Canine Massage Therapy is a valuable treatment for dogs of all ages
Dogs of all ages and conditions benefit from canine massage. Your dog doesn’t need to be injured in order to benefit from massage; it is an effective treatment for maintaining your dog’s musculo-skeletal health and preventing injury from happening.
Please click on the images below to learn more.
Young, active dogs
Young, active, working dogs will benefit as a maintenance treatment; keeping muscle tissue supple and injury free.
Show dogs
Show dogs have to spend long hours travelling to shows and waiting on the bench. They also have to ‘strike a pose’. This isometric muscle contraction is hard work and massage keeps those muscles in peak condition.
Senior dogs
Senior dogs and those with ongoing orthopaedic conditions, such as arthritis, benefit from massage. Muscles overcompensate when there is a weakness and massage can help to relieve sore tight muscles, warms joint fluid and encourages freedom of movement.
Injured dogs
Dogs recovering from injury need massage as well. Muscle and tendon strains, ligament sprains, orthopaedic issues/surgery and neurological conditions – massage can aid healing and help release tension in the overcompensating muscles.
Soft Tissue and Muscular Injuries
Being active can result in injury, whether your dog competes athletically, or is a much loved pet playing games in the garden. Sudden twisting and turning, sharp braking, jumping, repetitive activities (such as ball chasing) can all result in injury, which if left untreated, can become a chronic injury.
Orthopaedic Conditions
Your dog has over 700 muscles, that pull on the 320 bones to create movement. If your dog has an orthopaedic condition, the effect is not just on the bones, but all the soft tissues that supports the skeletal framework. Whatever the orthopaedic issues, Canine Massage Therapy will help to restore better mobility and thus, quality of life.
Neurological Conditions
Canine Massage Therapy has an effect on all the systems of the body and can significantly improve your dog’s quality of life, whether it’s to help with rehabilitation, or to help maintain mobility and function for as long as possible.
Canine Massage Therapy may help your dog with the following issues
- Lameness/Limping – gait irregularities
- Stiffness of joints
- Difficulty going up and down stairs; getting in and out of the car
- Old before their time – slower on walks
- Twitching down their back or roached back
- Yelping when you touch certain areas of the body
- Reduced performance in sports, racing, working and show dogs
- Dogs with ongoing orthopaedic conditions e.g. arthritis, hip/elbow dysplasia
- Luxating patella
- Cruciate ligament damage/post surgery
- Recovery after operations
This is not an exhaustive list. Please contact me to discuss your dogs’ issues. Dogs with certain conditions may not be suitable for massage.
I always ask for consent from your vet prior to treatment to check for any contra indications.