Ayrshire Canine Clinical Massage

14/11/2024

But it hasn't been a Dalmatian exclusive zone as I also had gorgeous Eden the Hungarian Viszla here yesterday for a maintenance session after seeing her earlier this year for a soft tissue injury to her shoulder. I'm pleased to say she was feeling good and no areas of concern to report. Poor Eden feels the cold and snuggled right in during some of her session for a heat. I promise I'll put the heating on next time 😂

14/11/2024

Well the Dalmatian theme continued yesterday when I welcomed the lovely Bailey for his first session with me. He did amazingly well and his mum and dad were very impressed with how tolerant he was and actually seeming to enjoy it. They have noticed that Bailey's mobility has deteriorated recently and he has been pacing and panting excessively . Hopefully we can help reduce his pain levels and associated anxiety to allow him to relax more and enjoy better mobility. I look forward to seeing you again next week lovely boy x Sorry I was so rubbish at taking your photo and thanks to your mum for coming to the rescue and also sending this one of him relaxing at home afterwards x

13/11/2024

Yesterday I went back to see my Dalmatian gang and Wilma, Dali and Kipling had massages this time. Kip doesn't really have any issues at only 11 months old but his mum thought it would be good to get him used to being handled in a different way. He did amazingly well. All the dogs were shattered last night after their exciting afternoon 😂 See you again soon x

11/11/2024

The very pretty Molly, the Australian Labradoodle came for her first massage session with me today. Molly trains and competes in agility and her mum had noticed some subtle hind limb discomfort recently. We found a few niggles to work on and Molly was a good girl for me. See you again soon to keep you in tip top shape for agility x

11/11/2024

Joint conditions and associated pain are the number one reason for vet visits in the UK and one of the fastest growing areas where owners spend money on treatment.

On Saturday 30th November, Cat Johnstone CMG of Ayrshire Canine Clinical Massage and myself, Catherine Hutchison BCCS Dip Hlth Nut are offering a joint presentation on prevention and care around this subject.

11am - Cat will discuss safe exercise and movement, the importance of rest and what we can do to support our older / affected dogs to stay active.

11.45am - I will talk about real food additions to the diet to reduce inflammation and have a look at over the counter supplements, their ingredients and how they work together.

We will break around 12.30pm for refreshments and a question and answer session.

Your investment in your pet’s future health will be £15, payable on booking and we will only be taking ten delegates.

Please call on 01292 281005 or message the page to secure your place.

09/11/2024

PLEASE HELP. I am a poor, deprived, sad looking little spaniel who has no toys. All I get to play with are my daddy's smelly socks. They don't even squeak (well some of them make a crunchy, crusty kind of noise) but I've heard that other dogs have proper toys that are soft and squishy and cuddly. If anyone knows where I might get some of these please let me know and I will write to Santa Paws. Love from Rufus x

09/11/2024

Thank you so much to Petcayr By T & G Hutchison Pet Supplies for having me along today to meet and muscle check some of their lovely clients. Apologies to Marlow , Marcy, Bandit, Cooper and Piper as I forgot to take your photos 😞. Hope everyone has a lovely Saturday evening.

08/11/2024

Got to love a side eye 😂. Oscar loves me really xx

07/11/2024

So last night I had a farewell massage session with Shahla before she moves to Wales. I have worked with this little beardie for 2 and a half years and I've been proud to be part of her agility journey from the highs in the finals at Crufts this year to the lows of nasty injuries. Shahla has been a dream to work with and I will really miss her but I know you will continue your agility adventure with a great team behind you in your new home. Best of luck to team Bryden with your big move and for everything the future holds. We had to finish our session with lots of cuddles of course xx

02/11/2024

Skye, the 8 year old Cairn Terrier had her first massage therapy session with me yesterday. I had met Skye and her folks at the Vets4Pets Kilmarnock fun dog show last weekend. Skye had damaged her cruciate ligament a few years ago and has regular hydrotherapy to help maintain her fitness and joint health. We hope that regular massage will also help to keep her joints in good shape and address any overcompensatory issues that have accrued as she has shifted weight to adjust from this historical injury over the years. Skye was a superstar and settled beautifully - look forward to seeing you again soon x

31/10/2024

Who knew the duck pond at the beach park in irvine looked like half a poodle lol!

