RA Canine Therapist - Dog Hydrotherapy and Massage Therapy

What does Penny’s owner have to say about her progress since starting hydrotherapy? ⬇️ ✨ “Penny’s form and movement was uneven following surgery, and hydrotherapy was recommended by our vet. A colleague recommended RA Canine Therapist and since starting treatment Penny’s legs are so much stronger- she has built muscle mass and is now walking using the correct movement, and she is so much happier! Even if your dog doesn’t necessarily need hydrotherapy, I would recommend it to anyone as the health benefits long term are amazing!” ✨

Come and join us for Lisbon’s first puppy swim! This was her first ever time swimming in water! It was so special to share this ‘first’ with her family! Lisbon is going to get involved with agility and gundog work when she is older, which are both fantastic outlets for her breed! Her mum wants to make sure she is confident in the water and able to swim safely and properly, to prevent injury and to be able to perform well when she is working! 😍 Lisbon was a pleasure to treat and she took to swimming so well! As it was her first session, we made sure we used a float coat to give her extra buoyancy - building positive associations for her so she felt safe and supported! We can’t wait for her next swim! 😍 If you have a puppy or a working breed that you’d like to join RA Canine Therapist, get in touch with us today! 🩷 #caninehydrotherapy #massagefordogs #caninemassagetherapist #essexcaninemassage #caninemassage #essexhydrotherapist #caninehydrotherapyessex #caninerehabilitation #essexhydrotherapy

Static swimming! What is it and when do we use it?! Static swimming involves maintaining your dog in the same position in the pool, and then swimming them statically for a period of time - this is similar to us treading water! We may use this for: 🐾 Improving fitness - think of this as an amazing cardio workout for your dog! 🐾 Building muscle mass - your dog will need to work against the resistance of the water to move their limbs, helping to engage and build muscle mass 🐾 Increasing joint range of motion - your dog will be taking their joints through full range of motion, supporting joint health 🐾 Enhancing proprioception - from the stimulation of the water 🐾 Improving posture - your dog will need to engage their core and maintain good posture to remain upright! 🐾 Sporting dogs - to enhance their fitness and overall musculoskeletal health This is just one of the many advanced techniques we may use for your dog! This is usually something we add in when they are a strong and confident swimmer with a good fitness level! For more information and to get your dog booked in, drop us a message today! 🩷 #caninehydrotherapy #massagefordogs #caninemassagetherapist #essexcaninemassage #caninemassage #essexhydrotherapist #caninehydrotherapyessex #caninerehabilitation #essexhydrotherapy

Get to know your therapists! What led Rebecca into this career? I have always had a passion for working with dogs and increasing their quality of life. When I was running my dog training and behaviour business, I saw lots of dogs that were in pain and showing negative behaviours due to this. I was often referring back to the vets or to other professionals to help the reduce their pain which often resolved their behaviours. Then as my two childhood dogs got older, they started to show signs of pain from conditions like arthritis. I knew I wanted to help all of these painful dogs more, so I enrolled on the Canine Therapy BSc at Writtle University and absolutely loved learning more about the different therapies and understanding how to help these dogs more. Now I get to help dogs everyday and it is so rewarding to see their progress!🥰 To find out more or to book your dog in, drop us a DM today! #caninehydrotherapy #massagefordogs #caninemassagetherapist #essexcaninemassage #caninemassage #essexhydrotherapist #caninehydrotherapyessex #caninerehabilitation #essexhydrotherapy

Rest breaks vs swimming - which part does your dog prefer?! We have some dogs who absolutely love their rest breaks - where we can apply manual techniques such as massage, stretching or passive range of motion, all of which will enhance the benefits of treatment! Other dogs aren’t so keen on waiting around, and can’t wait to complete their next lap! Rest breaks are a crucial part of our treatment - we can check your dog’s vital signs to ensure they don’t fatigue, and it also allows them rest and recovery in between intense exercise! Drop us a message today to start your dog’s hydrotherapy journey! 🩷 #caninehydrotherapy #massagefordogs #caninemassagetherapist #essexcaninemassage #caninemassage #essexhydrotherapist #caninehydrotherapyessex #caninerehabilitation #essexhydrotherapy

A timelapse from Denise’s session! 😍 Apart from the kisses in the rest breaks what else can you see us doing with her?! Denise is a nervous rescue dog but her confidence has come on leaps and bounds since starting swimming with us in July 2023! She’s been coming for regular monthly visits as she had some intermittent episodes of lameness. Although X-rays ruled out anything going on with her joints, she does have a unique confirmation (something we may often see with overseas rescues!). We wanted to build up and even out her muscle mass whilst strengthening her muscles, increasing joint range of motion and encouraging better use of her core! As she is a very fit dog, we incorporated some static swimming and a double lap to push her even further! In her rest breaks we applied massage to any areas where there was some muscular tension! If you have a nervous dog and want to bring them for hydrotherapy, drop us a message today or check out our website ➡️ https://racaninemassage.co.uk #caninehydrotherapy #massagefordogs #caninemassagetherapist #essexcaninemassage #caninemassage #essexhydrotherapist #caninehydrotherapyessex #caninerehabilitation #essexhydrotherapy

