"Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a good teacher."

I met Riley when he was coming off of antibiotics for Lyme's disease and I was doing my hands on hours for my Equine Massage certification. His guardian volunteered him for bodywork after being introduced to me by a mutual friend. Riley was a stoic boy but was holding a lot of emotion within his body as he continued to heal from Lyme.

When I did Riley's first MBA, he showed "off" on both sides (indicating structural weakness) in both the Heart and Lung meridians. Both of these meridians point to parts of the shoulder - the subscapularus and the deltoid. He also turned up immune deficient which was likely residual from his bought of Lyme disease. 

Riley chose Peppermint, Angelica Root, and Ginger. All of these oils relate to muscle tightness, arthritis, and opening up to healing. 

During Riley's bodywork session, we did find that he was "tight" in both shoulders along the subscapularus and deltoid muscles. When offered the oils, Riley was impatient and ready to start. You could tell that he was in tune and ready. He was particularly keen to the peppermint.

When Riley went off all of his oils, I did a reassessment. His only remaining imbalance was in the Spleen meridian. It was likely that he had some muscle tension or stress points along the longissimus dorsi muscle. 

Considering how balanced out he was, I was surprised by how many oils he chose! He went for Jasmin, a "chill out" oil and male hormone balancer. Next on his list was Fennel which is good for animals who are feeling over concerned about others. Yarrow acts as a trauma release, especially around any wounds. Vetiver is grounding and helps "bring us back to Earth." 

Also a surprise was Riley's request for a topical. Topicals are typically picked when they have skin issues, lumps, etc. that they would like addressed. His guardian didn't mention anything like this, so I asked him for further information. He wanted it applied to the left side lattissimus dorsi.

Upon investigation in our next bodywork session and introduction to the oils, I did find a palpable hard nodule on the lattismus dorsi that Riley indicated with body language that he wanted his topical applied to. 

Prior to telling his guardian about the Fennel, she reported that Riley was adamant of staring off into the other fields than pay attention to what she wanted him to be doing. She said he could hear the other horses back behind the barn, I asked her if she let him go investigate. This was not something she thought ot, so the next time they were in the field, she let Riley take her for a walk rather than the other way around. This adventure he had, along with the use of the Fennel, helped Riley move past his temporary fixation on the horses he could not see from his own pasture. 

In Riley's final assessment, he had balanced his meridians and his guardian reported a lot of excitement in his progress and how my system helped her reconnect with Riley and allowed him more freedom. She had to let go of some of her own control to see him thrive and be his best self.

Seppi's guardian was already a client of mine for animal bodywork when she came to me asking to help her with Seppi on more of an emotional level. I thought this was a good route to head with him as he has a sensitive personality and wasn't making as much leeway with bodywork. I felt he was holding a lot of emotion in places throughout his body that perhaps an MBA could help uncover.

When I did Seppi's MBA, he had some notable imbalances. He was off at the Governing Vessel which is a main energy reservoir that runs along the back. It often relates to pain along the back and hind end weakness. Considering that his Bladder meridian was also showing imbalance, this was a sure indication of pain. He also had imbalances in the Small Intestines and Kidney meridians. These all relate to varying degrees of stiffness, pain and weakness - more than likely originating in the stifle. 

All of his meridians were "off" on the right hand side, which can often point to ulcers. However, at the time I did not suspect ulcers as he had no other indications on the MBA to show that. Hindsight, I did note sensitivity at the girth and withers during bodywork. At that time, I did not realize these were important points when diagnosing ulcers.

Seppi chose Angelica, Clary Sage, Hyssop, Spearmint, and Ylang. All of these oils relate all or in part to opening up to healing, tenseness, hyper-worry, pain, nervousness, and insecurity. He also requested more minerals being added to his diet and Apple Cider Vinegar. 

Coincidentally, but also a really cool validation, was that Seppi had his hoof trim and the farrier noted that he had a little bit of white line defect and needed more minerals!

Seppi was keen to all of his oils, especially the Angelica. He was also most adamant about the Spearmint. 

In his follow up assessment, Seppi was only showing an imbalance in the Triple Warmer Thyroid meridian. This meridian is often associated with unbalanced emotions.  He picked Carrot seed, Flouve, and Violet Leaf. These oils address poor hooves and coat, chronic pain, and those who are feeling space protective. 

