This isn't about how we experience a reduction in our pain by stroking pets (we do, obviously). It's about my poor fur baby who damaged his paw again yesterday and can't have the op to sort it til tomorrow. In the meantime I can give him a liquid painkiller with food. So when he was clearly unhappy early this morning, that's what I did. As a believer in attachment parenting, I've always been led by my offspring and tried to respond to their needs. So probably read into the look the dog gave me, which I interpreted as "don't you understand? I'm telling you I'm in pain, not hungry!"
I'm often talking to folks about the UNICEF saying, how breastmilk is not just nutrition, but love and protection too. People sometimes think breastfeeding is just a means of delivering food, but the hormones and antibodies make it so much more than that, and breastfeeding incorporates natural pain relief so can be done whilst babies are getting their vaccinations for example. And I'm sure I've mentioned before how for adults the act of eating is like stroking our inside skin. I need to remember this tho, so that next time I get a chocolate craving I try stroking my outside skin for the oxytocin hit instead.
I'm not allowed to give him any more meds now (and no food after midnight) so it's just cuddles as pain relief from here on in. Not a bad plan really.
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