Language Beyond Words
Dr. Anna Ruelle’s patients cannot tell her how they feel. That is part of the joy of being a veterinarian. “Not only do we love animals,” she says, “but we also have a love for solving puzzles and getting to the heart of a mystery.”
Recently, for example, a five-year-old beagle, Maggie, was seen because of a troublesome skin condition. It took intuition and lab tests to determine the answer. “Thankfully, Maggie is now on the right medicine. Her skin, her breathing, her energy, and her body condition are all improving.”
Ruelle says her work is gratifying because animals often bring out the best in people. She likens it to pediatrics. “Patients cannot tell us what is wrong, but loving caregivers let us know what they are noticing and how things have changed.”
Physical diagnostics use several senses: palpating with hands, listening, and looking under the microscope. The more extensive testing involves blood analyzer machines to check for infections, whether a patient is dehydrated or anemic, and what organs or electrolytes are impacting the health of an animal.
She points out that many species of animals — such as rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and birds — often hide symptoms of illness. “This was an evolutionary advantage. Showing signs of illness made them susceptible to be targeted as prey.”
Ruelle believes that we all have the capacity for some form of animal communication. “There is the hard science that we veterinarians become masters of,” she says. “And there is the soft science that most pet owners and veterinarians become practiced at. I trust pet owners, especially when they are clearly very in tune with their animal. They know when something is not right.”
Intuitive Communication
Lisa Lawrow says she was communicating with animals as a child, not knowing that most people do not have the ability. After leaving a corporate job that was the wrong fit for her, she was introduced to someone who trained her on energy and intuitive healing. Now she runs her own business as an intuitive animal communicator.
Her intuitive path with animals started with her dog Austin, when he was in a lot of pain. “I have sensations — a knowing in my body — about what [the animal] is feeling,” Lawrow says. She was able to share information with a vet from an intuitive session with her dog, who is now 17 and healthy.
Intuitive communication, Lawrow indicates, is about listening with care and compassion. She believes communication “is the art of giving and receiving, energetically touching and being touched, and a continual flow of sharing thoughts and experiences.”
When we listen to each other without words, Lawrow says, we are able to communicate honestly about who we are, which can open up parts of the self that are ready to heal.
