RA Canine Therapist - Dog Hydrotherapy and Massage Therapy

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

Is your senior dog struggling in the winter months? Have you considered hydrotherapy or massage therapy to support them? We may be able to use one or both of these complementary therapies to support your golden oldie! Whether you have a musculoskeletal diagnosis, or you just want to improve their mobility and quality of life, we can help! Drop us a message and let us know what you need help with 🥰 #caninehydrotherapy #massagefordogs #caninemassagetherapist #essexcaninemassage #caninemassage #essexhydrotherapist #caninehydrotherapyessex #caninerehabilitation #essexhydrotherapy

How the equipment you are using on your dog can impact their gait and joint range of motion! There has been a huge increase in research on collars, harnesses and other walking equipment and how this impacts on gait and joint range of motion. Whilst it can be concluded from research that there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ solution, we can be mindful about what we are using on our dogs and watching how this can change or alter their movement! This will depend on any underlying conditions they have, how they move in each, and what we are trying to improve or target - and we are happy to advise on this when you visit us! For more information, check our website out or drop us a message today ➡️ https://racaninemassage.co.uk #caninehydrotherapy #massagefordogs #caninemassagetherapist #essexcaninemassage #caninemassage #essexhydrotherapist #caninehydrotherapyessex #caninerehabilitation #essexhydrotherapy

Finding it hard to keep the weight off your dog over winter? Is your dog not as active during the colder months? Hydrotherapy may be a great option for your dog! We often hear that over the winter months, our dogs may sleep more, not want to go out as much if it’s very cold, or are less mobile. We may also see arthritic dogs struggle more in the winter due to the extreme changes in temperature, so adding in hydrotherapy may be a great addition to keep them at an ideal body condition score and also keep them mobile! Our pool is heated to 30 degrees so they will feel therapeutic benefit from the temperature, whilst exercising in a controlled and safe environment (and staying clean!). To start your dog’s hydrotherapy journey this winter, drop us a DM or check out our website ➡️ https://racaninemassage.co.uk #caninehydrotherapy #massagefordogs #caninemassagetherapist #essexcaninemassage #caninemassage #essexhydrotherapist #caninehydrotherapyessex #caninerehabilitation #essexhydrotherapy

Adapting our techniques to your dog! We don’t use a ‘one size fits all’ approach! Instead, we will assess your dog’s individual needs, and tailor their treatment to them! This may include various manual techniques in their rest breaks, handling adaptations based on their behaviour, and findings what works for them! We love how different each dog is - some are natural swimmers, and others may need more guidance! We are equipped to deal with their needs 🥰 DM us today to get your dog booked in to join RA Canine Therapist! 😍 #caninehydrotherapy #massagefordogs #caninemassagetherapist #essexcaninemassage #caninemassage #essexhydrotherapist #caninehydrotherapyessex #caninerehabilitation #essexhydrotherapy

Swimming against the jets! Kippy is an incredibly fit agility dog who LOVES his sessions - you can see how keen he is to swim😍 he completes several repetitions against the jets which enhances his fitness levels and stamina, and also really works those muscles! 💪🏻 This boy always makes us smile in his sessions! 💚 #caninehydrotherapy #massagefordogs #caninemassagetherapist #essexcaninemassage #caninemassage #essexhydrotherapist #caninehydrotherapyessex #caninerehabilitation #essexhydrotherapy

Come along with me for a day in the life as a Canine Therapist, and meet some of the lovely dogs I treated! ✨ To get your dog booked in for hydrotherapy, massage therapy, or our arthritic clinic, please drop us a DM today! 🩷