Tom and Jerry visit Ancient Arts Holistic Vet Today

Meet Tom and Jerry - my two best friends.

These mice were rescued from a hungry snake last spring and have reached early retirement age. Tom, the handsome fellow on the left, began exhibiting odd changes in his behavior and started making a heart-wrenching whimpering/crying/repeated squeaking noise about a week ago. The weather here in Seattle was abnormally hot last week (in the 90's), and I had great difficulty keeping my apartment and their habitat cool. I'm not sure if the heat was what triggered the problem or if it was just a coincidence.

I've had many, many rodents in the past and have always relied on "traditional Western veterinary medicine", with mixed results. My good friend, and animal activist/rescuer "Z", upon hearing about Tom's sudden changes recommended a local "Holistic" veterinary medicine practitioner, and we are scheduled to visit them in a couple of hours. Last night, Tom received "Long-Distance Reiki", and despite my skepticism he had a peaceful night of sleep without the troubling whimpers that have plagued us this past week. I was also able to sleep without nightmares or waking up several times to check on him. I'm not sure if this is coincidence or an actual effect of the treatment he "allegedly" received. I have no way of knowing if the practitioner actually did anything, but based on "Z's" past experiences with their services I am beginning to believe that there is SOMETHING to this.

I do know that our intentions/thoughts carry great power and I am willing to give an alternative type of treatment a chance.
Wish us luck and I will update this thread after our visit and describe the experience for those who might be interested.

Thanks for any questions/comments.

Here is a link to the place we are receiving treatment- take a look if you are curious, they seem to be very experienced and have great reviews.
Ancient Arts Holistic Vet

a reply to: seattlerat

So you werent told or saw what this person did? Well In either case I hope it continues and thanks for rescuing the both of them, from such a fate.

originally posted by: BigBrotherDarkness
...and thanks for rescuing the both of them, from such a fate.

#snakelivesmatter

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Hey... never once did I say I had anything against Masonry

I wish Tom well and hope he will continue to feel better.

Dealing with little ones is very worrying when they're ill. The vets I've encountered have all been pretty useless where rodents are concerned, I'm glad you seem to have found one who might make a positive difference.

In case it helps, I'll send him some good thoughts

originally posted by: BigBrotherDarkness
a reply to: seattlerat

So you werent told or saw what this person did? Well In either case I hope it continues and thanks for rescuing the both of them, from such a fate.

I sent the same picture I posted here to the Reiki practitioner (also a licensed Vet in WA State) and described the issue. Apparently, long-distance Reiki uses prayer, meditation, and directed intention to heal. The practitioner told me that she would perform the "service" last night between 8-10pm and to pay attention to the "patient" during this time.

So, yes, I was told what would happen, but no, I was not present. However, at around 8:20pm, Tom began gnawing on something very loudly, then at 8:30 he went upstairs (he has a 2-story habitat) and began eating salad with great enthusiasm, drank from the water-dish (I offer water from both typical feeder bottle and a dish), and proceeded to run in his exercise wheel for about 30 minutes. He then went back downstairs and ran in another (smaller) exercise wheel for about 30 minutes, then sat quietly for about 20 minutes. At 9:50pm he whimpered for just a few moments, and went to bed. That was the last I saw/heard from him until this morning when he came out for his breakfast and another run in his wheel.

What was kind of odd about last night was that Tom and Jerry basically switched roles during the 2 hours when the Reiki was supposedly taking place. Recently, Jerry has been very active in the evening- but last night he maintained a very low-profile and Tom acted in a more "normal" fashion than his brother. This could all be coincidence, but I feel that something is going on...

I was relieved that we both (apparently) had a much more restful night than the previous couple of rest-periods.

Thanks for posting!

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: BigBrotherDarkness
...and thanks for rescuing the both of them, from such a fate.

#snakelivesmatter

I have nothing against snakes, in fact I like them a lot and have had one until my significant other at the time demanded I get rid of it.

However, I cringe at the thought of feeding live rodents to pet snakes and have taken care of a number of "rejected" dinners that were "rescued". Snake owners can make their own choices and decide whether or not this is something they can live with, but I love rodents far too much to ever consider owning a snake that required this type of care.

Thanks for posting.

a reply to: seattlerat

I was just being a jackass.

I am personally not a fan of reptiles as pets, they aren't very pet-like and kind of boring but I do like rats. My sister in law is a vet (not the Vietnam kind) and she has a couple of rats. They are pretty entertaining when I go over so if I had a choice I would opt for them over a snake.

originally posted by: berenike
I wish Tom well and hope he will continue to feel better.