Seppi really enjoyed the Flouve oil and he was able to relax into a very productive bodywork session for the first time with me. 

In Seppi's final follow up, he had balanced all of his meridians, but he was still not acting himself, per his owner. While he had requested less minerals after having them increased, he was now asking for them to be increased once again. He had a very good massage session with me but was still reactive in key ulcer points (which is hindsight 20/20). 

Seppi's guardian is incredibly dedicated to his care and she did decide to have him scoped for ulcers. He did come back positive for them in both the upper and hind gut. Looking back on all of my notes, it's much easier to see/say "Yes, Seppi most definitely has ulcers." But, this is how we learn. 

Seppi was put on ulcer meds by recommendation of the vet his guardian works for. I didn't see Seppi for quite some time but his guardian did keep me in the loop with him throughout treatment. I did do a check in with him per his guardian's request over a month later. He was off at the Liver meridian, which wasn't surprising considering that the ulcer medication he was on is hard on the Liver. 

His guardian was provided with a natural ulcer treatment protocol. Seepi was in a pause in treatment from me but he was being weaned off the ulcer medications the last I was informed.

Seppi was an amazing teacher when it comes to ulcers and ulcer protocols. I now understand the meridian points I was feeling that would indicate ulcers in a horse in varying degrees. I also will listen to the intuitive reason on multiple meridians being off on the right hand side possible indicating ulcers. Had I recognized that sooner, he may have been able to get treatment sooner. 

That being said, we can't know what we don't know, and Seppi was an incredible teacher along with his guardian and I am thankful to be apart of his ongoing journey.

Cruzanna's guardian came to me with concerns of emotional trauma from a previous forceful and restrictive trainer. She suffered from emotional insecurity, flighty and over-reactive instability, and a bold personality that often appeared in insecurity.

When I did Cruzanna's MBA, she had an imbalance in the Spleen and Triple Warmer Thyroid meridians. They were "off" on both sides which generally means that I am looking at a structural weakness. The Spleen meridian governs the lattissimus dorsi muscles. The Triple Warmer Thyroid governs the satorius muscle which runs along the inside of the rear leg and flexes the hip and adducts the rear limbs. 

Palpating Cruzanna during our bodywork session did produce painful responses in these two areas. She has "hump" at the sacroiliac junction which I suggested a chiropractor take a look at, and she also had some stress points along the longissimus dorsi - which could be compensation from her hind end. 

Cruzanna chose Rose and Ylang for her oils. Rose helps mares who are "mare-ish" and it helps promote self-love for those who had abuse in their past and are feeling resentful. Ylang is often for young animals who have hierarchy issues and insecurities. 

While talking to Cruzanna's guardian, it became apparent that there may have been some animal mirroring occurring. Animal mirroring is when an animal "manifests" some or all of his guardian's aliments. In this case, Cruzanna was showing a lot of structural weakness in the neck and upper back, while her guardian suffers the same way. By the guardian addressing her own issues, Cruzanna's will likely also improve.

She did have a chiropractic adjustment and she needed a lot of work! That was one of the most single thing s that likely helped her progress forward. It's very hard to relax and bring the anxious behavior down when you're constantly in pain and compensating your skeletal structure and muscle integrity. 

Cruzanna stayed on her oils for a long time, never losing interest. Generally, most animals will process oils with in 2 weeks time - some more, some less. However, I suspected that Cruzanna was a bit "stuck." An animal can become stuck for a couple of reasons. One: because they need ongoing support, 2. they are enjoying the time spent with their guardian and they don't want it to end. 

When I feel an animal is stuck, I automatically do a re-check. Cruzanna's re-check showed balance and no additional supports needed. For this reason, I concluded that she was enjoying this time with her guardian and didn't want that time to end. It is sometimes a good "remembrance" moment for us as guardians to remember that they need us and perhaps we need to pay a little more attention. This is an intimate type system and it can reconnect those in a bond they may have moved away from.

Obi was originally a barn cat turned into a house cat by his new guardian. He's a loving and cuddly cat. He came to his guardian with poor coat health and rather thin. She did a lot to help him out, including changing his diet, cleaning out his long coat, and getting him neutered. She was very firm that he would now be and indoor cat.

