❤️ 4th of the 4th……it had to be! ❤️
Absolutely delighted to share that The Four Borders Canine Massage Therapy Clinic is now open! 👏🥳
I really look forward to welcoming my existing clients and new clients for their canine massage sessions in this lovely, peaceful space, that I’m so proud of!
❤️ Non-slip flooring
❤️ Air conditioning
❤️ Heating
❤️ Memory foam bed
❤️ Pillow
❤️ Massage Couch
❤️ XXL Vetbed
❤️ Canine First Aid Kit
❤️ Access to fresh water
Lights, camera….air-conditioning!
A slight delay on works but we’re really moving now!
Anti-slip flooring delivery this week to protect your dogs joints when they arrive, air-conditioning/heating unit to ensure the temperature is just right during their massage session, and energy efficient lights on a dimmer, so they can be adjusted to create a relaxing light if needed.
Next stop : soft furnishings 👏
Not long now! 🐾 🐕🦺🐕🐩🦮 🐾
🎄 D is for December. D is for Dog Breeds! 🎄
This is the last month this year of our monthly articles and we thought it may be nice just to make things a little more lighthearted whilst still maintaining the subject of massage.
We have chosen the words HAPPY CHRISTMAS and compiled a list of a selection of dog breeds beginning with each letter, along with a little history of their breeding, some common musculoskeletal or neurological conditions, and how Canine Clinical Massage could potentially help.
Perhaps you are the proud owner of one of these breeds? And if you are, why not post a photo of your best four-legged friend? We would love to see them. I have added a fun video of my collie Solar and her friend Ruma, naturally ‘herding’ their friend, Tag, even though they have never been taught to do this.
This has been an interesting article to write, because it shows that although we all know what a dog is, there are just so many varieties, and breed dispositions.
Over the centuries, dogs have become adaptable, and this is the same for the way a Therapist would treat a dog – carefully adapting the massage techniques and routine to ensure the dog benefits from their massage sessions.
⭐️ Please note that this article is for fun, is non-biased, but with a factual element.
Of course, there are many, many more wonderful breeds that begin with the same letters, all equally special – this is certainly not an exhaustive list and not all dogs of the listed breeds will present or develop those conditions shown.
If you consider that your dog may benefit from canine massage, then please do contact us, or visit the Therapist register on the Canine Massage Guild website.
☃️ So, HAPPY CHRISTMAS, and Seasonal Greetings, to your family and beloved dogs. Stay safe, and have fun 🐾
We’ll start with H!
Fiona Skinner - Hampshire/Dorset
Vicky Sowerby - Sheffield
Sarah Whittaker - Oxfordshire
🎄 H = Havanese
Background : The national dog
N..is for November… N..is for NOISE
Each month my Clinical Canine Massage colleagues, Vicky, Sarah and I, have written an article that we hope will be of interest to dog owners in respect of a number of issues which may impact on their quality of life.
This month, with bonfire season upon us, Vicky is keen to cover something very dear to her heart … how noise can negatively impact on some dogs’ behaviour and, more generally how behavioural changes we see in some of our dogs may be linked to musculoskeletal pain or discomfort.
Some dogs may have always reacted with fear to loud noises, but for many this behaviour may suddenly present during their life, with no obvious cause.
Here, Vicky has provided an excellent example of a client that she has treated, and she says:
“My lovely Cockapoo client was very happy to go into the garden during the bonfire season and New Year, and watch the fireworks with curiosity. However, this changed when she was about 3-4 years old, and she reacted with fear. She would hide, shake and was clearly terrified.
With her owner, I explored potential incidents in her life around the time this started, to see if we could pinpoint the cause of this little Cockerpoo’s fear, and it became clear this began a couple of months after she had suffered a painful muscular injury to one of her legs.
Although she was no longer showing signs of pain in her leg and only limped intermittently after a long walk, we had to consider that her muscle was still recovering….
So. Just like us when we jump at a sudden loud sound, dogs will involuntarily tense their muscles when startled, and if that muscle is already sore, the sudden muscular contraction will be uncomfortable or painful.
If this continues to happen, the dog can develop an assosciation between the bang, or sudden or loud noise, and the pain that follows builds into a pattern of behaviour.
My own dog has suffered with back strains in the past, and on a car trip which involved goin
💙 It was Archie’s turn to play a key part in my further learning last night 💙
🐕🦺 As a Canine Massage Guild Therapist, we are always super keen to learn more and more about the benefits of canine massage for your dog.
We can do this through The Guild CPD, and this particular online session, was all about the Sartorius Muscle! Yes, one session, on just one single muscle!
There was so much information and content, that the session was the same duration of a good movie!
This important, long, thin, superficial muscle flexes and externally rotates your dog’s hip, and also flexes the stifle (knee).
It is possible for a dog to strain their Sartorius muscle. Multiple trigger points may occur too, and both, can restrict range of movement and cause considerable discomfort, and therefore overcompensation in other neighbouring muscles.
There are special techniques that only trained Guild Therapists can use, to help alleviate and improve such issues in the Sartorius, to aid your dog’s mobility, and help to improve their comfort levels 🐕🦺
Four Borders just relaxing with Four Borders 😉
The ‘Four Borders Team’ are hard at work in the office today, helping with admin….!
