When Debbie Ross' horse, Jack, was rushed to a Grafton animal hospital with a mysterious ailment this summer, his condition deteriorated rapidly. He was stabilized in a full-body sling suspended from the ceiling, and after weeks of tests and prodding, but no significant improvement, veterinarians gave the dire news that it was unlikely he’d leave the hospital alive.

So Ross sought help from a different kind of specialist — James Salvia (pictured), an intuitive energy healer. Via cellphone, he "read" Jack. The horse communicated to James that he felt fine and that there was nothing wrong with him.

2½ months later, Jack’s home and nearly his old self again.

"It’s not me, it’s spirit, it’s energy," said Salvia, a self-described animal communicator, energy healer, and specialized kinesiologist from Natick. "I’m just a vessel."

Pictured: Silva displays some of "essences" he uses to treat the animals he visits.

What Salvia does through his practice, "The Whole Body," is a mixture of science, mysticism, and a bit of the unexplained.

Pictured: James Salvia "reads the energies" of Jack, a Percheron and Paint cross belonging to Debbie Rosse of Rowley (right).

Salvia is also a paramedic for the city of Boston.

"It’s a nice way to be a voice for them,” Salvia said. Animals of all kinds can “offer an amazing insight into our world."