There was some tension between Obi and the current cat resident (a female). He mostly ignored her, but on occasion would chase her, especially before meal time. This was more prominent when a meal wasn't fed "on time." Obi’s guardian did her best to manage the behavior, but felt bad for the cat who had been there first. She didn’t think that the two cats would have an issue getting along – and mostly they didn’t. 

About a year after getting Obi, he went through an episode of inappropriate peeing, which also lead to crystal blockage of his urethra. Obi had emergency surgery to clear the blockage and his guardian was told he needed to be on a special food. After spending several days in the clinic because it was a Holiday, Obi came home but the issue wasn’t better. He was still urinating inappropriately, so she took him to a different vet clinic for another opinion.

This vet, who was passionate about cats, talked to Obi’s guardian about how fall and spring are common times for cats to have a build up of stress. The weather patterns change, and (in the wild) access to food and water changes as well. All of these things can cause urinary issues with cats. It was not her opinion that Obi needed special food, so his guardian kept him on the food he was on. She was also given an anti-inflammatory for him to help with swelling. The vet also suggested Obi be given access to outside again.

Obi did make a recovery, and his guardian took these lessons with her. She did have a hard time with the thought of letting Obi be a partially outdoor cat, though. After a lot of convincing, Obi’s guardian started letting him out of the house for parts of the day. This did seem to decrease his stress; however, he started foraging the counters very badly to the point that he was taking food off his guardian and her spouse’s plates. 

There was a lot of frustration involved, especially from her spouse. It was causing tension in the relationship. Something needed to be done as the stress was building up for both animals and humans. 

Through Obi’s MBA, he had several imbalances and worked with the oils quite well. The most work he needed was with his nutrition. Obi went through several diet changes over his course of finding balance. This was also stressful for his guardian who wasn’t sure when the changes were going to end, especially because some of his requests were on the higher price list. But, Obi’s guardian was dedicated, and a noticeable improvement in his foraging and negatively perceived behaviors were occurring. 

Obi’s owner learned to look at his behavior differently and from a perspective of animal self-selection than from a “bad cat” perspective. When she started paying attention more to the things he was taking, she was able to give him the things he needed so he no longer felt the need to steal them from their plate. 

Obi has since balanced all of his meridians, has stopped chasing the other cats, and has been doing well staying off of the cupboards and out of the “people food.” 

Sir Smudge's guardian came to me with concerns of him eating things that he shouldn't. He also displayed obsessive scratching behaviors at both the door to go outside and at the curtains of the window next to his cat tree. 

In his MBA, Sir Smudge showed imbalances in the Stomach and Small Intestines Meridians. He chose 3 oils - German Chamomile, Carrotseed, and Jasmine. Based on his oil selection and carrier oils chosen, it was recommended to Sir Smudge's owner that he have a dose of dewormer. 

Upon analysis of his diet, there were a few things that weren't working for Sir Smudge. His guardian was currently free feeding him, but he indicated he would do better with 3 meals a day. There were also a few proteins he was eating that weren't working with him synergetically. Sir Smudge's guardian was very open to feeding him what he wanted and needed and added cooked Salmon to his diet. He also requested barley grass for self-selection grown in a pot for him to nibble at as he needed. 

Sir Smudge was keen to his oils and was receptive to his new diet changes. He had also taken a strong liking to the barley grass being offered in the pot. His guardian reported that the scratching at the door lessened, but scratching at the curtains continued. 

Upon my suggestion, Sir Smudge's guardian moved the cat tree that was next to the curtains away from the window. I thought it was possible that Sir Smudge was associating items close to his cat tree as "scratching posts." He already was using sisal posts that were appropriate size for him. 

His guardian reported that moving the cat tree away from the curtains stopped the behaviors of scratching the curtain. 

In Sir Smudge's follow up assessment, all of his meridians had balanced. His only request was for a Juniper Hydrosol. Juniper is very cleansing. After going through a potential worm issue, eating grass to help with parasite clean-out, and also the oils he chose in his original assessment, the Juniper was a good choice by him. 

Sir Smudge interacted well with the hydrosol and scratching at the door did lessen more, but wasn't entirely eliminated. However, the behavior involving the curtains, and eating undesirables on walks outside had resolved.

