Hannah Zulueta A meridian is a channel of energy that courses beneath your dog’s skin’s surface. Qi (pronounced “chee”) is the energy that flows between these different channels.
Think of them as pathways like powerlines that have on/off ramps that exit to the skin’s surface.
There are yin and yang meridians. The yin meridians begin in the chest and travel along the inside of the forelimbs such as the lung, pericardium, and heart meridians.
These yin meridians, at the paws, connect and meet its yang partners and travels along the outside of the arm to the face and head for the large intestine, triple heater and small intestine meridians.
Dogs Will Sometimes Lick Along The Meridians That are Stagnant
If there is a problem along the meridian it may present itself as it relates to the organ that is affected. If there is a blockage, or Qi is stagnant your dog might start to lick itself along that meridian.
A skilled TCVM Practitioner will be able to properly diagnose what organs might be affected based on your dog’s behavior.
And if they are doing any acupuncture, this is part of the process.
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You can learn about the Meridians in the book: Four Paws, Five Directions.
I’ve taken some photos from this book of what these look like below.
Lung Meridian
Large Intestine Meridian
Stomach Meridian
Spleen/Pancreas Meridian
Gall Bladder Meridian
Is Your Dog Focused On A Meridian?
If your dog is not in a state of balance and well-being – are they behaviorally licking along a specific meridian more than others?
Your homework will be to sit and watch them and start to notice if there is a pattern to their grooming/licking.
And keep in mind these photos only represent a few of the meridians. You can take a photo of your own dog, draw where they are licking themselves more and send it to me in advance of our zoom call.
And if this area intrigues you, I recommend you buy this book to learn more: Four Paws, Five Directions.
As always, thank you for stopping by and I wish you and your dog good health!
