What do you do if your dog suddenly pulls up limping after having a zoom around? The first and most obvious thing is to stop exercising and get back home as soon as you can without worsening any possible injury. Then REST – be overly cautious (on the lead at all times – even in […]
Having fun, but preventing injury…..
Having fun with your dog is a vital part in maintaining a happy, healthy hound – and sometimes as a therapist, I feel like I’m the ‘fun police’, because of some of things I’ll advise an owner not to do with their dog. So a balance is the key to it all – here’s some […]
Trigger Points – pesky things!
You’ve no doubt heard of ‘knots’ in the muscle – those tough, fibrous bands that are excruciatingly painful when pressed and often send a tingling, numbness or throbbing sensation to other parts of the body. These are ‘Trigger Points’ and occur when a muscle is overused, or used in a way it wasn’t intended for. […]
Fibrocartilaginous Embolism (FCE)
This is sometimes described as a dog ‘having a stroke’ – not the petting kind, but a sudden collapse and paralysis, usually of the hind legs. The vertebral column provides a bony protective case around the spinal cord. The spinal cord is fed by a network of spinal arteries. In FCE, somehow the material from […]
Myofascial release…..
Did you know that the body is covered in a 3D cobweb that encompasses every structure within the body? An area of damage to the fascia, either through injury or from an operation site, can result in the fascia being pulled in a certain direction. Imagine poking a hole in a spiders web and how […]
Lying down for a massage…….
I always consider it an added bonus when a dog lies still on their side when being massaged – and falls asleep! Most dogs do, but a small proportion don’t. If your dog is a very active soul and you are concerned that he/she won’t settle, so aren’t suitable for massage, think again! I work […]
Continuous Professional Development
All therapists belonging to The Canine Massage Guild, are required to do a minimum of 25 hours of CPD. I help to teach and supervise current Diploma students as well as assisting on CPD days for qualified therapists but it’s great to revisit techniques myself, under the superb teaching of Natalie Lenton.
Revision of the Ventral Aspect CPD
Being a member of the Canine Massage Guild, ensures that all therapists are trained to the same high standards and provides lots of opportunities to learn more techniques and revise those already used. Today has been a great opportunity to explore different ways of applying techniques to the ventral aspect of the dog, and I […]
3 good reasons to have your dog massaged………
1) It improves mobility by restoring flexibility and suppleness to muscles 2) It increases range of motion within joints and resolves knotted muscles and spasms 3) It soothes areas of pain and soreness and induces relaxation and a feeling of well being And much much more………
Sporting dogs
I treat a lot of sporting dogs throughout my working week – agility dogs, canix dogs, gun dogs, and those competing at intense sports such as mondio ring. Whilst some of these dogs may be carrying new or old injuries, massage is a also a great way of : Having your dog fully checked over […]