Pets – Sensing the Right Time
Many of us have faced the dilemma of a beloved pet who is losing the quality of life with illness or age and wrestle with the question, “Is it the right time?”
Animal Communication – Sensing the Right Time
In mid-February I was contacted by a woman whose lively 14-year-old dog quickly deteriorate; she became lethargic, began coughing, and stopped eating. X-rays showed that cancer had invaded her lungs, liver, and spleen. After consulting a nutritionist and cooking chicken for the dog, who still refused meals, she contacted me. At that point, the dog had stopped drinking water, so she syringe-fed her chicken broth with prednisone famotidine. She told me her dog was still interested in walking downstairs despite a newly acquired limp, and even though she was sleeping more often, she said: “she still has this bright little spark.” The woman was temporarily in Miami and was getting preparing to drive home to the Northeast. I knew this was gravely ill even before I did the reading but approached it without bias. These were the owner’s questions
Is she ready to go? Is it the right time? Where is she feeling pain? Why did she stop eating on her own? Why doesn’t she want the other food that has nutrition and vitamins? Is she depressed and would she prefer to be around other dogs more? She’s been isolated here. Should I take her to the dog park?
These questions ran to extremes from preparing for death to group socialization, suggesting suggested that the owner herself was confused and likely blocking the obvious truth she knew recognized on some level.
Her dog showed me a comfortable enclosure made of soft pillows and said she felt nauseated when she wasn’t lying down. I explained to the woman that when animals are ill (especially when they are dying), they seek cave-like places in which to isolate themselves. I also saw a butterfly, which is a traditional hospice symbol as well as a metaphysical sign of transition. The dog and I knew she was dying and yes, she was ready for the next level of existence but not within the next day or so, not yet. She said her body had an uncomfortable tingling sensation and a terrible taste in her mouth caused by her medications prevented her from eating. Her entire digestive tract was inflamed; she showed me she felt like a fire breathing dragon. The ailing dog was very close to dying.
At this point, her comfort level was low, and she was not experiencing any relief from the combination of medicines the vet had given her The owner knew this. I advised her to listen to her dog, who will tell her when the time was right. I did not impose my inclinations. It is the tricky part of animal communication: passing along the information and staying out of the way unless asked for an opinion.
In a case such as this, when the human caretaker does not specifically ask “should I put her down?” I can’t impose my feelings and remain careful to convey the information exactly as I receive it from the animal. I simply became the conduit between the dog and the owner and trusted the owner to make the right decision for the animal – and herself.
She drove the dog up north, reporting “she seemed a little better.” I was surprised.
A month later, I checked in with her, only to hear that the dog passed on March 9.
This reading was reinforcement for me not to conflate interpretation with imposition. My job is to provide information, not advice unless it’s specifically requested (which it wasn’t). Always, the human and animal wrestle with decisions during the final days of their earthly relationship, but that struggle is the lesson itself — for them.
Click HERE to Connect with your Daily Horoscope!
You will also enjoy Do Animals Have Souls?
About the Author
Lisa Shaw is an animal communicator, Reiki Master, professor, and grief counselor specializing in end of life and afterlife issues with our pets. She has been an English professor for over 30 years, and an intuitive counselor for 30 years, holds an M.A. pastoral ministry with a concentration on loss and healing and has trained as a hospice chaplain. She lives in Ft. Lauderdale with her furry and feathered family. www.reikidogs.com