Dealing with little ones is very worrying when they're ill. The vets I've encountered have all been pretty useless where rodents are concerned, I'm glad you seem to have found one who might make a positive difference.

In case it helps, I'll send him some good thoughts

Thanks for your kind words and positive thoughts - they do in fact help! It is difficult to find a good Vet with the willingness and experience to provide USEFUL treatment for rodents. It doesn't help that prey-animals tend to hide their illnesses to help prevent being targeted as an easy (weak) target. Unfortunately, by the time you notice that a rodent is ill, it may be too late. It is a shame that their lives are so brief- they have brought a lot of happiness to my life. I wish more people would give them a chance, but irrational fears based on nonsense seem to prevail.

Thanks for the post.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Rats are some of the smartest, most affectionate and funny animals that exist. I'm glad you get a chance to interact with them sometimes. I had to take a break from having them as companions because of medical problems of my own. Fortunately I am doing a lot better and may adopt another (rescued) pair after Tom and Jerry are gone.

Thanks for admitting to being a jacka##.

Have a great weekend and bring those rats some organic blueberries for a special treat the next time you pay them a visit.

a reply to: seattlerat

Interesting... perhaps it was making him feel a little more special than usual and that empathy was seen as love... theres a song about the power of love. I wouldnt suggest any Marvin Gay type of healing love but it does work sympathetic nervous system and all.

I had a female rat that made a sweet pet.
Can't do the males.
I find the huge testicles not to my liking.

a reply to: seattlerat

You're very welcome.

They certainly do bring happiness, I've so enjoyed living with mine. Although it was a while ago, I remember so much.

Those eager little searches through my fingers looking for a treat, a little whiskery kiss, watching them as babies as they calculated a jump, having one leap onto my bare leg only to find no hand or foot-hold. How excruciating it was as he slid to the floor trying to dig in and halt his progress.

Happy days, indeed

UPDATE:

Firstly, Tom has been doing better and although I have heard him whimper briefly, it has not been the constant/frequent type that I was hearing before the treatment. His appetite and energy levels have increased, and his behavior seems to be normal. He actually has amazed me by performing some acrobatics that I had not seen before, and has been acting like a much younger mouse (too bad they only are with us for such a brief amount of time).

The Ancient Arts Holistic Vet is located in the Fremont neighborhood just north of Seattle near the University of Washington. It is across the street from one of my favorite places in the area: The Indoor Sun Shoppe The office is located in a building with high ceilings with bare wood beams/walls. Dr. Rewers' fantastic and eclectic art is everywhere and her love of animals/nature is apparent in every piece.

I was greeted by a assistant, who took an immediate shine to Tom and Jerry (I brought Jerry to give support and comfort to his ailing brother). I was immediately taken to a private examination/treatment room that was similar to a regular doctor/vet office except for the comfy chairs and abundance of art. There was a sign on the wall asking that voices be kept down to help preserve the calm/relaxing environment.

It was long before Dr. Rewers came in and I liked her immediately. We spoke briefly while Tom and Jerry came out of hiding to find out what was going on. The Reiki session took about 25 minutes, during which Dr. Rewers made some interesting motions with her hands and seemed to focus most of her attention on Tom (who came out of hiding during most of the treatment). We spoke softly about a number of things, including the intoxication that I began to feel about half-way through the session. She seemed to know things about both the mice and myself that had not been explained to her previously.

After the treatment, we received a vial of medicinal herbs to be sprinkled on Tom's food. We drove home and spent the rest of the day resting until dinner time when we all ate like pigs. From what I can determine from the experience, Reiki is REAL and the treatment is beneficial. I did not realize that Reiki that is directed towards an animal can affect the caregiver... The drunken euphoria and hot skin I experienced during both the long-distance Reiki and whilst in the clinic for the personal treatment left me feeling hung-over (but without headache or dehydration) for the past couple of days.

I was very skeptical about this type of treatment, but would not hesitate to recommend trying it out before going to a "Western medicine" vet/doctor. Reiki is just one of a number of different options available at the Ancient Arts Vet, but since I have no experience with the other treatments I can't really speak to their efficacy.

I realize that many so-called scientists/doctors/debunkers will firmly claim that Reiki has no beneficial effects and is nonsense, however, I have a different opinion after having experienced it for myself. I am not here to convince anyone of anything, just to describe my own experience.

Thanks for taking the time to read this- let me know if you have any questions!

What is Reiki?

Just to be fair:

Reiki is Nonsense

a reply to: seattlerat

I'm glad the treatment went so well.
I am a firm believer in alternative medicine/treatments....and although I have heard of Reiki, this is the first report I've read.
I hope Tom continues to heal.