As a Clinical Canine Massage Therapist I work along side you and your vet to help the rehabilitation of soft tissue injuries, that may present as limping or lameness, in your dog. I can also help ease some orthopaedic issues such as luxating patella and arthritis.
By law I am required to obtain Veterinary Consent prior to treating your dog. I work strictly within the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 & Vet Exemptions Order 2015.
If your dog is referred to me I will assess them using what is known as the five principles of pain.
1 - Gait; how your dog moves.
2 - Posture; how your dog stands.
3 - Activities of daily living; has there been any changes with how your dog jumps in and out of the car, gets down or up the stairs or is he or she not settling.
4 - Behaviour; are they becoming reluctant to be petted, are they isolating themselves? After all we can all get a bit grumpy if we are not feeling in top condition.
5 - Performance; does your dog do agility, flyball or are they working and is their performance changing, are they reluctant to perform.
When massaging your dog I will use a mix of four different techniques; Swedish, Deep Tissue massage, Myofascial release and the Lenton Method. The use of the Lenton Method sets me apart from all other Canine Massage Therapists in the area. It is a pioneering, results-driven three tiered approach for in-depth assessment and treatment of dogs. The Method uses advanced palpation, body mapping and the use of seven protocols, which are myofascial release techniques.
An initial course of three sessions over three weeks of one to one and a half hours should show positive results in your dog. Results can include your dog being able to get up and down the stairs again, or can go out for longer walks, an agility dog may be able to regulate stride more effectively, interact with you or other dogs better, perhaps show a normal behaviour which you hadnβt realised was missing, such as wagging his tail. Put simply Clinical Canine Massage can help your dog to regain that little sparkle in their eye.
I like to say that dogs show us how to live life by having the best day ever. I want to work with you and your dog to make sure this is true.