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Andulka
This story has been written by my own life. I understood many things about my current life journey after Andulka, the mare I had had since she was two-year-old, passed away.
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Our shared life journey took more than 22 years, during which Andy patiently guided me through the horse world. Sometimes I was a cooperative student, other times I didn’t want to understand or tolerate what she was showing me. After she left, I gradually came to understand much of what she had taught me, and also that she was the one who led me on my authentic path, or rather showed me the way to myself.
This story won’t be about her life, twenty-two years won’t fit in a blog post, that would make a book. I want to write about her passing.
It may not be a popular topic, however, I know that everyone who has an animal deals with the situation of their passing sooner or later. It’s a difficult situation for most people, often a very close creature that has loved them unconditionally all their lives, is leaving.
Many of us doubt when is the right time to let the animal go, not to let it suffer. They are deciding if their friend would still like to be with them or if it is the time to let go. It’s not easy to know, and for some of my animal friends, I’ve also retrospectively questioned whether my decision to put them to sleep came at the right time. I had thought about it many times with Andulka, but on that last day I was sure.
Andy left at 24 and had diseased joints since she was about 15. The arthritis progressed slowly but inexorably, despite physiotherapy, supplements and special feeding. At the age of 22, Cushing’s Syndrome was diagnosed, so permanent medication was added. Yes, taking care of an old horse can be very time and money consuming. I was fortunate to find a wonderful and reliable helper who was able to relieve me in care several times a week. Andulka was in the paddock daily with other mare, enjoying nice walks with us, and we learned to relieve her with massages and gentle exercise motivating her by treats. She enjoyed our care and showed how happy she was with us, despite her aging and often sore body. After all, I made her a promise to take care of her until the end and did my best to keep her as well as possible.
The turning point came after the sudden death of her paddock friend. Andy gave up. We spent the next two months trying to get her back into the swing of things. I’ve wondered several times if there’s still a point. Her condition was like a seesaw, one day she was walking with gusto and barely limping, the next she refused to make a move and only broke up after some coaxing. There were repeated situations where she lay down, couldn’t get up and had to be helped. Also, hoof trimming, which horses need regularly, was very difficult due to poor joint mobility.
Then the day came when I really knew it was her time. She was in the paddock and when I tried to take her to the stable, she refused to make a move. She stood there stiff, sore and the walk back to the box took us almost an hour instead of the usual 5 minutes, with the help of treats. There were also my partner and daughter on that day and we agreed that this condition was an ordeal for her. Everyone said goodbye to her and I stayed with her waiting for the vet. In the meantime, my helper arrived and wanted to be with us until the end. By the time she arrived, I was alone with Andulka and I told her that I didn’t want her to suffer anymore and that I would let her go. You could see that she was very relieved after that announcement. We both just knew it was time.
The vet arrived, examined Andulka and confirmed that there was nothing to wait for. When I took Andulka out of the stable for the last time, the evening sun peeked out of the clouds as if to shine on her final journey. It was tender, dignified, peaceful and Andulka left with her head in my hands. I felt her last breath and despite the immense pain and tears, I was incredibly grateful that we were both allowed to experience her passing in this way.
I know that our intuition always leads us down the right path and we just have to allow ourselves to listen to it. When an animal passes away, it is possible to use healing, which can calm the animal before death. At the same time, our friend may want to tell us something before it ends. In this, with my current experience, I see great possibilities regarding communication with animals.
Andulka’s story still confirms to me that intuition and love can guide us through any situation in life.
Cat in the tree
I came to the story of the cat in the tree by “accident”. I got a call from a friend who was interested in energy harmonization for her horse. She was describing what she was having trouble with and was very nervous the whole time.
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During the phone call she mentioned that she hady got a problem with her cat. He had been in the crown of a tall tree for 3 days and could not get down. The firefighters were already on the scene, but they left with the cat unharmed because he was too high and they could not reach him from the ladder.
At the time of our call, a tree climber was due to arrive. I offered that I could try to connect remotely to the cat through the photo and explain to him that someone would come and finally help him down after these 3 days.
In the context of nonverbal communication, connecting to animals through photography is a common practice.
My friend sent a photo and I connected to the cat with an agreed message. I also got a message from him to his owner. He was upset that she didn’t like cats at all, she got him just to hunt mice on her farm. But she didn’t actually accept him into her big group of farm animals. He felt he didn’t belong there.
After I finished communicating with the cat, I called her again to find out what the situation was and relayed and explained his message. Suddenly she exclaimed, “He’s down!”
The tree climber threw a rope from the ground to a branch and the cat climbed few meters lower. He threw again and after 3 days in the tree, the cat jumped down to the ground on his own. He ran into the bushes and after a few minutes came to show his owner that he was okay.
Sometimes communication with an animal is very simple as in this case, while other times it can be very complex. However, complicated cases are practically without exception about people troubles:-)
Wolves
You can communicate with any animal, domestic or wild.
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I have attended several courses in which, under the guidance of an experienced animal communicator, we have been exploring and discovering in groups the ways, in which animals can transmit messages to us. Individual course participants gradually opened up their communication channels and it was amazing to observe the reactions and the group bonding together.
During one of the courses we visited 3 ha wolf enclosure in Šumava mountains. This enclosure has been occupied by permanent wolf pack. There has been built a footbridge for visitors to observe the wolves.
I have loved dogs since childhood for their characteristics that come from wolves – the ancestors of dogs, I was really looking forward this meeting. I strongly feel that every animal living on this planet can set an example for us, humans, with its characteristics. We just have to allow ourselves to perceive their characteristics purely, without our personal “filters”.
