"Reiki & Vet's"
Reiki and Veterinary Practice
Working Together for the Well-Being of Animals
My experiences with veterinary practices have been both good and difficult. I’ve met compassionate vets who truly care and others who seem more focused on procedure than presence. What I’ve come to believe is that Reiki has its place alongside conventional veterinary medicine. It’s not an alternative to medical treatment, but a complement — something that can soothe, settle and support animals as they heal.
At St George’s Hospital in London, there is an inspiring initiative called Connecting Reiki with Medicine . It’s a registered charity, supported by the late Grandmaster of Reiki - Phyllis Lei Furumoto, and it brings Reiki practitioners into a major teaching hospital to work alongside doctors and nurses. They’re trialling how Reiki can aid recovery, calm anxiety, and support patients through pain and treatment.
Connecting Reiki with medicine | Full Circle Fund Therapies Charity | St George’s Hospital
If this can happen in human healthcare, why not in veterinary care too?
The recent clinical trials published by the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA) Impact of Distant Reiki on Owner Assessment of Health and Wellbeing of Adult Dogs: A Blinded, Placebo-controlled, Randomized Trial – AHVMA have already shown that Reiki can relieve pain in dogs. This could be the start of something important — a way for Reiki to become recognised as a supportive partner within animal medicine.
I hope that in the future, more veterinary practices will open their doors to Reiki practitioners, creating a bridge between science and energy, body and spirit.
The Pomeranian Who Knew
I also want to share a story that shows how instinctively animals understand Reiki.
Through the rescue charity ( K9 Rescue Remedy ) of which we foster our dog with , I one day met up with the founder at her home, who has saved many dogs, including a tiny Pomeranian — affectionately (and a little fearfully!) nicknamed the Pommigator because of his habit of biting anyone who came near.
When I visited, this little whirlwind of fur and fury ran straight up to me happy to welcome me . To everyone’s amazement, he wanted to climb onto my lap. The founder was speechless — she said he usually attacked everyone. I gently lifted him, settled him on my lap, and gave him Reiki for about an hour.
He didn’t move. He just melted into the energy.
When the session finished, I set him back down and he calmly walked away. The founder even filmed it because she couldn’t believe what she’d seen. That moment reminded me once again that animals know. They feel the peace, the safety, and the unconditional love that Reiki carries. They come forward for it when they’re ready.
Looking Ahead
As more studies like the AHVMA’s emerge, and as hospitals such as St George’s continue to integrate Reiki with clinical practice, there is real hope that this gentle healing art will find its rightful place within veterinary medicine .
Reiki isn’t just for the human world. It’s a bridge — one that connects us through compassion, calm, and shared understanding with every living being.