Let’s talk pain! Have you ever heard ‘a dog wouldn’t do that if they were painful’ or ‘he can’t be in pain, he isn’t showing any symptoms’….we’re here to debunk these myths! Pain in dogs is often misunderstood - dogs are incredibly stoic and will usually hide any sign of pain, and will often try to continue as normal despite being in pain! If they do show us they are painful, this can often be incredibly subtle but we just need to learn how to understand them! Subtle signs of pain may include isolating themselves more, licking or chewing an area more, becoming more grumpy with other dogs or humans, muscle twitches, and a subtle change in movement. We can help you pick these signs up! A full initial assessment will give us a better insight into your dog’s musculoskeletal health, and any pain they are experiencing. Pain should always be addressed first by your vet, and we can then layer in complementary therapies such as hydrotherapy, massage therapy and physiotherapy! For more information or to get your initial assessment booked in today, drop us a direct message! ❤️ #caninehydrotherapy #massagefordogs #caninemassagetherapist #essexcaninemassage #caninemassage #essexhydrotherapist #caninehydrotherapyessex #caninerehabilitation #essexhydrotherapy

Interested in hydrotherapy but not sure how it’ll benefit your dog? 🐾 Weight loss - the properties of water can enhance the cardiovascular demand for your dog, accelerating weight loss whilst improving their fitness levels! 🐾 If your dog takes part in any sports such as agility, flyball or canicross, hydrotherapy can improve their fitness levels whilst strengthening and building muscle mass, and improving their joint range of motion 🐾 If you have a golden oldie and you want to keep them mobile and improve their quality of life, hydrotherapy can be a fantastic addition for senior dogs 🐾 If your dog has a musculoskeletal diagnosis, we may be able to help with their rehabilitation! This can help speed up their recovery and prevent the risk of reoccurrence! There are so many ways hydrotherapy can help to improve your dog’s quality of life. Even if you have a pet dog in perfect health, hydrotherapy can help to prevent issues occurring later in life! Get in touch with us today to find out how to get started! 💜 #caninehydrotherapy #massagefordogs #caninemassagetherapist #essexcaninemassage #caninemassage #essexhydrotherapist #caninehydrotherapyessex #caninerehabilitation #essexhydrotherapy

Calling arthritic dog owners! Has your dog recently had a diagnosis of arthritis and you’re feeling lost and don’t know where to start? We can help you! We offer an arthritic clinic which is led by a Canine Arthritis Management Advocate who has specifically completed further training in this field to understand the condition in depth! This fully bespoke clinic considers a holistic approach to your arthritic dog’s management, including complementary therapies, pain management, and lifestyle factors. We will always be honest and open with you and welcome you to ask questions so you are able to support your dog day to day! You aren’t alone and we can support you in your journey 🩷 #caninehydrotherapy #massagefordogs #caninemassagetherapist #essexcaninemassage #caninemassage #essexhydrotherapist #caninehydrotherapyessex #caninerehabilitation #essexhydrotherapy

When we can’t use hydrotherapy and why! 🐾 If your dog has any open wounds, skin lesions, or infection, it’s not appropriate to treat them in the pool due to the risk of infection and aggravating any ongoing skin condition. We may however be able to use massage therapy as an alternative to support them! 🐾 If your dog is in season - please do let us know and we can reschedule their session! 🐾 If your dog has had any vomiting or diarrhoea in the past 48 hours - this is to ensure we mitigate the spread of bacteria and infection to other dogs! 🐾Certain musculoskeletal conditions may not be appropriate to be treated in the pool and may require an underwater treadmill or massage therapy only. If you’re unsure, please pop us a message and we can advise you on whether hydrotherapy in the pool would be suitable! For more information or if you have any questions, please do pop us a message! #caninehydrotherapy #massagefordogs #caninemassagetherapist #essexcaninemassage #caninemassage #essexhydrotherapist #caninehydrotherapyessex #caninerehabilitation #essexhydrotherapy

What do we mean when we refer to ‘good form’ and ‘good posture’ and why we want to encourage this! When we speak about form, we are looking at your dog’s structure and their movement - how coordinated they are, if they are symmetrical, and if they are using the correct muscles to complete exercises and move. When we look at posture we are referring to how your dog stands, holds themselves while they move, and in particular how they use their body when they swim! We want to encourage your dog to have good form & posture and symmetrical movement for many reasons, including building muscle mass evenly, maintaining joint mobility in all joints, maintaining core engagement, and overall preventing the risk of injury! When we see dogs with poor form/ posture, we may see muscle loss and joint stiffness! There are many ways we can encourage and build on these using hydrotherapy and massage therapy! To get booked in, drop us a message today! 🥰 #caninehydrotherapy #massagefordogs #caninemassagetherapist #essexcaninemassage #caninemassage #essexhydrotherapist #caninehydrotherapyessex #caninerehabilitation #essexhydrotherapy