Ember's Upset Belly - Good Enough Mom

Ember and I at Lincoln Center (2019)

This morning I heard Ember coming towards me before throwing up in front of my bed. I remembered she ate something off the street last night and I was glad she got it out of her system. I comforted her and told her I was sorry she was not feeling well.

She received: 

A hug 

One Minute Reflexology for Animals 

Paw Reflexology on all 4 paws

Belly Rubs 

Chest Rubs 

During our walks, she was slower than usual and she was more insistent than usual on where she wanted to go, and I think she was definitely weakened, but we did play a little catch and fetch towards the end of the walk, and she chewed on a stick. 

Reflecting on this morning, I was very moved by the fact that she came to me to throw up (no, I don't want her to be in pain ever, that is a given) and I was wondering whether that means that she trusts me, that she knows I will comfort her. I believe she definitely knows by now how good Reflexology is for her. Yes, always wondering if I am good enough a dog mom, but our reflexology practice definitely supports her. Every once in a while I get flooded with a dose of endorphins caused by my gratitude about the existence of One Minute Reflexology for Animals. I really do, and I am glad I followed my heart. 

If you'd like to try it with your pets, here is a pdf of One Minute Reflexology for Animals found on the ICR website:

And here are videos of a few random morning sessions with Ember, please make sure to read the description https://youtu.be/j3HQ9O-EblU?si=KPEaXo_AX2PUzb7u

Thank you for reading,

Birgit and 🐾 Ember 

Birgit Nagele, ARCB, LVCY, TCTSY-F, she/her

Reflexology & Yoga (chair)

Trauma-Informed Care 

🐾 One Minute Reflexology for Animals/ICRPaws

https://icr-reflexology.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Paws.pdf

Asking for More Food in Three Ways?

 



Yesterday morning, Ember's breakfast portion was a bit smaller than usual. We had run out of raw food. The dry food was the usual amount. I figured it was perhaps ok because a pet parent friend of ours, suggested yesterday that Ember could lose a bit of weight. I pointed at my belly saying that it was in the family:-). 

As I started to get engaged with a work matter, after feeding her, she did something unusual:

1. She dropped one of our many "rescued balls"  (we find balls often in the park) next to me on the couch. Hm, does she want to play? Generally she immediately embarks on her nap after breakfast. I accepted her invitation to play a bit because it is always great fun. In the park when we engage in ball play she gets treats, for catching/fetching dropping. 

- Then it occurred to me that she might still be hungry. She had noticed that there was less raw food.  

2. She had also returned to her bowl but that does happen from time to time. 

3. And she also looked at the coatrack which was very odd since we had a long walk as most of the time and just gotten back. She tends to look at her leash and harness hung up around walk time but obviously my coats are hung up, too.

Was she telling me to get my coat and go buy raw food?  

Wow, just wow, Ember! 

- I conclude she said to go get dog food. 

- And perhaps she figured that if she engaged me in ball play, she would get treats which will make up for the smaller portion. 

What did I do? I listened. I gave her more treats, and I was reminded to make sure to buy her raw food. 

- I personally have made many observations since I embarked on my reflexology for animals path in 2010 surrounding Mowgli and Ember supporting the fact that animals are sentient beings, individuals, the ways they communicate, their intelligence, their spunk, etc. 

As for animal communication: I will never forget the black bear mom signaling with a growl and eye contact with me - my eyes glued at the bear family's every move for an hour or so - that she and her four (!!) adorable cubs were about to leave the pine tree (very close to the deck we were on) and that she needed space to do so, kkrrr, she was giving us a friendly warning, just in case.

I immediately understood and it took her quite a while to manage her four cubs because they were so playful and not in a hurry at all to leave the area. I have since several videos of mom bears dealing with their cubs. Absolutely precious.  

Because of our reflexology practice, my curiosity about Ember and animals in general increased. I find animals endlessly fascinating and they give me strength, hope, and so much joy. Who needs people? Just kidding. I am fascinated by people, too. 

The reflexology practice is trauma-informed*  (see link) and fosters Ember's connection to herself and  also our connection to each other. We have come a long way. She had deeply entrenched trauma caused by early life abandonment, she was taken in as a stray by the Bowling Green Humane Society and came to New York in a van full of dogs with Muddy Paws and before we adopted her on November 26, and she had at least two foster families in about two weeks. 

