MASSAGE
Clinical Massage is for all dogs and is a unique strong process that works by releasing tight and sore muscles, removing debilitating trigger points commonly referred to as “knots” that cause referred pain. Massage helps to rehabilitate the body following injury by breaking down restrictive scar tissue caused by activities of daily living.
It can help to resolve many day to day mobility issues whether these have suddenly occurred or have been there a while. Treatment by a Canine Massage Guild member is a must for anyone with concerns regarding their dogs mobility and health.
Guild members can provide answers to questions you have and issues you are seeing with your dog and then most importantly do something about it with an hour of hands on therapy with results in 1 to 3 sessions.
Massage is also a natural form of pain relief that can help to resolve soft tissue or muscular problems and support orthopaedic conditions such as arthritis and hip/ elbow dysplasia.
It is important to note that prior to all Canine Massage treatments a consent form is obtained from your Vet.
What’s included?
- Gait and postural analysis – how your dog moves, stands, sits and to assess any irregularities
- Initial palpation/ muscular health check – a hands on assessment of the major muscles identifying any areas of concern using a principle called the 4 T’s. This allows for assessment of the Tenderness, Texture, Temperature and Tone of muscle. Palpation identifies any scar tissue, trigger points, myofascial pain, hypertonicity (too much muscle) and atrophy (muscle wastage) that your dog may be presenting.
- A full body massage for 50 minutes using all of the information. Tailoring the massage treatment focusing on any identified areas. Each dogs, condition and lifestyle is different and so is their treatment meeting specific needs. Monitoring how your dog is responding and reacting to the treatment ensuring they are comfortable at all times working with your dog
- Feedback is then provided on what I’ve found and how you can help, appropriate changes possible to the dogs lifestyle as well as after care advice.
- The best results are seen with three 50 minute sessions over the course of 3 weeks. Results you can see and your dog can feel in 1 to 3 sessions.
Palpation identifies any scar tissue, trigger points, myofascial pain, hypertonicity (too much muscle) and atrophy (muscle wastage) that your dog may be presenting
- Full report sent back to your vet for continuity of care
Further treatments or maintenance sessions
Some dogs may require further sessions which can be reviewed on an individual basis or I may discuss with you going to see your vet for a review.
Some chronic conditions benefit from maintenance sessions and the time between these will be tailored to your dogs needs and conditions.
REIKI
Reiki is a system of natural healing involving the laying on of hands which is thousands of years old and originally believed to have been used by Tibetan Buddhist Monks. Reiki is gentle and not intrusive and healing comes individually in ways that is needed.
Reiki has been commonly practiced on humans for some time with benefit. So why not dogs I thought. I first tried it on my rescue dog when she was anxious and it calmed her! Animals don’t require much Reiki as they have less “baggage” than humans, but for animals who have been abused, suffered trauma, are recovering from illness or undergoing medical treatment or those who are anxious will defiantly have a benefit to reiki.
Even content dogs will enjoy it from time to time to clear their energy. Reiki can be done as a one off, regular basis or as part of a package.
LASER THERAPY
Laser therapy treatments for Canines and other small animals is becoming more common place and is a non-invasive treatment that uses specific wavelengths of light to reduce pain, promote healing and decrease inflammation in dogs. Due to the nature of the treatment dogs do not require sedation and generally settle well during sessions.
Canine laser therapy involves the use of specific wavelengths of light to penetrate tissues and stimulate cellular regeneration and healing.
This therapy is increasingly popular as a complementary treatment for various conditions in dogs, including chronic pain, inflammation, and wound healing. We use a class IV laser that is able to penetrate deeper into the tissue.
How Does It Work?
The laser stimulates production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) this process enhances growth within the body that aids healing, increases blood circulation and reduces inflammation.
Benefits of Laser Therapy
Laser is effective for pain, managing of chronic conditions such as arthritis, and hip and elbow dysplasia. It helps to decrease swelling and inflammation post-surgery or following an acute accident or injury. It enhances the natural healing process with faster recovery from wounds, injury, and surgery by increasing blood flow and the cellular repair process. It is also known to improve gastric issues.
It can be used as a stand-alone treatment depending on the situation however is also a great addition to our Canine Massage and hydrotherapy treatments.
Canine laser therapy is a safe and effective option to promote healing and pain management in dogs. Your dog doesn’t need to lie down or be touched for the treatment which is great for dogs who are sensitive, anxious or have behaviour issues. If you think your dog could benefit, please ask a member of the team for more information or consult your vet.
