Gail Okray & Carol Welhouse submit an article: Lessons Come In All Sizes in The Main Central Jin Shin Jyutsu Newsletter, issue Number 56, Spring 2007:

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Nine weeks of anticipation were over, and we had two healthy Boston Terrier pups, one boy, Momo (…a true Jin Shin Jyutsu puppy; located on his back is a white arrow showing the direction of the energy going up the back…) and one girl, Katara. As the veterinarian looked at the two products of this recent cesarean section, he raised a simple question. “What did you do differently with this litter than the last one?” Gail’s answer: “A year and a half of Jin Shin Jyutsu.” An open-minded guy, his response was a smile, “Well, Gail, it seemed to work.”

Mom Frieda has been Gail’s teacher from the moment of birth and reminds her often not to be too serious (an insight about her 15s). As a young pup practicing for the show ring, she would often get into a bit of mischief. One day when Frieda was about 9 months old, Gail saw Frieda running toward her from down the hallway, her head twisted to one side. At that age, Frieda’s favorite pastime was to take the bath sponge from the bathtub and hide it, just so you knew she had been in there. Well, this time Frieda must have hit her head on the tub, injuring the side of her head and ear. With an hour before the veterinarian’s office closed, there were no appointments available that afternoon to examine her. A veterinarian from the office would see Frieda in the morning before regular client hours.

With an upcoming dog show just days away, it was Jin Shin Jyutsu to the rescue. Frieda lay on the table as Gail started an opposite Kidney Flow to the ear in distress. Frieda was quiet as a mouse. The areas pounded for a long time before harmony began to take place. One half hour later as she followed me from my treatment room, she walked with an ever-so-slight tilt of her head but had no appetite to eat her evening meal. I applied my jumper cable for a few minutes several times that evening as she lay on the couch next to me. By 10 p.m. she was ready for something to eat. What a pleasant surprise the next morning when she bounded out of bed like nothing ever happened! A quick check at the veterinarian’s office showed a slight inflammation of the inner ear. I continued the Kidney Flow for the next few days, and she went on to win points toward her championship the day of the show.

When Frieda was two years old, after searching for 6 months for a stud dog, I found a match for her. Usually 21 to 28 days after breeding, a pregnancy check is performed at the veterinarian’s office. There were two pups on ultrasound and all seemed well. A dog’s gestation period is 58 to 65 days, but my breed generally has a 60 to 61 gestation. On Day 43 Frieda didn’t look well and her sides were sunken in. A trip to the vet included ultrasound and a progesterone test drawn. The result of the progesterone test was 12.5 nanograms per milliliter. (A dog cannot sustain a pregnancy when the levels drop below 5 nanograms per milliliter, with a normal level being over 20 nanograms per milliliter.) The ultrasound indicated one of the pups was not doing well. Progesterone was then supplemented for the rest of the pregnancy. Day 53 brought along another occurrence with the ultrasound revealing the loss of a pup. A c-section was done on day 61, delivering a big girl pup.

To be continued…