Thank you for reading, 

Birgit and 🐾 Ember

Birgit Nagele, ARCB, LVCY, TCTSY-F, she/her

Reflexology & Yoga (chair)

Trauma-Informed Care 

🐾 One Minute Reflexology for Animals/ICRPaws

https://icr-reflexology.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Paws.pdf

*One Minute Reflexology for Animals was part of my final paper  (2019) to become a TCTSY (Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Facilitator). The TCTSY methodology I have found can also be applied to reflexology, and has been applied to Weight Lifting (TIWL).  

Does Ember “Reflex?”

I noticed her using the leg of our table. Am I joking? Partially yes, because I do not know with certainty. 

However, she receives facial and also some foot reflexology regularly, and I also noticed Mowgli using objects to "reflex" areas I reflexed.

Some previous posts on observations surrounding our canine friends/wolves: 

- And here you can see a wolf sister “reflexing” her late brother? 

https://frogontheface.blogspot.com/2021/07/accidental-endorsement-of-5.html

- Here you can see a dog who had received reflexology talking his friend into reflexology. 

https://frogontheface.blogspot.com/2017/10/fafa-and-joker-papa-and-chocolate.html?m=1

- Here you can see Mowgli using my faux reflexology path. 

https://frogontheface.blogspot.com/2017/04/mowglis-surgery-more-reflexology-sound.html

- Here Mowgli was using a bone to reflex. 

https://frogontheface.blogspot.com/2017/02/mowgli-follows-in-my-footsteps.html

Thank you for your visit.

Best wishes,

Birgit (or Billie)

 

Birgit Nagele, ARCB, LVCY, TCTSY-F

She/Her 

Reflexology & Yoga (focus: chair) 

Trauma-Sensitive Care 

-  You are welcome to use and share our complimentary One Minute Reflexology for Animals.  Perhaps it is as helpful to you as it has been for us. 

https://icr-reflexology.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/PAWS.pdf 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/glimpses/?r=nametag

Ember: Reflexology, Belly Rubs for Newly Adopted Canine Family Member

Ember's favorite ear reflexes

Ember found a home; I am Ember's mom and her live in reflexologist if you will. Her exact age is unknown but she is young, and yet has a complex past.

Ember has been getting Reflexology ever since we adopted her one rainy November day and we have come a long way:  

- Dien Cham/Facial Reflexology 

- also some Ear Reflexology.  How can anyone resist these ears, they have a life of their own and are so inviting!  Bionic, a friend called them;- )

- She also gets a bit of Paw Reflexology on all four paws, (hands and feet if you will) (Central Nervous System, diaphragm, lung/heart reflexes).  She has webbed toes like her late brother Mowgli, she swims.  

 The daily practice has been rewarding in many ways and was quickly extended to the booty rub which she asks for already and it is great for red lights when I feel we (yes, we!)are not grounded enough and/or it's a bit too noisy (sirens, construction, etc.).  And I wish I always remembered. 

Her absolute favorite for now seems to be the belly rub.  She gets it clock and counter clockwise in multiples of nine.  Ember very clearly demonstrated one afternoon out on the street that she needed some of that, by throwing herself on her back and thus exposing her belly.  I at that moment remembered that we had rubbed her belly when we met her and how calm she was.  Ever since it has been part of the daily routine.  Luckily, she loves being touched in general, and I picked up on the significance of the belly rub.  (Mowgli as he got older was obsessed with the booty rub and found ways to even ask strangers for it, and loved the morning dien cham ritual).  How do I know that he did not just endure it?  Well, he might have yawned or stretched and did not pull or walk away.

Ember's morning sessions last probably between 3-10 minutes, often she also gets a little something at night, or possibly during the day, too, at least when I am with her, and she also gets kisses and hugs.    

Ember loves touch.

Acclimating/integrating the new family member requires creativity and tips from many of our friends/trainer Bruno with respect to Ember and has been a journey.    What has worked for brother Mowgli (not biological siblings of course) was a great start, but Ember needs much more, we are also 10 years older, and 2019 is more complex than 2009, that is the big picture. 

 Healing is an ongoing process and she is not an adult yet, so she is still developing.  She has made a lot of progress very quickly considering she now lives in a very busy New York City neighborhood, and is exposed to dogs of all ages, breeds, temperaments daily, people, people, people, sometimes coming from all directions at the same time cars, bicycles, strollers, walkers, and sirens, etc.., you get the idea daily life in NYC, or any other big inner city.   

Healing is never quick enough, is it?  We tend to want convenience at all times, including the perfect pet - we may want them low key when we are tired, engaging when we want to engage, etc.