One day while visiting my sister, she told me that her dog, Muttly, a terrier/beagle mix, was suffering terribly with hip pain in his right hind quarter. Muttly was walking with great difficulty and often had to stand with his hind-right leg up for a moment before being able to gingerly put it down and continue.

 

My sister asked me if I thought reflexology would help him and I confessed I wasn’t sure. It was the Fourth of July and Muttly was trembling with fear from the exploding fireworks. My sister also said that when he was in pain he would not let anyone touch him.

 

I tried approaching Muttly but he cowered away. I asked my sister for a few pieces of cheese and called Muttly to me. He came sniffing and I lured him onto my lap. He was a relatively small dog. He was trembling even as he took the treat from my hand. I managed to get my finger on the pad of his left front paw and squeeze the center of it gently.

 

It was instinctual on my part. It just felt right. In humans, the solar plexus controls stress levels and breathing patterns and is located in the center of each hand and foot. I assumed maybe it would be the same for Muttly’s paw. I think he knew that I wanted to help him. We worked out a little deal. He got the cheese as long and I got the paw.

 

In about a minute or so, Muttly stopped shaking and his panting stopped. His eyes closed and he seemed to sleep despite the noise of the fireworks. I could tell by his deep breathing and his relaxed body that he was calm and oblivious to his surroundings. Because of the speed of his relaxation, I was certain that I had located his solar plexus reflex point. With people, pressing the solar plexus point almost always brings about quick, deep relaxation.

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Muttly’s recovery raised the possibility that if reflexology helps animals as well as it does humans, it would be a wonderful tool for pet lovers to add to their options when tending to a sick pet or one that is in pain.

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And that is why I wrote my book "Healing Paws Method." You can buy it now by simply clicking below.