Before entering the footbridge above the enclosure, we talked in a group for a while about what we actually know about wolves. We came across many prejudices and fears that people have towards wolves, which in the past led to the extinction of populations in many areas of their natural range. At the same time, we collectively named many wolf traits that can be inspiring – the ability to lead a pack and its hierarchy, loyalty, cooperation, and individual roles for pack members that match their personality traits. Wolves have always contributed to the balance of animal species in the wild, as well as to the health of their populations. It is a not so well known fact that wolves mainly hunt weak and sick animals, which naturally leads to increasing the number of healthy individuals of the particular species.
The wolves from the Šumava enclosure pack that we interacted with, had many different personal messages for us. But one of them resonated with the entire group and was received by almost all of us. When asked why they chose to live in an enclosure instead of the wild, there was only one main answer – they want to show people the reality of who they are, help them overcome their prejudices and understand their characteristics and way of life.
I see nature as a great teacher that can always push us and show us different points of view and ways of dealing with ourselves. The characteristics of animals and the diversity of species can be a great inspiration.
Anyone can handle basic communication with an animal
I deal with various situations in the context of animal communication. Most of the time these are physical or psychological problems, but sometimes the animal shares another problem. I came to a horse called Milda because of his arthritis and sore legs.
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When I first saw him, I was impressed. A huge, majestic animal with wise eyes, an older bay who had seen a lot in his life. Calm, discreet, the leader of a small herd, who commanded respect with his 180 centimetres at the withers. At the same time, I could sense his kindness and patient efforts to help his human partners understand the interconnectedness of our world and the horse’s.
In fact, right after he was introduced to me, information came through from his caregivers that he was not happy with his name. They had even approached the animal communicator once, who had sensed from his photo that he didn’t like his name and wanted a different one. There was even a new name in the message from her, but it hasn’t “caught on” yet.
Milda asked for the energy of my palms, he needed to relax his stiff back and legs. He communicated while relaxing his body, sending many messages to his human friends. The subject of his name came up, he confirmed that he doesn’t like it and that it doesn’t fit him. There were even other variations of a new name, but it was obvious that it was still a in progress, and the right name had not come yet. So it was clear that he would choose a name later and very likely come up to one of his human partners. So they needed to figure out how to get his new name confirmed.
I offered the caregivers the easiest way to communicate with the animal that anyone can do. If they want to know the animal’s answer to a question, they need to ask it in a way that can be answered with a Yes.
Then add a way for the animal to show Yes answer. For example, to offer your hands the way that it can be reachable by animal´s head.
I will give an example for understanding, so in Milda’s case the question would be:
“Do you want to be called …. (give a new name)?
If so, touch my palms.”
Then you need to give the animal space to respond, not rush it. Animals perceive time very differently than we do. Sometimes the answer comes right away, sometimes it takes a few minutes. When the animal agrees, it touches your hands. Sometimes only lightly, sometimes it can put its head in your hands and enjoy the touch.
If you are sure you have the answer, you can continue with the next question.
At the same time, it is important to remember that if you enter into communication with an animal in this way, you automatically assume a higher responsibility for your future decisions. If you don’t respect the animal’s response, it can break the common field of trust.
So, from my experience, I recommend respecting the animal’s answer or explaining why you cannot respect it. And the reason for not respecting the answer should not come from ego.
In general, ask the question only when you are sure that you yourself are ready to accept both Yes and No answers. By doing so, you give freedom not only to the one you are asking, but also to yourself. And this is actually true in any communication, not just with animals:)
It has been my experience that the fact that you try to communicate with the animal and want to understand it and respect its answers greatly shifts your relationship with it. Quite often the animal shows great joy at the first attempts at mutual understanding.
A few weeks later I received a message from Milda’s partners:
“Milda has chosen a new name, which is Gentleman. He likes this name, when we forget and call him Milda, he pretends he doesn’t know anyone like that:)”
Internal parasites and deworming of animals
In 2024 I encountered a number of serious cases of internal parasitic infection, a few of which have even resulted in the animal’s death.
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The infections involved horses as well as dogs and cats.
The crucial information, however, is that most of the sick animals involved were regularly and periodicaly dewormed with veterinary parasite control products.
And yet, immediately upon sighting the animal, the information about the need for deworming came.
In most places of Czech Republic, the last winter was very mild. The soil has not frozen sufficiently, and all the organisms in it have survived. This may mean that the incidence of parasites and associated problems may be higher than in years with colder winters.
At the same time, it is a known fact that some species of parasites may be resistant to various dewormers.
If the animal shows non-acute changes from its normal condition and behaviour, parasites tend to be a common cause.
The changes may have many variabilities. From weight loss, lack of appetite, bloated or sensitive abdomen, coughing, eye discharge, skin formations, to apathy, pain, nervousness or even aggression.
Sometimes parasites can be seen in an animal’s faeces, but there are species that you can’t see with the eye.
The risk of parasitic infections is that the changes may come after a prolonged period of time when the animal is really sick.
And often the cause of the disease is sought elsewhere, because of the regular deworming of the animal.
Only regular administration of deworming products is sometimes not sufficient protection.
If you want to be sure, you can have a fecal analysis done before and after deworming and consult the appropriate types of products.
This is, of course, up to the decision of each owner or the professional advice of a veterinarian.
For myself, from my own experience, I will add two more points to consider:
1. Herbal antiparasitics, in my experience, do not work well enough at present. I take them as an alternative where it is not possible, for some reason, to use conventional preparations.
2. In some cases it is necessary to deworm all those who are in regular contact with a sick animal. Not only animals, but also humans.