A new clinical study published by the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association shows that distant Reiki relieves pain in dogs.
In this very first blinded, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical study it was demonstrated that dogs receiving distant Reiki showed significant pain reduction compared with the control group. After the third and sixth sessions, all dogs in the Reiki group showed some pain reduction ranging from an ‘excellent’ or ‘moderate’ degree of pain improvement.
The 2025 study aimed to evaluate the impact of distant Reiki on owner assessment of the health and wellbeing of adult dogs by measuring frequent complaints in veterinary practice.
The selection criteria were dogs aged eight years or older with any physical, behavioural, or emotional health problems, including chronic illness, anxiety, and fear. The research programme included six weekly distant Reiki sessions, each lasting 30 minutes.
Reiki is a Japanese technique for relaxation and stress reduction that can also promote emotional and physical healing and can be applied with or without the touch of hands. The transfer of ‘universal life force energy’ through the practitioner's hands to the client is a gentle, non-invasive therapy that aims to remove energy blockages and restore balance.
Over the last few years, there has been a notable increase in the number of studies investigating the effectiveness of distant Reiki in human health but until now, no formal studies have been done on animal health.
Energy-based therapies such as Reiki are recognised as complementary health practices by the World Health Organisation and are present in the treatment routines of hospitals and healthcare facilities in countries such as Brazil and the USA.
Read more:
https://www.ahvma.org/journal/wagb9632/
Impact of Distant Reiki on Owner Assessment of Health and Wellbeing of Adult Dogs: A Blinded, Placebo-controlled, Randomized Trial; Claudia Ruga Barbieri, DVM, MS, MBA; J Am Holist Vet Med Assoc. 2025;78:11–19.
