Case Study

Introduction: Drainage as a Key to Understanding 

This case study goes beyond merely describing skin symptoms, drug reactions, or veterinary protocols.

Its aim is to comprehensively grasp the phenomenon of drainage as a fundamental expression of a hypersensitive organism – across time, space, and the layering of symptoms.

The study will describe:

• Complex drainage circuits – continuous processes of releasing toxins, inflammatory compounds, or medication residues through the skin, mucous membranes, or secretions.
• Partial and localized drainages, which appear as temporary compensations – e.g., ears, eyes, testicles, rectum, interdigital spaces, or back.
• Invisible drainages, which require sensitive observation: changes in behavior, body posture, environmental preferences, body odor alterations, or subtle micro-reactions.

Chicco's case shows that drainage is not a symptom – it is the body's language, a protective mechanism, and a response to system overload, which is often overlooked or suppressed by standard protocols.

Limbic System, Autonomic Pathways, and Body Drainage

Connecting neural circuits, hypersensitivity, and drainage responses in both dogs and humans.

What is the Limbic System?

The limbic system is a group of brain structures that govern emotions, memory, stress processing, and autonomic body functions. It is not merely the "seat of emotions" — it acts as a decision-making and regulatory network that coordinates:

• when the body intervenes,
• when it withdraws, and
• when it initiates drainage.

It includes: 

• parts of the thalamus and prefrontal cortex.
• amygdala,
• hippocampus,
• the hypothalamus,

These structures connect the central nervous system (CNS) and the autonomic nervous system (ANS). It is here that the body's response to overload, shock, trauma, or relief is formed.

Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Systems

The autonomic nervous system has two main branches:

Sympathetic – "fight or flight"

• Enhances bodily alertness but leads to overload over time.
• Suppresses digestion and sleep, inhibits drainage processes.
• Increases heart rate and muscle tension.
• Activates in danger, stress, or sudden stimuli.

Parasympathetic – "rest and digest"

• Within limbic activity, it is the channel through which the body releases internal burden.
• Supports relaxed breathing, digestion, and elimination.
• Triggers drainage and cleansing mechanisms, regulates inflammation.
• Activates in calm, trust, and safety.

Chicco: Transition into Parasympathetic and Drainage

Chicco transitions from tension (sympathetic) to drainage (parasympathetic) via the limbic system. In practice, it looks like this:

• Drainage onset: tremors, muscle twitches, deep exhalation, open body posture, release of internal deposits.
• Change of conditions: retreat, calm, respect → the limbic system shifts the pathway.
• Threat signal: loud touch, manipulation, tension in the environment → sympathetic activation.

In these moments, the key transitional bridge is:

→ a deep exhale,

→ change of body position,

→ eye contact with the trusted guide.

Connection to Humans: Hypersensitivity and "Pain Absorption" 

In hypersensitive organisms (both dogs and humans):

• the transition between systems is physically perceptible: the human feels release, the dog expels a lesion.
• a dog can absorb a human's pain (Chicco – transfer of headache, relief after his wave),
• there is mirroring of limbic responses,

This is a real neurovegetative interaction, not symbolism.

Anatomical manifestations: full-body tremors, whimpers, sighs.

Episodes such as:

• body opening in a state of calm,
• whimpering and sighing,
• wave from hind legs to front,
• paw dance,

… are signs of shifting into parasympathetic dominance.
The body initiates cleansing through the skin, saliva, sweat, secretions, and lesions. 

Chicco's Drainage Circuits

I divide Chicco's drainage circuits into two levels:

Small Drainages – these are localized detoxifications of individual systems or areas (e.g., ears, eyes, mouth-head-ENT, furuncles, digestion, urine, stool, testicles, prepuce, anus, skin).

Each of these drainages occurs independently or in sequence, often in response to a specific trigger or internal pressure.

Large Drainage – this refers to a complex cleanse where several small drainage circuits are activated at once. It is a systemic body response that requires maximum calm, respect for the animal's pace, and in many cases a complete withdrawal from interference.

More information about the large drainage circuit can be found [here].

Each of the drainage circuits will be described in detail on individual subpages.

The aim is to show how the body manages them intuitively and how they can be observed without force and with respect for natural rhythms.

