THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE
Rejuvenate Your Elderly Dog
Many older dogs suffer from arthritis, stiff joints, spasms and muscle cramping. They often get up slowly, play less, prefer not to go for walks, have a difficult time moving around, and struggle with stairs which results in the weakening of their muscles. With regular therapeutic massage sessions, you can increase your dog's overall mobility by toning its muscles and reducing stiffness. Massage and range of motion exercises can help replace some of the exercise the dog is missing. After regular massage sessions, many dogs display more vitality and energy and may even want to engage is some playful activity.
Injury/Illness Recovery and Post-Surgical Massage
The goal of physical therapy for canine animals is to improve their quality of life and decrease pain. Therapeutic canine massage helps reduce pain and enhance recovery from injury, surgery, degenerative diseases, age related diseases and obesity.
The healing process goes more smoothly and speeds up recovery time with therapeutic massage and range of motion exercises helping keep your dogs muscle tone and flexibility at their peak condition. Massage can relieve pain that can occur after surgery by relaxing the muscles that can tighten as they tend to contract in order to "guard" the area of the operation. Massage can also help to reduce the swelling that can occur after surgery as it stimulates the lymphatic system to drain more efficiently.
Arthritic / Chronic Pain Massage and Management
Even though dogs are more inclined to try and hide their pain they still will try to escape from even the lowest level of pain stimulus that causes human discomfort. Immediate or acute pain helps prevent damaging movements in the short term and once treated, goes away. Chronic pain in a dog has no benefits and only serves to diminish activity, increase disability and decrease quality of life. Therapeutic massage will help control the pain, making your dog more comfortable and get well faster. When joints are damaged by diseases, injury or wear and tear, inflammation and arthritis results. Stiffness and pain, along with a decrease in the mobility of the affected joint occurs and muscle atrophy results from the non-use of the painful limb. Pain and discomfort can result in lameness. Therapeutic massage has physiological pain relief benefits including helping the reversal of muscular atrophy by stimulating blood flow to atrophying muscles, endorphin release, tension relief, reduced anxiety and increased flexibility and mobility of the treated areas. Movement and stimulation are crucial in enhancing your dog's quality of life.
Bonding and Trust Massage
Whether your dog has separation anxiety, trust issues, fears, or being introduced to a new home or family members, massage can greatly reduce the tension that creates in your dog and help in relaxing and calming them down. Also, many rescue dogs have been abandoned, abused, and re-homed. Many need to re-learn to trust and bond with their new owner and handle their brand new environment. When a dog feels like it is in danger, it puts a tremendous amount of stress on its body system. That can lead to a constant level of muscle tension, impacting its nervous and immune system, lowering circulation and causing illness. Therapeutic massage is a vital aid in this process allowing the dog to reconnect and learn the acceptance of human touch. It helps rebuild the dog's confidence by releasing the fear and tension and relaxing it. During massage, both the dog and masseur experience an increase in oxytocin (a bonding hormone) levels and a decrease in cortisol (released in response to stress) levels. That shows a positive effect in the wellness for both the human and its dog companion. Massage is also great for preventative care and early detection, giving an owner a feel for their dog's body and can alert the owner to any changes or abnormalities which can then be properly diagnosed by their veterinarian. Dogs who receive regular therapeutic massage treatments become more accepting of all kinds of handling – from vet to the groomer.
Keeping Your Show Dog or Canine Athlete Healthy
Regardless of what sport or dog show you and your canine companion compete in, high demans are placed on your dogs body. It is vital for your dog's overall wellness that their muscles are tension free and flexible. Tense muscles restrict proper range of motion by restricting blood flow causing tissue swelling and pain. This makes your dog prone to muscle tears and sprains. Preventative bodywork can increase overall speed, stamina and performance. Regular maintenance bodywork will help keep your dog healthy, happy and strong. Both pre and post bodywork massage is recommended for peak performance. Massage helps prepare dogs mentally and physically for an event and also comforts tired muscles and reduces the potential for cramping and post-exercise soreness.
Maintenance and Relaxation Massage
Regular therapeutic massage maintains a dog's overall well-being and can help prevent degeneration of healthy tissues. Therapeutic massage also decreases blood pressure and lowers your dogs heart rate helping keep your canine companion calmer and more relaxed.
Puppy Massage
Puppies are a challenge for both owner and puppy. It's natural for puppies to nip, as well as be rambunctious and learning can be a challenge. Training alone is not the only answer. Your connection to the dog's body is very important in its development. Regular therapeutic massage helps the puppy focus and relax before taking on new challenges. Due to their rapid development, many large breed are prone to strains and are greatly helped with increased circulation and flexibility received through massage.