Sir Smudge's case taught me that sometimes it can be the little things we seldom think could be an issue, such as the placement of a cat tree, that can affect behavior. Sir Smudge's guardian was on a few trips during his time with his oils, but was still able to make progress and balance his meridians even with breaks along the way.

Flo's guardian came to me with concerns of her sudden withdrawal from people. She was also displaying the behavior of over grooming her tail, which had to be amputated close to the base as a kitten due to an accident prior to her current guarding having her. Flo's guardian was at the point of not knowing what to do next as medications seemed to have little effect or change noted.

I wondered if the licking could actually be phantom pains or a nerve tingle from amputation. Though, the amputation at this point had been performed almost 6 years ago. I had worked on Flo previously when she presented with a limping gait in the hind right leg. 

When I performed Flo's MBA, she had several imbalances. One was in the Governing Vessel, and two others in the Triple Warmer Adrenal and Gall Bladder Meridian. The Gall Bladder meridian can often be associated with pain in the hind end - a stiff gait and tight muscles. This was the meridian Flo asked us to focus on. 

She chose three different oils, Manuka, Peppermint, and Violet Leaf. She was most keen to the Peppermint, often associated with tight muscles, tendons, and ligaments. In fact, all the cats in the house were drawn to the Peppermint! She also requested kelp meal to be added to her meals. Kelp is nature's multi-vitamin. An increase in trace minerals would be supportive to her nerves, muscle tissue, and tendons. She also asked to have one water source in the house to be purified water. Considering that Flo has had urinary tract issues in the past, it made sense that she would like a sterile water source. She also asked for barley grass to be available for self selection.

Over the course of several weeks, Flo continued to engage with the oils, but most notably the Peppermint. 

Her guardian reported that Flo was starting to come out more. She wasn't as hesitant or anxious, and had ceased licking her tail. The hair was starting to grow back finally! After two years of withdrawal, she was coming back out to be the social cat she'd always been. 

Flo shows how animals sometimes pick things for their people and other animals in the house. While she had requested the barley grass, she showed minimal interest in it, but her cat sister was very into it and enjoys chewing on the grass. 

Sammy's guardian came to me with concerns about aggression towards his other cat sisters and towards people. His guardian has recently moved to a new apartment. With the increase in Sammy's aggressive tendencies, his guardian was considering euthanasia. 

When I did Sammy's MBA, he had a few imbalances. The Spleen, Triple Warmer Thyroid, Heart Protector, and Large Intestines meridians were all out of balance. All of these meridians relate in part or wholly to anxiety, emotional stress and imbalance, and feelings of over protectiveness and holding onto the past.

He chose two oils and a hydrosol. Benzoin is a strengthening oil for fear and worry. Flouve helps animals who are feeling irritable and space protective. He chose Roman Chamomile hydrosol which is good for calming the inner temper tantrums and childlike behavior. He had some minor diet requests to change to cooler protein sources such as turkey, beef, and salmon. 

Sammy had notable behavior improvements with the other cats while working with the oils. He started to ignore and not engage in undesirable behavior as often and his biting of his guardian also greatly improved. However, he was still very food oriented and stealing food from the table, counters, and wherever he could get it from.

When I performed Sammy's second MBA, he had cleared up many of his emotional imbalances and now wanted to work on some of the physical. His Triple Warmer Thyroid remained imbalanced and he was now also imbalanced in the Liver meridian which pertains to nutrition and malnutrition. 

In this round, Sammy chose carrot seed, juniperberry, and thyme. Based on these oils, his meridian assessment, and the carrier oil of Neem that he chose, I did recommend to his guardian that he be dewormed. Sammy was now also asking for 1 tablespoon of quinoa per week. 

In Sammy's final assessment, he had finally balanced all of his meridians but was still asking for some support with his diet. Being Earth Element, being a "foody" is quite possibly part of his personality, which was explained to his guardian. Suggestions of removing him from the room while eating were made. Sammy also requested 3 meals per day instead of one, which would likely help him spread out his stomach emptying and likely improve some of his food temptations. It was also recommended to feed Sammy a larger quantity of food per day to meet his caloric needs being a larger cat compared to his sisters. 

While Sammy made large improvements, he is likely a kitty that would need ongoing support to keep him balanced through self-selection. His guardian made the decision not to have Sammy put down, but she also chose to start him on prescription medications to help control his mood swings.