Inputs and Outputs – Explanation of the Mechanics (Chicco, Left vs. Right Side)

Inputs, such as touch, pressure, hand movement or change of position, act on the body through mechanically accessible zones – most commonly through the ear, withers, or torso. However, inputs are often also intangible, involving energetic or neural stimuli.

Outputs, on the other hand, represent what the body releases – these are visible or palpable manifestations such as inflammatory lesions, pus, discharge, saliva, tears, sweat, urine, stool, or odor. These outputs may appear on the opposite side of the body from where the input was applied. The body operates through crossed pathways – for example, input through the left ear can trigger output in the right hind leg.

Example: After a gentle stimulus (e.g. touch in the ear area or rear lobe), a release may occur through a lesion elsewhere on the body – such as the hind leg. This process is natural for Chicco and he clearly uses it as part of his self-regulation.

Chicco comments: 

"I'm glad you're finally starting to listen to me." 

Selective Behavior: Mirroring, Masking, and Targeted Drainage

This is not the owner's delusion – it is precise environmental mirroring.

In the case of a hypersensitive dog like Chicco, it wasn't merely about passive responses to stimuli. His behavior showed clear signs of a selective regulatory mechanism. In other words – the dog deliberately refrained from showing signs of pain or drainage when he sensed the environment was not safe. On the contrary, he purposefully released and allowed drainage-related reactions only in the presence of a person he trusted.

Masking in Front of an Unsafe Person

In the presence of the husband, who was emotionally tense or unable to work with subtle signs, Chicco consistently showed nothing. No lesions, no signs of pain, no need for intervention. Drainage was ongoing (as later confirmed), but it was conducted in a way that remained "unseen." He behaved as if "nothing was wrong."

Some signs were suppressed so effectively that even an experienced observer would have mistaken them for a calm, resting state without the proper context.

Mirroring Safety: I Choose When I Can Let Go

In my presence – especially when I consciously avoided pressure or touch – Chicco purposefully released drainage:

• he approached and showed me his paw,
• directed his head or lay down on the appropriate side,
• sometimes he simply waited for the "channel to open."

He also responded to my behavior – for example, while I was ironing, calm and without the intention to engage with him, he chose his spot and initiated drainage.

This is not "pampering" or "acting like a king" – it is the therapeutic intelligence of a hypersensitive organism.

Physical Outputs as Evidence

Several episodes showed that when drainage began in such a "chosen situation," it led to visible output:

• pus, secretions,
• a drop of blood,
• a furuncle,
• spontaneous bowel movement,
• smell.

These outputs could not be forced – not even with a bath or massage – if the inner condition of safety was not met.

Behavior Is Not Random. It's a Form of Protocol. 

Chicco built his own protocol:

• whom he chooses as his partner at a given moment.
• when he turns over (only after bowel release),
• how he lies down (right/left side),
• where he goes when he needs to release (e.g., the tiles near the washing machine),

This kind of selective behavior reveals a subtle biological intelligence, often misinterpreted as "whim" or "stubbornness."

Conclusion: Respect Selectivity as a Form of Communication

In hypersensitive individuals, selective behavior is not a flaw.

On the contrary – it is a form of self-regulation that the professional community should recognize and respect.

Just like HS (hypersensitive) children who communicate through silence, distance, or choosing specific spaces, an HS animal has the right to its own conditions.

If we respect them, healing becomes possible.

If we ignore them, the body shuts down.

Context for Ethical VET

In standard clinical practice, these processes are often overlooked, ignored, or even disrupted by inappropriate intervention (e.g., touch during transition, manipulation during discharge, adding stressors).

Ethical care for a hypersensitive patient means:

•  guiding the dog toward openness, not forcing it into resistance. 

•  understanding limbic regulation,

•  not disrupting transitional states,

Safe Silos & HS Wisdom

A note of gratitude to Vice President Shangzhe Xie

Sometimes, the world offers unexpected mirrors — and sometimes, those mirrors are held by people you've never met, yet they reflect your experience with uncanny accuracy.

Thank you, Shangzhe, for your humour, insight, and that rare ability to see through metaphor into lived truth.

Your post reminded me: what looks like isolation to others may, in fact, be the only breathable space for a hypersensitive system.

This moment of resonance will not be forgotten.

– Jana Butkovská

Founder, The Chicco Protocol