29/10/2024

Gorgeous Goose had his regular maintenance session today. He's been a wee bit off recently and struggled to settle today - but that's ok and it happens. We all have off days and I always respect how each dog is feeling. I hope we got enough done today to make you feel a wee bit better xx

26/10/2024

Any ideas?

26/10/2024

The lovely Luna had her first massage session with me today. Luna trains and competes in flyball and her mum had noticed a problem with her left hind limb at training so contacted me to have her checked out. We found a couple of issues to work on and Luna settled amazingly well for her first time meeting me. Despite the photos she did actually smile through most of her massage and I look forward to seeing you again in a couple of weeks.

25/10/2024

Hudson is exhausted after his massage this week. This young Hungarian Viszla had appeared to have hurt his tail last week so his mum asked me to check him over.
Tail carriage and use is one of the things as a Clinical canine massage therapist I look at when watching a dog stand or move.
A dog's tail is about so much more than wagging.
It is an extension of their spine and a tail can have up to 25 bones in it. Dogs use their tail for balance, changing direction as well as to express how they are feeling.
Thankfully Hudson was feeling a lot better when I saw him but he does have a restriction when moving his tail to the left and it turns out he has a strain to the coccygeal muscle on that side. It's quite a common injury especially in waggy breeds or those that spend a lot of time in the water using their tail as a rudder.
It's good to check in with how your dog is moving but also watch their tail carriage - if there's anything abnormal going on it may be worth having it checked out.

24/10/2024

Nail length is often overlooked but is a really important factor to consider for your dog's posture, gait and traction especially on slippy surfaces.
Thank you to Canine Massage Guild members for sharing this very informative piece.

✨Nail Length & the Effects on your Dogs Posture✨

🤫 Are your dogs nails too long? If so, this can pose a risk to your dogs quality of life, altering posture, joint angulation, range of motion in their joints which can lead to compensatory musculoskeletal issues.

The Images on the left, illustrate well maintained nails. Whist the images in the right illustrate nails that are too long.

Notice with the nails that are too long. You can see a shift caudally (backwards) in the pad and you will often see a splayed foot, causing a lack of traction, which may lead to tendon/ligament damage, pain, and eventually osteoarthritis. This can also adversely alter posture, joint angulation, range of motion and biomechanics & the gait (how your dog moves) of your dog, leading to compensatory musculoskeletal issues.

Nail length can be checked by observing if your dogs nails are touching the ground when they stand and also by listening to your dog walking on a hard surface and if you can hear a tapping sound, then your dogs nails are likely to be too long. If you are in any doubt, or if you’re nervous about cutting your dogs nails, consider taking your dog to a professional dog groomers.

Please read a very interesting blog from Caninebodybalance - thank you
https://caninebodybalance.com.au/journal/canine-nail-length-and-the-effects-on-biomechanics

and thank you to Touch Animal Rehabilitation for the info & the photos
https://www.touchanimal.com/blogs/2020/2/7/the-importance-of-regular-nail-trimming

23/10/2024

Buddy had his usual monthly maintenance massage this week. Despite his aches and pains he's such a happy loveable boy.

23/10/2024

Delighted to be asked along to spend the day at Petcayr By T & G Hutchison Pet Supplies checking over your dogs in preparation for the colder weather. Dogs, especially those with arthritis can struggle more as the temperature drops. Look forward to seeing you there. Catherine

Do you know about the benefits of canine massage for your dog?

We are absolutely delighted to be welcoming Catherine Johnstone of Ayrshire Canine Clinical Massage on Saturday 9 November to carry out winter wellness muscle checks.

This is a great opportunity to have a professional in the field assess and discuss your dog’s mobility.

Lasting for up to 20 minutes, Cat is offering these sessions for free but a small donation to Ayrshire Drone Dog Rescue is always welcome. Booking is recommended - send us a message to the page.

Cat and I will also be offering a much more in depth presentation at the end of November covering many aspects of muscular health - as well as massage, Cat’s studies have covered many other aspects of canine health and I will cover anti inflammatory diets and foods as well as discussing mobility supplements and discussing how they work.

More details will follow soon.

Catherine
BCCS Dip Hlth Nut