I was not there and support his friend. In return Jeff had sessions of reiki with me to help him release unwanted energy and find an inner peace.

I love this picture - this was taken when Magic was in the midst of healing and he would often lie down to ease the pain he was in, and Jeff was always there to stand watch over him and support his friend.

Magic healed well with natural methods and lots of love and gives back so much in return via his healing work.

Similarly, I recently did an energy clearing session for a horse that was suffering with cold-induced laminitis*. I cleared quite a few things in the session, but the interesting parts were that the horse was absorbing the emotions of her human guardian - including emotions regarding frustration and sadness and worry. These emotions are perfectly normal when you have a poorly animal you are responsible for, but even in their weakened state, they still endeavour to lessen OUR pain. They are truly remarkable!

This darling horse was also able to tell me that her healing would be quicker and more efficient if her human could look after herself - she was incredibly stressed and worried and was making herself ill, having little sleep and trying everything to help her horse. There was a lot of ‘doing’ and the horse reminded her human to focus more on the ‘being’ and to sit with her and just share space and love, which would help them both heal.

By understanding the connection between humans and animals, and the potential impact that our emotions and illnesses can have on our animals, we can help to ensure that our furry friends stay happy and healthy.

Can you relate?

*For those not familiar with horses or what laminitis is, it is a (sadly) common and very serious condition in horses. It causes inflammation of the sensitive tissue between the hoof wall and the bone in the horse’s foot, resulting in pain and lameness.